Andrew Sacks NM

Feedback for Andrew Sacks

What you are doing well

• Tactical awareness: Your most-recent win shows a clean exploitation of the open g-file and the weakened white king. The winning sequence 24…Qh4-h3-g2-g1-Qxe3+ demonstrates good calculation.
  
  
• Central breaks: After establishing …d5 in several Sicilian-Alapin games, you often follow up with …e5, gaining space and freeing your light-squared bishop.
• Piece activity: In winning positions you rarely hesitate to bring rooks to open files (…Rac8, …Rfd8, …Rxe8+, etc.). This is a key habit—keep it!

Main improvement areas

1. King safety & pawn storms
   In several losses you advanced flank pawns (…h5, …g5, …f5) before completing development. Against higher-rated players the dark squares around your king became targets. Try postponing pawn pushes until:
   • You have castled
   • Your minor pieces control the squares that will open
   • You have counted the forcing replies (look for checks, captures, and threats) two moves deeper than usual
   Study classic French-Defence structures or watch for the theme of the minority attack so you can recognize when the pawns should stay put.
2. Opening discipline
   a) As Black against 1.e4 you often mix French and Sicilian ideas (…e6, …c5, …d5). Pick one structure and learn its plans.
   b) As White, after 4.d4  Nxd4 in the Four Knights (win vs bsrihith) you recaptured with the queen, inviting …c5. Compare this with the main line 5.Nxd4 to see the difference in central control. A little theory study will yield easy improvements.
3. Time management
   Two recent losses were on time in roughly equal or even better positions. Train with a slightly longer time control or add a self-imposed “no-move-under-10 seconds” rule so you develop the habit of thinking on the opponent’s clock.
   Try a few sessions of
   to see at what hours you play your most focused chess.
4. Endgame conversions
   In the loss to bisuktumonggo you reached an opposite-color bishop endgame but missed chances to simplify and activate your king. Add 15-20 minutes of endgame study per week: king & pawn basics, rook activity behind passed pawns, and the principle of two weaknesses.

Training plan for the next month

• Daily tactic set: 15 puzzles focused on mate-in-2 and mate-in-3 (sharpens calculation without overloading).
• Opening notebook: create two pages only—one French line and one Sicilian-Alapin line—with the first 10 moves and typical plans. Review before each playing session.
• Play three 10 + 5 games per day and annotate one of them. Identify a single critical moment and look up the appropriate concept (e.g. zwischenzug or tempo).
• Weekly mini-match versus a slightly higher-rated friend (or bisuktumonggo again) to practice holding worse positions.

Motivation corner

Your current published peak is 2099 (2017-05-12). Set a realistic goal of adding +100 points by pairing disciplined openings with the tactical sharpness you already possess. Consistency will convert your attacking flair into stable results.

Good luck!

Keep the games coming, and feel free to send me any position that leaves you puzzled—together we’ll turn it into a learning opportunity.