Andrew Lerner NM

Hi Andrew!

Congrats on your recent run of wins (including the spirited attack against hawkeye-86) and for pushing your blitz-960 rating close to 2480 (2024-07-09). The notes below highlight what is already working and what can be sharpened to break through the next rating band.

What you’re doing well

• Initiative-first mindset. Many of your victories start with energetic pawn breaks (…g6 / f-pawns in your Black games; g- and f-pawns as White) that open lines for active pieces. In the win below you combined pawn storms with a rook lift and created mating nets in time trouble:
  
  
• Tactical awareness. Exchanges such as 14.Rxf5! in the game against cvrckvrc show a good eye for loose pieces and intermediate moves. You are rarely afraid to sacrifice material when the resulting activity is obvious.
• Nerve in time scrambles. Even with only seconds on the clock you keep finding forcing moves, often converting completely winning positions that many players would flag in.

Key growth areas

1. Opening structure & king safety.
   • In several losses (e.g. vs Maptip) early pawn thrusts left holes that were exploited later. Try anchoring your plans around classic centre formations first, then unleash pawn storms.
   • Playing a few standard starting positions will help you recognise typical plans more quickly in 960. Pick one e-pawn and one d-pawn structure to study in depth.
2. Move-order details.
   Your tactics are sharp, but occasionally a missing Zwischenzug or overlooked counter checks cost material (see 22…Nd3+ in the loss vs MarioKapsarov). Habit: after selecting a move, spend two seconds asking “what is my opponent’s most annoying reply?” before you play it.
3. Time management.
   Two recent defeats were on the clock in roughly equal positions. Aim to reach move 15 with ≥1:45 left. Practical tips:
   • Use your opponent’s think time to calculate your next two moves.
   • When the position is stable, invest 3-5 seconds to build a plan so you can blitz out several moves later.
4. Positional conversion.
   When the sharp phase is over, slow down and switch to Prophylaxis: improve worst piece, restrict counter-play, only then chase pawns. In the Couillaccus game you grabbed material but allowed counter play on the queenside that became decisive.

Action plan for the next month

• Each session, annotate one win and one loss with a computer afterwards. Focus on the first 12 moves and every missed tactic of >1 pawn.
• Play 3-4 rapid games (10|0 or 15|10) weekly to practise deeper calculation without the clock pressure that masks strategic blind spots.
• Puzzle streak: 15-minute daily tactical workout. Prioritise themes you’ve missed recently (overloaded pieces, mating nets, deflections).
• Create a mini 960 repertoire notebook: for every starting position you face, jot down
  • Castling options & safest king.
  • First central pawn you want to move.
  • Ideal minor-piece development squares.
  You’ll soon see recurring patterns.
• Review a handful of classical games featuring opposite-side pawn storms (Fischer–Benko 1963, Shirov attacking classics) to absorb timing of pawn pushes and piece sacrifices.

Progress tracker

Use these to spot when you play your best chess:

Final thought

Your attacking instincts are a real asset. Blend them with a little more opening discipline and clock control and you’ll be poised to cross the 1900 barrier soon. Enjoy the journey and keep the games coming!