Quick summary
Nice energy in your recent rapid set — you show good tactical instincts and attacking ambition, but a few recurring weaknesses (king safety, occasional tactical oversights, and time use) are costing you practical points. Below I break down what you did well, the most important mistakes to fix, and a compact practice plan so your next block of games is more consistent.
Games I looked at
- Win vs Olga Girya — you converted active knights and rook pressure into a win.
- Loss vs Александр Потапов — a mating net after kingside lines opened; tactical oversight allowed the opponent to finish with a queen infiltration.
- You’re frequently reaching the same middlegame structures — see common theme: early Nc6 + ...e5 against d4 (a Mikenas-style setup). For reference: Queens-Pawn-Opening-Mikenas-Defense.
What you’re doing well
- Active piece play: you love getting knights into enemy territory (the a1 capture in your win is an example of bold, effective knight play).
- Tactical awareness when you have the initiative — you find combinations that win material rather than drifting into passive play.
- Willingness to simplify into winning endgames or winning material rather than clinging to complicated equality.
- Versatile opening choices — you mix gambit-ish lines and offbeat setups, which keeps opponents uncomfortable.
Key weaknesses to fix (priority order)
- King safety and prophylaxis: in your loss the kingside opened and your king ended up vulnerable to a queen/knight invasion. When you play ...g6 / ...f5 structures, watch out for early pawn breaks from White (g4/gxf5) that open files toward your king.
- Tactical oversights around exchanges and checks: a few recaptures and kingside trades left holes (for example allowing a quick Ng5+ / queen infiltration). Before recapturing, ask: “Does this open a line or a square for the opponent’s pieces?”
- Time management: you reach very low seconds on multiple moves. With 10+2 rapid you should use the 2-second increment to avoid panic — slow down earlier, use opponent’s think time to plan the next 3 moves.
- Opening follow-up plans: playing unusual moves (Nc6 + e5 vs d4) is fine, but you need a consistent plan for the middlegame — which pawns you want to trade, where to place knights and where to castle. Right now you sometimes end up with inconsistent pawn structures that create permanent weaknesses.
Concrete improvements and how to practice them
- Tactical drill (daily, 15–25 minutes): focus on patterns that appeared in your games — knight forks, discovered checks, and sacrifices that open the king’s file. Do 5–10 mixed puzzles and then 3 puzzles that are specifically forks/pins/discovered checks.
- King-safety checklist (use before every game): have you castled or created luft? Are the g- and h-files under control? If you push ...f5 / ...g6, are squares like f5/g4/h5 covered?
- Opening study (2× week, 30–40 minutes): pick the main lines you play (Scandinavian/Mikenas-style setups and Amar Gambit structures from your stats). Learn typical plans (where your knights and bishops belong, ideal pawn breaks). Use 10–15 model games rather than memorizing moves.
- Time-management drill (practice games): play 10 rapid games focusing on using the first 15–20 seconds of the clock to reach a safe middlegame. If you lag, practice pre-calculating during the opponent’s turn and using the increment to avoid flagging.
- Simple endgame work: short sessions on rook endgames and basic king-and-pawn technique — converting material advantage cleanly will turn more games into wins.
Tactical example to study (your most recent loss)
Review the decisive sequence where the king was exposed and the opponent finished with a mating pattern. Replay it slowly and ask: which pawn moves allowed file openings, and which pieces could have blocked the queen/knight invasion?
Embedded small replay (black to move — your side in that game):
Opening advice tailored to your stats
- You play the Scandinavian / Mikenas-type reply a lot. Instead of hoping for tactical fireworks every game, pick 2–3 reliable plans: one for when Black keeps the centre closed and one for when it opens. Practice those plans until they become automatic.
- Against gambit-style play (Amar Gambit in your record) focus on returning material at the right moment to blunt White’s initiative, then trade down. When you accept pawns, make sure you can finish development quickly.
- Study model games in your chosen lines (3–5 per line) rather than rote move memorization — understanding plans cuts down on blunders.
Practical checklist to use during an online rapid session
- First 6 moves: develop 4 pieces and castle or create a safe king plan.
- If you accept a pawn/gambit, immediately ask: “Can I finish development quickly or will I lag behind?”
- Before every recapture: check for checks, forks, skewers, or discovered attacks.
- When time drops below 30s, switch to safe, simplifying moves (trade pieces when ahead, avoid risky sacrifices).
- After the game: mark one mistake and one success — little postmortem keeps improvement fast and focused.
Next steps — 4-week micro-plan
- Week 1: daily tactics (15–25 min) + 3 rapid games focusing on king safety and using increment.
- Week 2: opening study (two 40-min sessions) on Mikenas/Scandinavian plans + tactical drills.
- Week 3: endgame practice (20–30 min, rook and king/pawn basics) + 5 rapid games, aim to convert advantages.
- Week 4: review annotated games (pick 5 recent losses/wins), implement checklist, reassess results.
Small consistent steps will raise your Strength Adjusted Win Rate (currently ~0.523) and reduce noisy rating swings.
Final notes & encouragement
You have concrete strengths to build on — tactical vision and willingness to fight are huge assets. Close the gap by tightening king safety, using your clock better, and learning a small set of opening plans. If you want, I can create a 2-week training schedule with concrete puzzles, model games in your main lines, and a short checklist you can print and keep by your screen.
Would you like that? Also tell me which game you want a deeper move-by-move postmortem of — the win against Olga Girya or the loss to Александр Потапов?