Avatar of Jose Guilherme Barria Santos
Player Profile

Jose Guilherme Barria Santos IM

Zorbos Lisboa Since 2017 (Active) Chess.com ♟♟♟♟♟♟
51.1% W 43.6% L 5.3% D
Bullet
2892
4728W 4252L 426D
Blitz
2807
4550W 3674L 535D
Rapid
2278
3W 2L 1D
Daily
1909
10W 5L 1D

Hi Jose Guilherme Barria Santos!

Great job maintaining a performance near 2800 blitz – elite territory for three-minute chess. Below is specific feedback based on your latest session.

What’s already excellent

  • Opening command. You reach move 10 with 85-90 % of your clock, whether in the King’s Indian, Dutch, or Sicilian French set-ups. That shows solid preparation and confidence in your repertoire.
  • Dynamic pawn play. Wing breaks such as …b5 (Taimanov game) or h4-h5 / g4 (KID & Bogo-Indian wins) regularly seize the initiative and unbalance opponents.
  • Tactical alertness. Miniatures like the victory over ElHelvetico illustrate your ability to convert complications into material gain quickly (
    ).
  • Clock management. Even deep into end-games you preserve a safety buffer that forces opponents to flag, e.g. the 79-move win vs wqws.

Recurring issues to address

  1. King safety after pawn storms.
    Two losses to Ebanine began with early g/h-pawn pushes (as White) or …f-pawn thrusts (as Black) that weakened your own dark squares. Before committing a wing pawn, ask: “Can my opponent open a file toward my king in three moves?” If yes, postpone the push or prepare it better.
  2. Central tension avoidance.
    In the Smith-Morra defeat you spent tempi on …a6 and …Bb4 and ceded d4/d5. Build a habit: every four moves reassess whether you can push, exchange, or blockade a central pawn. This keeps your pieces from drifting.
  3. Conversion technique.
    Winning positions sometimes take 30+ extra moves to finish, or slip away (Cacriefils 1-0). Drill elementary rook endings and practise converting a pawn up vs engine on low depth.
  4. Forced-sequence calculation.
    The mating shot 23…Qd2+!! you suffered in the QGD game shows a blind spot to queen invasions. When an enemy queen crosses your 4th rank, hit the mental brake and calculate at least three forced plies.

Two-week action plan

DayFocusMethod
Mon / Wed / Fri30 min thematic blitz from equal rook endingsCustom positions vs engine
Tue / ThuSelf-review one loss; label each weakening pawn moveAnnotated PGN notes
Weekend10 rapid games (10|5) to slow calculationChess.com rapid queue

Your stats at a glance

  • Hourly win rate:
    0123567891011121314151617181920212223100%0%Hour of Day
  • Day-of-week trends:
    FridayMondaySaturdaySundayThursdayTuesdayWednesday100%0%Day
  • Peak blitz rating:

Study suggestions

  • Model King’s Indian games by Radjabov (positional themes after …c6 & …b5).
  • Classical remedies to the Morra Gambit – observe Caruana’s move order choices.
  • End-game fundamentals: Lucena position & rook vs passed pawn.
  • Pawn-storm timing in opposite-side castling; review Tal’s Sicilian attacks.

Final motivation

You have already beaten several 2800+ opponents and flirted with a 2900 performance. Add a dash of prophylaxis and end-game polish, and a stable 2900 blitz rating is well within reach. Keep the fire burning – just shield your own king while you light the opponent’s!

Good luck, and see you at the board! – Coach