Arben Dardha FM

Hi Arben!

Below is a personalised review of your recent games played with the username Berant. I have focussed on the patterns that appear both in your best wins and in the painful losses.

What you are already doing well

• Tactical alertness. Your most-recent win against Huseyin Said Deveci shows sharp calculation: 15.Nxc7+! ended the game immediately. In several QGD games you picked off centre pawns with …Qb4 and …Qxb2 when the moment was right.
• Opening variety and confidence. You handle both sides of the Sicilian (Sveshnikov/Taimanov) and the Queen’s Gambit structures comfortably. This is good for long-term growth because you meet a wide range of pawn structures.
• Pressure with the initiative. When you are ahead on the clock you keep pieces active and force mistakes. Most opponents do not survive your kingside pawn storms (see 31.h6!! vs WPWPWP-2015).

Main areas to improve

1. Clock management (critical).
   Three of your last five losses were on time in positions that were still playable or even better for you. You often reach move 20 with <10 seconds while the opponent still has >30 seconds.
   Training task: play arena sessions where the only goal is to have ≥ 50 seconds left at move 20. Do not worry about the result; force yourself to move.
2. King safety in the Sveshnikov & related Sicilians.
   In the loss to Alberto Santos Flores the early …gxf6 allowed White to rip open the light squares. Remember the typical plan: after 9.Bxf6 gxf6 you must follow with …f5 or …Bg7/…Ne7 quickly. Homework: watch 10 master games where Black keeps the pawn on g7 and delays …gxf6; note common manoeuvres like …Rg8 & …Rg6.
3. Converting technical endgames.
   Against Gennady Kozlov you flagged in a K+Q vs K+B ending after 60 moves. The technique was fine but you spent time on moves that should be played by principle (cutting the king, pushing the king to the edge). Drill: run the “Queen vs Minor Piece” section of the Chess.com Endgame Trainer until you can mate inside 15 seconds.

Opening table: quick fixes

Action plan for the next two weeks

1. Daily 10-minute session of pure premove practice: play 3+0 vs the computer on level 4 and aim to finish with >90 seconds.
2. Analyse (with engine off) your own games lost on time; annotate where you hesitated unnecessarily.
3. Drill the following endgame sets on alternate days: K+Q vs K+B / K+R+P vs K+R / Opposite-colour bishop endings.
4. Play at least five games using one new sideline you prepared above and write a one-sentence takeaway for each.

Reference PGNs

Stats & visualisations

Your current peak ratings: Blitz 2569 (2022-06-28) • Rapid 2300 (2020-12-03)

Keep the fighting spirit but guard your clock, and the rating gains will follow. Good luck with the training!