Menandro Redor NM

Menandro Redor – Constructive Post-Tournament Review

What you are already doing very well

• Sharp tactical vision. Your wins against 2294-rated and 2132-rated opponents show you spot tactics such as 14.Bxh7+!! and the ...Nf3+ fork in the Scandinavian quickly.
• Dynamic opening choices. With Black you confidently enter the Scandinavian (Modern line) and seize the initiative; with White you lean on flexible London-style setups (d4, Bf4) that avoid heavy theory.
• Pressure with the clock (early). In most games you emerge from the first 15 moves with a time edge, forcing opponents to solve problems fast.

Key areas for growth

1. Time-trouble discipline.
   Five of your last six losses were “lost on time” while the position was still playable or even equal. Adopt a “60-second rule” – never drop below 60 s before move 20 unless you are calculating a forced win.
   Drill: Play a daily streak of 5-minute games with a self-imposed 20-second per-move cap for the first 15 moves. You will train automatic decision making in well-known structures.
2. Endgame conversion.
   • vs chessvr you were two pawns up in a rook ending but flagged.
   • vs Mise2020 the position after 31…g6 was defensible yet the clock beat you.
   Drill: 15 minutes of rook-and-pawn studies daily (Lucena, Philidor, “Vancura”). Use a timer: solve each diagram in 3 minutes to simulate blitz tension.
3. Pawn-storm risk management in the London.
   In several losses you pushed g4/h4 too early and conceded dark-square weaknesses (e.g. 27…c5! vs stevis5). Remember the guideline: Expand on the wing only after the centre is stable.
4. Cleaner Scandinavian set-ups.
   When opponents avoid 3.Nf3 (e.g. 2.d3 or 3.d3 lines) you sometimes drift with …Bd7, …Be8 and lose time. Study the model game Carlsen–Nepomniachtchi, Wijk 2020 for a compact scheme: …g6, …Bg7, …c5 without unnecessary bishop moves.

Opening snapshots

• Scandinavian Modern: After 5…e5 you often reach this tabiya – ♘c3 ♞c6 ♗e2 ♝b4 0-0. Memorise the manoeuvre …h6 …g5 to keep the dark-square bishop and avoid being chased by Nh4–f5 ideas.
• London vs …c5/…Qb6: Try the trendy 5.Nc3! followed by Qb3 only after Black commits …cxd4; it keeps the extra tempo and cuts out the …g5 counter-strike you faced.

Action plan for the next two weeks

1. Play 20 blitz games but abort any game where your first clock dip below 2:30 before move 15 – instant feedback on pacing.
2. Solve 30 endgame flash-cards (rook + pawn, opposite-coloured bishops) on a board, not on screen.
3. Annotate two of your wins and one loss with verbal questions after each move (“What does my opponent threaten?”). This slows the impulse to blitz out intuitive but unsafe pawn pushes.
4. Review the following critical fragment until you can recite the best line from memory:
   
   
   

Progress tracker

Peak rating so far: 2491 (2025-04-29). Keep an eye on your performance curve:

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Final encouragement

You are already outplaying players in the 2300–2400 range thanks to sharp tactics and confident openings. By tightening time management and polishing a handful of theoretical endgames you will convert more of those promising positions and push past the next rating milestone. Good luck, and enjoy the grind!