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alenay

Since 2016 (Active) Chess.com ♟♟♟♟♟♟
46.9% W 47.4% L 5.6% D
Bullet
909
3W 8L 0D
Blitz
856
9081W 9085L 1074D
Rapid
941
4548W 4547L 561D
Daily
721
293W 427L 35D
Coach Chesswick's Profile Photo
Coach Chesswick

Quick links to the recent games

Review these so you can replay the moments I mention below.

What you are doing well

You have solid practical skills that show up repeatedly.

  • You create practical chances and put pressure on opponents, which leads to many wins by resignation or time. Keep that aggression.
  • You have a wide opening repertoire and play sharp lines like the Amar Gambit regularly. That gives you unbalanced positions where opponents can go wrong. See Amar Gambit and Caro-Kann Defense for your common choices.
  • Your medium-term trend is positive. Over 3 and 6 months your rating slope is up which means your improvements are sticking. Keep the momentum.

Key recurring mistakes to fix

Fixing these will give you more consistent results and stop sudden losses.

  • Premature queen adventures. In the loss vs tinopatt you bring the queen out early and then get drawn into tactical sequences that expose your king. When the queen goes hunting, development and king safety suffer. (See the linked loss above.)
  • Material grabs that lead to passive positions. In the draw vs allanfaqs you win material by taking the rook but then the game ended in repetition. Before capturing big material ask if you can finish development and keep active pieces.
  • Time management in 10|0 games. A lot of your wins come from practical pressure and opponents running out of time. But losing on tactics in the late middlegame indicates time pressure cost. Aim to keep a healthy clock by move 15.
  • Occasional tunnel vision. When you see an attack idea you sometimes continue it without checking opponent counterplay. Slow down for one extra second to ask: What are opponent's checks, forks, and queen or knight jumps?

Concrete drills and daily routine (20–30 minutes)

Small, regular habits will raise your level faster than long irregular sessions.

  • Tactics: 10–15 puzzles daily. Focus on forks, pins, and back-rank motifs. These appear often in your games.
  • Opening principles: 10 minutes reviewing 1 main line. Pick one reliable plan for the Amar Gambit and one solid reply for your opponents' main replies in the Caro-Kann. Understand typical piece placements and pawn breaks rather than memorizing long move lists.
  • Endgame basics: 5–10 minutes twice a week on king activity and basic checkmate patterns. Convert advantages more confidently instead of chasing speculative attacks.
  • Post-game review: after each session, quickly replay losses and close wins and mark the critical move where the evaluation changed. Add one note: what you should have done differently.

30-day improvement plan

Follow this week-by-week plan and re-evaluate after 30 days.

  • Week 1 — Tactics and time control: 15 puzzles/day. Play 10 rapid games focusing on not bringing the queen out before development.
  • Week 2 — Openings and typical plans: pick one Amar Gambit idea and one Caro-Kann idea. Learn the typical middlegame pawn breaks and a single model game for each.
  • Week 3 — Endgames and conversion: practice king+pawn vs king and basic rook endgame technique. Apply these to 5 game reviews.
  • Week 4 — Play and review: play 20 rapid games. After each loss, write one sentence why you lost. After each win, write one sentence how you created and kept the advantage.

Three immediate things to do after your next game

Short checklist to use right away.

  • Before moving, ask: Is my king safe and are all my minor pieces developed? If not, fix development before hunting material.
  • If you see a tempting queen capture, pause and count opponent threats for two moves. If you cannot find a safe follow-up, do not capture.
  • Keep at least 3 minutes on the clock after move 15 in a 10 minute game. If you are under 3 minutes, simplify or play faster reliable moves to avoid blunders.

Final notes and encouragement

You are already creating chances and getting results. The biggest gains will come from tightening up queen play, improving time management, and daily short tactic work. If you want, I can:

  • Give a short annotated recap of the loss vs tinopatt highlighting the tactical motif and better defensive moves.
  • Provide a 1‑page opening cheat sheet for one line in the Amar Gambit or Caro-Kann.
  • Supply a tailored 14-day tactic set focused on the exact patterns that have shown up in your games.

Tell me which of those you want and I will prepare it.