Andrea Della Pietra NM

Hi Andrea, here is your personalized training report

1. Quick Strength Overview

• Opening knowledge: solid and ambitious (English->Dutch set-ups with Black, Nimzo / Queen’s Gambit structures with White).
• Strategic understanding: good feel for pawn breaks (…f5 in Dutch, d5/e4 ideas in Queen’s Gambit) but sometimes pushed a tempo too early.
• Tactical alertness: high when fresh, yet blunders rise sharply in time-pressure.
• Endgame technique: adequate in technical positions, but practical speed can be improved (see Benoni loss).
• Current highs: 2000 (2021-03-23)  |  2375 (2021-05-03)

2. Key Patterns from Recent Games

a) Dutch-type Structures (Black)

Your win vs Vence06 shows great piece co-ordination after …f4 and …e4. The critical moment:

Why it worked: You timed …f4 only when your queen and knight could jump to h5/f5, creating mating nets.

Upgrade idea: Study the classic Ilyin-Zhenevsky Dutch plans – especially when to trade on f4 vs keep tension.

b) Queen’s Gambit Exchange (White)

The win vs Rigattiere shows excellent space grab (d5-d6!) but earlier you allowed …c4 too easily.

• After 11.Be3, consider 11.a4! first to discourage …c4.
• If Black plays …c4 anyway, be ready with b2-b3 break before it is fully consolidated.

c) Benoni-type Loss (White)

In the loss to MesterMadsen the critical slips were:

1. 14.Be3?! allowed Black’s …f5 tempo. Safer is 14.Bd3 0-0 15.0-0 planning f4 later.
2. 20.f5 was energetic but left the back rank loose; your clock showed <60 s – calculation depth dropped.

Action point: rehearse King’s Indian / Benoni model games; focus on typical minor-piece exchanges before pawn storms.

d) Time Management

Several strong positions dissolved when you had <20 s. Couple of practical tips:

• In 3+2 and 5+0, aim to have ≥1 min entering move 20.
• Use the “two-scan rule” – quick blunder check after selecting a move.
• Practice premove drills in clearly forced recaptures.

3. Training Recommendations

1. Opening focus: Build a compact 1.d4 White repertoire avoiding early sharp pawn grabs; deepen vs Benoni and Dutch. (Use ChessBase or your preferred database – no external links allowed here.)
2. Tactics routine: 15 min/day of mixed motifs rated 2000-2300. Emphasise zwischenzug and back-rank patterns. zwischenzug
3. Endgames: Revisit Lucena & Philidor rook endings; they occur frequently after your pawn sacrifices.
4. Practical play: Two weekly 15|10 games focusing on clock discipline. Analyse without engine first, then verify.

4. Motivation Corner

Your aggressive style scores +15 % higher in evening sessions.

5. Next Steps

• Replay the annotated critical PGN fragments above.
• Pick one theme (e.g., “Classic Dutch exchange sacrifice …Rxf3”) and find 3 grandmaster examples this week.
• Send me your self-analysis notes and we’ll refine the plan.

Keep up the great work and enjoy the journey!