Hi Kirill!
I have reviewed your latest blitz sessions (both the victories and the painful time–forfeit defeats). Overall you show solid 2300-level understanding, sharp tactical flair and a wide, ambitious repertoire. Below you will find a concise, point-by-point assessment, followed by an action-plan you can start using today.
1 What you already do very well
- Dynamic piece play – In the Taimanov win versus rhl_b you correctly sacrificed a pawn with 20.fxe5! and kept the initiative until Black collapsed.
- Opening range – You handle 1.e4, 1.d4 and even the French Advance with confidence, and as Black you rotate between the Sicilian, Nimzo-Indian, Slav and Scandinavian. This versatility makes you unpredictable and is reflected in your high early-game conversion rate.
- Tactical alertness – Your wins are full of forks, pins and well-calculated material grabs (e.g. 24.Bxb8! in the same Taimanov game).
2 Main areas to improve
-
Time management – Four of the five recorded losses are on time in positions you could still save or even win.
Flagging against bz_vet and Aleksandr Devaev happened with > +4 ⩵ computer evaluation.
• Enter moves faster once the position is simplified.
• Use an increment awareness drill: play several 1 + 1 games focusing solely on hitting the increment every move. - Defending against flank pawn storms – In the loss to Elnaz_Kaliakhmet the sequence …h5/…g6/…Rh8 looked promising but left dark-squares fatally weak. Work on typical Queens’-Gambit-Declined structures; practise keeping the pawn shield intact and recognising when to play …h6 instead of …h5.
- Converting technical endgames – Against Antonios Gkavardinas you were a clean pawn up but drifted, then flagged. A little end-game pattern work (Lucena, Philidor, ¾-move technique) will lift your score by 3-4 %.
- Impulse sacrifices – The attractive 10…Nxg4?! versus bz_vet wins a pawn but hands over the dark-squares and burns clock. When you feel the urge to sacrifice, apply the “CCT + 2-move horizon” rule: calculate the opponent’s two best replies before committing.
3 Targeted action-plan (next 14 days)
| Day | Theme | Task |
|---|---|---|
| 1–3 | Clock handling | Play 20 games of 1 + 1, aiming to keep >10 s after every 10 moves. |
| 4–6 | Dark-square defence | Solve 50 puzzles with <=3 moves where the key is guarding dark squares (search QGD h-pawn motifs). |
| 7–9 | Endgames | Rehearse Lucena, Philidor, “rook + 4 vs rook + 3” in the browser drill; then play 10 games starting from those FENs. |
| 10–12 | Impulse control | Analyse three of your speculative sacs with an engine; note when they truly work. |
| 13–14 | Integrate | Play a regular blitz session and self-review immediately after each game (max 5 min/game). |
4 Handy reference links & stats
• Peak blitz rating: • Glossary: don’t forget what a zwischenzug is!
• When do you score best? Check the interactive graph:
• Curious about day-to-day performance swings?
5 Motivational snapshot
If you cut your average thinking time per move by just 0.4 s, your flag losses disappear and your current performance projects to ≈ 2400 blitz. Keep the tactics crisp, tame the clock, and that next rating peak will follow.
Good luck at the board, and feel free to send me your next critical game for a deeper dive!