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Allen Becker NM

allenbecker Wauwatosa, WI Since 2012 (Active) Chess.com ♟♟♟♟♟
54.7%- 36.4%- 8.9%
Bullet 1667
1W 3L 0D
Blitz 1977
379W 329L 58D
Rapid 1923
115W 32L 21D
Daily 2285
51W 0L 10D
Coach Chesswick's Profile Photo
Coach Chesswick

Hi Allen, here’s your personalised feedback

1. What you already do very well

  • Early initiative. In your French-Advance win you hit White with …c5 and …Nf5 and never let the pressure go (

    ).
  • Tactical vision. Sequences such as 14.Bxh7+ Kxh7 15.Ng5+! (E00 game vs damien_bvn) show a sharp eye for combinational blows.
  • Conversion technique. In the same French game you nursed an extra pawn all the way to the stylish under-promotion 46…g1=B!, demonstrating good end-game instincts.

2. Main areas to improve

  1. Wing-pawn over-extension.
    In several losses (e.g. Advance Caro-Kann vs toprod) the early h- or g-pawn thrust weakened your own king and created entry squares (…Qb6!, …Qxb2). Before you push a rook pawn, run a quick three-point check: king safety, new weaknesses, piece coordination (weak square).
  2. Respect invading queens.
    Both defeats on 26-May started once Black’s queen landed on b2/d4. Drill typical queen-invasion motifs in the Advance Caro-Kann so you can meet them with Qb3, Nd2-b3 or rapid development.
  3. Development tempo.
    Slow moves such as 10.Nh3?! (Caro-Kann) gave the initiative away. Target: by move 10 all minor pieces developed and king castled unless there is a concrete tactic.
  4. Converting space.
    In the Nimzo-Indian loss (24-Apr) you enjoyed a spatial edge but allowed …Ne4 and the freeing …d5-d4. Study model games where the side with more space clamps down and restrains the counterplay.

3. Opening focus for the next fortnight

With WhiteAction plan
Advance Caro-KannAdopt main-line 6.Nf3 & 7.Be2 ideas; know typical middlegame plans up to move 15.
1.d4 Nf6 2.Nd2 linesConsider switching to 2.c4 or 2.Nf3 to avoid the annoying …Ne4/Nc2+ tricks you faced vs reokedochess.
English / Réti setupsPrepare vs …c5 / …e6 structures; keep development fluid and avoid early pawn grabs.

With BlackAction plan
French AdvanceKeep your successful …c5 & …Nc6 setup; add plans with …Qb6 ideas to broaden options.
Pirc / ModernYour dynamic breaks …f5 and …e4 work well; reinforce with model games from Geller & Kramnik.

4. Clock management

Even in wins you often dipped below one minute; in the losses time trouble amplified errors. Try a “30-second cap”: if a single move costs more than 30 s in a 3-minute game, commit to a practical choice and move on. Daily blitz-puzzle sets will hard-wire patterns and save seconds.

5. Stats snapshot

Peak blitz rating: 2170 (2020-06-19)
Weekly performance:

MonTueWedThuFriSatSun100%0%Day of Week

Best playing hours:
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6. Suggested training routine (30 min)

  • 5 min – tactics warm-up (deflection, zwischenzug, back-rank).
  • 15 min – replay one annotated model game in each critical opening.
  • 10 min – end-game drill (rook vs pawns, minor-piece imbalances).
  • Finish with two 3-min games; after each, jot down three turning points before starting the next.

7. Final encouragement

Your dynamic style is already 2 k+ strength; polishing strategic awareness behind the tactics will push you past 2100 quickly. Keep the pieces active, the king safe, and enjoy the journey—good luck!

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