Philip J Crocker NM

Hi Philip!

Great work on your recent games – you’re clearly putting in serious effort. Below is a quick, constructive review focused on getting you to that next rating bracket.

1. 30-Second Performance Snapshot

• Time-control strength: Daily › Rapid › Blitz (you’re already near your 2240 (2022-10-12) best).
• Opening mix: Frequent King’s Indian / Pirc structures as Black; double-fianchetto and Catalan-style setups as White.
• Tactical conversion: High in Daily games, but accuracy drops once the clock is under 60 s.

2. What You’re Doing Well

1. Strategic flexibility. In your win over danstorey you shifted from a solid Pirc structure into dynamic queenside play (…b5, …a4) at exactly the right moment.
2. Piece co-ordination in endings. The rook-knight manoeuvres (…Nc5–d3–e5) showed good understanding of outposts and domination of light squares.
3. Resilience. Even after inaccuracies you stay resourceful (see 55.Ra6+! in the same game), creating practical problems for the opponent.

3. Priority Growth Areas

1. Clock Management in Blitz. Four of your last five blitz losses were flagged positions with equal or better evaluation. Aim to make a decision every 3–5 seconds in the opening/middlegame so you keep 45 s+ for critical tactics.
2. Early king safety vs. …b-pawn storms. In the loss to Ewa Barwinska the sequence 8…b4 9…a5 left you reacting. Consider:
   •  • Castling long after the b-file is closed, or
   •  • Playing the prophylactic a2–a4 to discourage …b5-b4 in Modern/Pirc lines.
3. Tactical “clean-up”. Once you win material, simplify quickly. Several games show you keeping extra pieces but allowing counter-play (e.g. 32…Qa2+!? when already two pawns up). Exchange queens or return a pawn to kill activity.

4. Annotated Moment to Model

Notice how you neutralised White’s initiative, then immediately transformed it into a passed a-pawn. Replay the critical phase:

5. Quick Drills for the Week

• Blitz “no-think warm-up”: play five 1-minute games focusing only on time usage, not result.
• Daily endgame review: choose one finished daily game each night and locate one missed simplifying move.
• Theme puzzle: load 20 puzzles featuring the Sicilian …b5 thrust to improve pattern speed.

6. Motivation Corner

Your win-rate by day shows Tuesday and Thursday as your hot streaks – keep scheduling serious sessions there!

Also, blitz results improve when you log in after 18:00 UTC:

7. Next Milestone

With tighter clock discipline and early prophylaxis you’re on track to push your blitz rating above 2300 and daily above 2250 within the next quarter.

Keep grinding, stay curious, and enjoy the journey!