Akhilesh Kumar

Quick recap

Hi Akhilesh Kumar — nice recent run. You're getting decisive results in daily games and showing good instincts: quick castling, timely piece development, and several clean tactical finishes. A lot of your wins come from solid opening play and seizing practical chances when opponents blunder or flag.

What you’re doing well

• Clean, fast development and early king safety — you castle quickly and avoid exposing the king unnecessarily.
• Good opening variety — you’re experimenting (Barnes, Amar Gambit, French), which helps you learn motifs across positions.
• Practical play under long time controls — you convert many games by keeping the position simple and avoiding risky complications.
• Tactical awareness — you’ve finished games by mating combinations or winning material when opportunities appear.

Key areas to improve

• Stop relying on opponent timeouts as the main conversion method. When a game ends on a flag, you miss out on learning how to convert technical advantages. Practice finishing positions without relying on the clock.
• Opening fundamentals over tricks: when opponents play unusual pawn pushes (for example an early pawn to the wing), decide on a plan — contest the center, finish development, or safely exchange pieces — rather than only reacting.
• Calculation and candidate moves: in longer games you sometimes allow counterplay. Before committing to a forcing sequence, pause and check for the opponent’s strongest replies and checks.
• Endgame technique and conversion: work basic rook and pawn endgames and common mating nets so you can finish positions confidently when the opponent doesn't blunder or flag.

Specific recent game notes

Most recent win (daily game vs svcidbifb):

• Position: The game stayed in the opening phase — the opponent tried an early wing pawn push and you completed development with knight and bishop moves.
• What went well: You developed pieces to natural squares and didn’t create weaknesses in front of your king.
• Opportunity missed: Because the game ended on time, there wasn’t a clear conversion path practiced. After development, aim to pick a clear plan — break the center, open a file for rooks, or target a weak pawn.
• Helpful review: replay this short game and ask: what is my plan after move 4? Where would I put my rooks and which pawn break helps me gain space?

Replay the game quickly here:

Notes on a longer example (French Defense game): you handled the middlegame actively and found tactical chances, but there were moments when simplifying or trading into a winning endgame would have been safer than sharpening further. If you’re ahead materially, simplify; if behind, keep complexity.

Concrete practice plan (next 4 weeks)

• Daily (10–20 minutes): Tactics — focus on forks, pins, and discovered attacks. Start with 10 puzzles/day and track accuracy.
• 3×/week (20–30 minutes): Endgames — study king-and-pawn basics, basic rook endgames, and the Lucena position. Convert simple advantages until it feels routine.
• 2×/week (15–20 minutes): Opening fundamentals — pick two systems to prioritize (for example Reti Opening ideas and the French Defense pawn breaks). Learn typical plans and one model game per opening.
• After each daily game: add a 5–10 minute note — identify the critical moment and the one move you would change next time.

Mini checklist to use during a game

• Have I finished development and secured my king?
• What is my concrete plan for the next 3 moves? (improve a piece, create a pawn break, or trade pieces)
• Before every capture or forcing line: check opponent’s checks, captures, and threats.
• If you have a material lead: reduce tension and trade pieces to simplify; if behind: keep pieces on, look for tactics and counterplay.

Next session suggestion

• Warm-up: 10 tactics (10–15 minutes).
• Study: one model game in the French Defense — focus on the break with the e- and c-pawns (20 minutes).
• Play: one daily game with the explicit goal "convert without relying on opponent timeouts." After the game annotate one critical decision (10–20 minutes).

Closing — small wins add up

You're trending upwards — keep the momentum. Replace a few time-based wins with clean technical conversions and your rating and confidence will follow. If you want, I can pick one game from your recent list and give a move-by-move annotated critique next (tell me which game).