BananaAlm WFM

Hi BananaAlm!

Your recent games show creative attacking ideas and good board vision. ⏩ You have demonstrated the ability to:

• Keep the initiative with pawn storms (e.g., 16.g4 in your 12-26 win).
• Convert extra material in technical endgames – your Q + R vs. king technique on 12-31 was clean.
• Handle dynamic Sicilian pawn structures confidently.

Key Strengths

1. Opening Familiarity. Playing both mainline e4 systems (Ruy Lopez, Sicilian, Alekhine, French Advance) gives you a flexible repertoire and makes opponents uncomfortable.
2. Tactical Awareness. Your 25.a6!! and 34.a8=Q sequence in the 12-31 game shows excellent calculation under time pressure.
3. Fighting Spirit. Even when the position is messy you keep pushing for activity, which converts to practical wins.

Opportunities to Grow

1. King Safety vs. the Grand Prix Attack. Several losses came from slow development & kingside weaknesses (B23). Work on quicker piece coordination and consider meeting f4/f5 setups with …d5 breaks or the reliable …e6 & …d5 structure.
2. Pawn Structure Planning. In the loss vs. TVTamid (Alapin, move 13…f5 ?!), you created dark-square holes that Black exploited. Before advancing flank pawns, ask “Will this square complex become weak?” Study classical I.Q.P. plans to sharpen this intuition.
3. Time Management. Four of the recorded defeats were on time in balanced positions. Try the 30-second rule: if you have ≤30 seconds, play the move you’d choose after 30 s of analysis — no extra thinking. Also, add a couple of 10 + 5 games each week to practice deeper calculation without flagging.
4. Endgame Conversions. While your rook endgame wins are good, the loss on 02-24 indicates some hesitation when down a pawn. Review basic rook endgames (Philidor, Lucena) and opposition concepts; they turn many “probably lost” endings into saves.
5. Blunder Checks. On move 24 of the Alapin loss you played 24.Re1 allowing …Qxf2+. Incorporate a final 3-second “blunder scan” before releasing the piece – look at every forcing reply (checks, captures, threats).

Training Plan (4 weeks)

Quick Opening Checklist vs. 1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 (Grand Prix)

• …e6 & …d5 early to challenge the center.
• If White castles queenside, prepare …b5 – …b4 to open lines.
• After …g6, keep light-square bishop on g7; avoid blocking it with premature …f5.

Motivation Corner

Your current 1495 (2021-05-03) is within striking distance of 1900. With stronger time management and refined defensive technique you can break that barrier soon. Keep the attacking flair, add a layer of positional patience, and the results will follow!

Happy studying and good luck on the board!
— Coach Bot

Progress snapshots: