Quick summary (recent rapid games)
Nice run — you convert messy, tactical positions into wins often, and your rating trend is steadily upward. Your recent win vs jul1etm shows strong tactical awareness and piece activity; your recent loss vs tignisam and several other games show recurring issues with time management and some endgame technique.
Replay the key win (study the tactic sequence)
Replay the sequence where you opened the position on the kingside, sacrificed/forced material, and then used knights + queen to invade the white king. This is a great example of turning an opponent's loose king into a mating attack.
Game viewer (important moments):
Opening in that game: Barnes Opening: Walkerling — an unusual first move from White that gave you targets to attack.
What you're doing well
- Active piece play — you consistently bring knights and queen into the attack and punish loose kings/pieces.
- Tactical vision — you spot decisive forks, captures, and mating nets quickly in chaotic positions.
- Opening choices that fit your style — your best opening results include Australian Defense and the QGA line (3.e3 c5) where you get comfortable, playable structures.
- Conversion under pressure — you win many messy positions and capitalize on opponents' mistakes (your overall W/L is very even, which shows resilience).
Areas to improve (highest impact)
- Time management — several games end on the clock (wins and losses). Work on pacing so you don’t scramble in the final minutes.
- Basic endgames / technique — some losses come from being outplayed when queens/rooks remain and the clock is low. Simple endgame drills will help you convert and defend.
- Piece safety and move-order discipline — a few wins were won because the opponent left pieces hanging; avoid giving those chances to stronger opponents by completing development and securing your king earlier (castle more reliably).
- Opening consistency — you do very well with some lines but have lower win rates in offbeat lines (e.g., Amazon Attack, London Poisoned Pawn). Decide whether to learn those lines deeply or avoid them and stick with the systems that give you results.
Concrete next steps (game-plan for the next 4 weeks)
- Daily micro-training (20–30 minutes): 15 minutes tactics (forks, pins, discovered attacks), 10 minutes endgame basics (king + pawn, rook endgames, basic mates), 5 minutes opening review.
- Weekly focused study: pick one opening you use a lot (example: Australian Defense or QGA: 3.e3 c5) and drill 3 common positions — learn typical plans, pawn breaks, and a 5-move model line for both sides.
- Practical time-control practice: play 10 games at 10|0 but force yourself to reach move 20 with at least 4 minutes remaining. Alternatively, play some 10|5 to practice tactics with increment.
- Review 1 loss deeply each session — don't just note the final blunder. Ask: where was the critical moment? Could a simpler plan have avoided complications?
Specific drills & priorities
- Tactics set: 30 puzzles focusing on forks and knight jumps (you win a lot from knight forks — sharpen those patterns).
- Endgames: learn king and pawn basics, Lucena method sketch for rook endings, and basic rook + pawn vs rook defense patterns — 15 min each twice per week.
- Clock drills: play 5 blitz/rapid pairings where move 20 must be reached in 7 minutes or less — trains fast, accurate opening decisions.
- Game review habit: after each session, annotate 1 game (your moves only) and write 3 improvements before your next play.
Short checklist to use during games
- Before moving: check for hanging pieces and opponent threats (5–10 seconds).
- Count attackers/defenders on a target before capturing.
- If ahead in material simplify towards an endgame; if behind look for tactics or active counterplay.
- If under time pressure — trade to reduce complexity or make simple waiting moves that improve your worst piece.
Personalized points from your stats
- Your Strength Adjusted Win Rate ~0.499 indicates you roughly perform at expectation vs varied opponents. Small improvements in tempo and endgame technique should give a rating boost. Your 1–6 month trend slopes are positive — keep this momentum.
- Openings with highest returns: keep refining those (QGA 3.e3 c5, Australian Defense, Diemer-Duhm Gambit). Consider deprioritizing lines where your win rate is below 45% unless you want to study them deeply.
Small weekly plan (example)
- Mon/Wed/Fri — 15m tactics + 10m endgame + 5m opening review.
- Tues/Thu — 2 rapid games (10|5), review 1 quickly.
- Weekend — 1 longer analysis: annotate and extract 3 lessons from a loss and 3 from a win.
Final tips & motivation
You're doing a lot right: active, tactical, and confident. The highest-leverage changes are cleaner time management, small endgame knowledge, and a consistent opening plan. With 10-point rating steps already showing, these focused adjustments will produce gains quickly. Keep replaying your tactical wins (like the one vs jul1etm) and turn that pattern into an automatic habit.