Mulenga Prince Daniel FM

Hi Mulenga Prince Daniel, here’s a personalised review of your recent play

1. What you are already doing well

• Initiative‑first mindset: In many of your wins (see move 16 e5! against jaffer_229) you willingly sacrifice a pawn or create tension to seize the initiative. This keeps opponents on the back foot.
• Tactical alertness: Your victories often feature clean tactics (e.g. 25.Nd3! vs alimowafyy) and precise calculation in sharp Sicilians.
• Piece activity in the middlegame: You rarely leave pieces undeveloped. Rapid centralisation (Re1, Rc1, Rd1 in the Italian) is a recurring strength.
• Stamina during long winning streaks:
  shows that when you’re “in the zone” you convert several games consecutively.

2. Patterns that cost you games

1. Over‑pushing kingside pawns too early
   • In the Caro‑Kann loss (…g6, …g5, 11…g5?!) you loosened dark squares, allowing White’s Qh4‑Nxg5 tactic.
   • Remedy: before advancing flank pawns, ask “What squares become weak and can my opponent occupy them immediately?”
2. Converting won positions under time pressure
   • Two losses were on time while you were materially up (e.g. vs newchesscorner64).
   • Train increment play: practise finishing won end‑games in 30‑second drills; set a goal to make every move under five seconds once a position is technically winning.
3. Defensive technique when behind
   • After inaccuracies you often continue attacking instead of consolidating. In the Bogo‑Indian game you chased a far‑advanced pawn instead of organising your king’s defence, and the counter‑attack collapsed.
   • Adopt a “repair first” rule: when worse, improve king safety and piece coordination before looking for counter‑play.

3. Opening fine‑tuning

Colour	Typical choice	Quick tip
White	1.d4 & 1.e4 systems	Against …c6, consider the Panov‑Botvinnik to keep a space advantage instead of heading for slow structures.
Black	Sicilian Scheveningen / Caro hybrid	In the Scheveningen, delay …Nc6 until the centre is resolved; vs Caro, choose either the pure …c5 break or the Classical …Bf5 lines—mixing setups gave White easy plans.

4. Critical snapshot

The turning point of your recent loss came here (Black to move). Replay it and ask “What is the simplest way to neutralise White’s threats?”

5. Action plan for the next month

• ⏱️ Clock discipline drill: Every day play one 5 + 5 game where you must be above two minutes by move 25.
• 🛡️ Defence training: Solve three “survive & save” puzzles daily—♙ down, worse position, find the draw.
• 📚 End‑game checklist: Review Lucena, Philidor and basic opposite coloured bishop endings (they appear often when you sac an exchange).
• 🎯 Opening focus: Create a mini‑repertoire card for
  • Black vs 1.e4: main‑line Caro‑Kann with …Bf5
  • Black vs 1.d4: King’s Indian — but pick either the Classical or Makogonov and stick with it.

6. Milestone tracker

Your current best blitz rating: 2550 (2021-12-31).
Target for next review: +75 Elo while keeping your Hourly Win Rate above 60 %. See progress here →

7. Motivational nudge

Remember: “When you see a good move—look for a quieter one.” The calm choice will win you more games than the flashy one once the position is already favourable.

Good luck, keep practising, and feel free to send me your next set of games for another deep dive!