Anatoly Donchenko IM

Hi Anatoly!

Congratulations on another fighting Titled-Tuesday. Your games show energetic play, creative piece activity and a willingness to take practical decisions under pressure. Below is some focused feedback that should convert a few of those narrow losses into wins.

1. What you are already doing very well

• Dynamic counter-play in sharp Sicilians. In both wins with …a6/…h5/…h4 you obtained the initiative straight out of the opening and converted convincingly. Your feel for the typical …h5–h4 pawn-storm is excellent.
• Piece activity in equal endgames. Even when material is level you constantly hunt for active rook placements (e.g. …Rc4–c2, …Ra5). That keeps opponents under pressure.
• Practical decisions. Trading queens against Mike Sailer simplified into a favourable rook ending you handled with confidence.

2. Recurring issues to address

1. Time management (main pain-point)
   • Four of your last five defeats were on the clock rather than on the board.
   • You often reach <10 seconds with a winning or equal position (see 46.Rb1+? against Pingah9 and 68.Ne2? vs GM thekingindian).
   Quick Win: decide on a simple conversion plan before the last time scramble (e.g. “trade rooks & queen the a-pawn”) so no extra time is spent calculating when the increment phase starts. Also consider a short premove routine for forced recaptures.
2. Handling the Bb5+ Anti-Sicilians
   • In the loss to dosto07 the early 3.Bb5+ caused you to drift into a passive …Nd7/…e5 setup.
   Homework: revisit the 3…Bd7 4.Bxd7+ Qxd7 5.0-0 Nf6 line or adopt the 3…Nc6 “Accelerated Rossolimo” plans. A small repertoire tune-up will force White back into mainlines where your Najdorf skills shine.
3. Kingside pawn thrusts versus the Réti/English set-ups
   • In several losses you met 1.Nf3 / g3 systems with …g6, …f5, …g5 very early, weakening dark squares (see games vs Pingah9 & AlexTargarian).
   • When your pawn chain stalled you had no safe haven for the king.
   Suggestion: Alternate with a solid …d5/…c6 Slav-set-up or delay …f5 until development is complete.
4. Endgame conversion technique
   • Winning positions slipped away in rook endings where you allowed counterplay (e.g. 55.Rb7? against bazar-wokzal).
   Drill: 10-minute daily session on Philidor/Lucena and “rook + passer vs rook” exercises to reinforce the cut-off-king → bridge → queen sequence under increment pressure.

3. Opening map (last 20 blitz games)

• As White: 1.Nf3/English 70%, London-style 10%, Sicilian Alapin 5%, Others 15%.
• As Black: Najdorf 45%, Anti-Sicilians 25%, Modern/King’s Fianchetto 20%, Queen’s Gambit Declined structures 10%.

4. Concrete training plan

5. Quick stats

Your current peak blitz rating: 2553 (2022-03-22). Keep an eye on fluctuations by reviewing the

6. Motivational end-note

Almost every loss in the sample came from Zeitnot positions. Fix the clock, and your existing tactical vision will do the rest. A single extra half-point each week is usually worth 30-40 places in Titled-Tuesday—well within reach.

Good luck in your next events, and feel free to ping me any time you want to dive deeper into a specific line or ending!