Sahana Aravindakshan WIM

Hi Sahana!

Great job steadily pushing your blitz peak up to 2248 (2024-09-03) and collecting some nice scalps such as Adnan Sitnic. Below is an overview of what you already do well and a roadmap for the next rating jump.

1 Quick performance snapshot

• Typical session times: see
  . Your best score comes in the first 20 minutes; accuracy drops once the clock session passes 45 minutes.
• Day-to-day consistency:
  shows Monday & Thursday as “hot” days; consider scheduling puzzle-work then, and light play on low-win-rate days.

2 Opening trends

• You often start 1.e4 followed by d3 + g3. The setup is flexible but concedes the centre. Against higher-rated opposition you will benefit from switching to a main-line Caro-Kann-buster (e.g. 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3) or an Italian. Add one tabiya a week to your repertoire notebook.
• Nice example of flexible play and converting the initiative:
  
  

• You rely heavily on Modern/Pirc structures (…d6 …g6). They produce double-edged positions but, when the centre explodes, your king is sometimes stuck in the firing line (see loss to HimmyBuckets21 move 25 …Qg5?).
• Add a solid backup defence: Caro-Kann versus 1.e4 and the Slav versus 1.d4. This gives you a “safe day” choice when you are tired.
• Get comfortable meeting early h-pawn storms; study games of Gledura or Grischuk in the Pirc for move-order finesse.

3 Middlegame & calculation

• When you gain space on the kingside you calculate tactics well (31.Qe2! in the win, for example). Keep sharpening with 10 tactical puzzles/day but change the theme every week (pins, discovered attacks, deflections…).
• Missed resources often involve prophylaxis. Before committing to pawn breaks like …f5/…f4 ask “What will my opponent’s next forcing move be?” 10-second pause can save a game. see Prophylaxis.

4 Endgame technique

• In several losses you entered equal rook endgames but resigned after tactical oversights (e.g. vs Adham_Hossam2011). A weekly 15-minute drill with “rook + 4 pawns each” endgame studies will plug this leak.
• Remember the rule of the fourth rank cut-off for rook endings and practise it vs the engine until it’s muscle memory.

5 Clock management

• You flag opponents often (good!) yet three recent defeats came from running under 5 seconds in equal positions. Adopt a “red zone” rule: when your clock shows 30 seconds you must simplify or pre-move safe replies. See TimeManagement.

6 Action plan for the next 30 days

1. Opening upgrade: pick one new mainline each for White & Black; create a 20-move depth flash-card set in the opening explorer.
2. Tactics: 10 puzzles/day, 5 minutes maximum per puzzle, then immediate review.
3. Endgames: every second day play out 3 rook-vs-rook endings against the engine starting from a database position.
4. Quality games: upload your best weekly game to the study forum and annotate three critical moments (what you calculated, what you missed).

Stick to the routine, and that next rating milestone is well within reach. Good luck, keep enjoying your chess journey, and message me anytime you need clarification on a concept like PawnStorm or Blitz.