Zvjezdan Grandić

Quick recap

Nice recent win vs. rayatableros — you converted a middlegame edge into a clean endgame and your opponent resigned. The game below is a good candidate for a short self-review; replay the final phase to see how you improved your piece activity and pushed your advantage.

Replay the win:

What you're doing well

• You pick reliable, thematic openings — your results in the Caro-Kann Defense and French Defense are strong. That consistency gives you comfortable middlegame plans.
• Good piece activity: in the win you traded into favourable simplifications and used rooks and king actively to finish the game.
• Tactical awareness in sharp moments — you find tactical captures (for example the exchange sequences and timely bishop trades) and convert them rather than letting complications fizzle.
• High conversion rate overall — your Win/Loss/Draw record shows you know how to press small advantages into wins.

Recurring issues to focus on

• Time management / flagging: several recent losses (including the game vs. unknown) ended because of clock pressure. Work on avoiding long think sessions on routine moves and reserving time for critical moments. See Flagging.
• Endgame technique under time pressure: when the position simplifies, your play is sound but becomes error-prone when the clock is low. Practice common rook and pawn endgames and clean king-and-pawn technique.
• Occasional passive responses to counterplay: in a couple of losses you allowed opponent rook/activity (open files, checks) instead of neutralizing threats first — prioritize safety (king placement / rook exchange) before pursuing small gains.
• Opening micro-accuracy: your repertoire is great, but a few games show you drift from known plans into awkward pawn moves — stick to the plan or have a clear reason to deviate.

Concrete 4-week improvement plan

• Daily (10–15 min) tactics: focus on forks, pins and discovered attacks. Aim for pattern recognition, not only solving speed.
• Endgame drills (3× a week, 20 min): rook vs rook/pawn, king + pawn vs king, and basic Lucena/Pozzo positions. Endgames win you games and save draws when low on time.
• Opening maintenance (2× a week, 30–45 min): pick one line in the Caro-Kann Defense and one in the French Defense; review typical pawn breaks and one model game per line.
• Clock discipline practice: play sessions with small increment (+2 or +3) and deliberately force yourself to avoid thinking more than 20–30s on quiet moves. Practice “reserve time” policy: never drop below 30s until critical moments.
• Post-game routine: after every loss, do a 5–10 minute manual review before engine — identify the turning point and write one sentence: “If I could rewind, I would...”.

Specific moments to review (homework)

• Win vs rayatableros — replay move 16–24 and ask: was the bishop trade + capture sequence the fastest conversion? Verify alternate defence ideas for Black.
• Loss vs unknown — replay the finish (moves ~33–39). The game ended with you low on time; check where you could have simplified earlier or kept your king safer. Replay here:
• Pick one Caro-Kann game where you won comfortably — annotate the central pawn-break moments and keep those patterns in mind as templates.

Checklist for your next training session

• Warm up: 5 tactical puzzles (7–10 minutes).
• Endgame focus: 15 minutes on rook endgames (Lucena / Philidor ideas).
• Opening study: 30 minutes on one Caro-Kann line — play one training game with that line.
• Blitz block: 5 blitz games with +2 increment, applying the “reserve 30s” rule.
• Short post-mortem: pick the most recent loss and write the turning point in one sentence.

Final notes & motivation

Your overall profile is excellent: you convert chances and your opening choices give you clear plans. The main gains in the next month come from fixing time management and sharpening basic endgame technique — both are high-ROI and will stop avoidable losses. Small, focused daily work (tactics + 2 endgame drills + one opening review) will keep the rating trend climbing back up.

Keep the review small and consistent — and don’t forget to enjoy the play. Good luck, Zvjezdan.