Dmitry Svetlov IM

Hi Dmitry, here’s some personalized feedback based on your recent games.

What you are doing well

• Dynamic opening choices. Your Grunfeld Exchange win against Berezin Viktor shows confident central play and the willingness to push d5/d4–e5 pawn breaks early.
• Tactical alertness. The rook-lift Rd7–Rad1–Rxd8# sequence in that same game highlights sharp calculation when the initiative is yours.
• Use of the open g-file in your Sicilians. After 8…gxf6 you kept the king in the centre, swung the rooks and eventually broke through on the dark squares—a classic Richter-Rauzer plan executed well.
• Confidence against higher-rated blitz opposition. Your recent streak versus 2300-2500 players suggests your practical strength is already IM-level in familiar positions.

Patterns that cost you points

• Time management. Two of the Chess960 losses were on time in roughly equal positions. Your move-to-move pace fluctuates dramatically (see
  ). Work on maintaining a consistent tempo to avoid last-second scrambles.
• Underestimating lower-rated opponents. In the 1743 Chess960 game you drifted into a worse minor-piece endgame while a pawn up. Stay disciplined regardless of rating.
• Endgame conversion. Several wins required extra moves after already winning positions, hinting at a need for cleaner technique. Study fundamental rook endings and typical pawn-up conversions.
• Structure neglect when you have the bishop pair. In the Hyper-Accelerated Dragon game you allowed c5-c4 holes and doubled pawns on the e-file. Sometimes a quiet move of prophylaxis (e.g. a6 or h6 earlier) keeps your position healthier.

Opening micro-advice

Line	Suggestion
Sicilian Richter-Rauzer (…gxf6)	Memorise the critical 15.f5 Qc7 16.Rhf1 ideas for both colours; also test 10…h5 11.Kb1 exf5 to diversify.
Grünfeld Exchange	After 13…Nd4 consider 14.Bxc4! when Black’s c4-knight is loose. The game win was great, but this refinement yields an even bigger edge.
English Mikenas (1.c4 Nf6 2.Nc3 e6 3.e4)	Your plan with f4-f5 was thematic. Add the model game Caruana–Vachier-Lagrave (London 2019) to your study list for upgrade ideas.

Action plan for the next month

1. Daily 15-minute puzzle rush, then annotate errors. Emphasise quiet tactics that improve piece placement—many of your blunders come from overlooking a single tempo (tempo).
2. Weekly endgame workout. Finish “100 Endgames You Must Know” chapters 6-10 and play out five rook-and-pawn positions vs an engine at depth-8 limit.
3. Two focused Chess960 sessions. Treat them as opening calculation drills: develop quickly, castle early, and aim for 0:02:00 still on the clock by move 15.
4. Self-review every Sunday. Export your worst time-trouble loss into
   and annotate why each think tank happened.

Tracking progress

Your current peak Blitz rating is 2617 (2019-04-13). Watch how the graph changes in

. If your win rate stays above 60 % while average think-time per move drops by 0.3 s, your regimen is working.

Annotated snapshot – last classical win

[[Pgn|1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.Bd2 Bg7 6.e4 Nb6 7.d5 O-O 8.Nf3 c6 9.dxc6 Nxc6 10.Be2 Bg4 11.O-O Bxf3 12.Bxf3 Nc4 13.Bc1 Nd4 14.b3 Ne5 15.Be2 Rc8 16.Bb2 Nxe2+ 17.Qxe2 Qd3 18.Rfd1 Qxe2 19.Nxe2 Rc2 20.Bxe5 Bxe5 21.Nd4 Rb2 22.Nf3 Bg7 23.e5 Rb8 24.Rd7 Kf8 25.Rad1 Rxa2 26.Rd8+ Rxd8 27.Rxd8#]

Final thought

Keep leveraging your tactical flair, but pair it with disciplined clock usage and structured endgame study. That combination will push you past the 2400 barrier and make your results more stable.
Good luck and enjoy the journey!