bigsis01 WFM

Personalised Feedback for bigsis01

Congratulations on your continued progress – your rapid peak rating is currently 2271 (2022-02-13) and your recent results include several convincing wins against 2100-2200 opposition. Below you’ll find an assessment of your play, based on the supplied games, and a concrete training plan.

1. What you’re doing well

• Opening awareness. As White you steer the game into positions you understand (French Advance, Nimzowitsch 1…Nc6, Alapin Sicilian). As Black you handle the Italian / Two-Knights structures confidently, and you’re not afraid to play …g5 or …h6 to seize space.
• Dynamic stance. Moves such as 19.f4 in the Italian and 8…a5/…a4 in the French show you willingly unbalance the game to create chances.
• Tactical eye. In your latest win you spotted the powerful exchange-sacrifice 30…Rxd3!, converting with precise calculation.

2. Areas to improve

• King safety & pawn storms. Several losses originate from premature pawn pushes (…g6–g5 in the East-Indian/London, or pushing the h-pawn without a clear follow-up). Review the concept of prophylaxis and resist weakening your king before pieces are harmonised.
• Critical defence. In the 2021 Damiano game you were mated after 4.Qh5+ because counter-chances were chosen over solid defence. Drills on “hard positions to defend” will raise your survival rate.
• Conversion technique. You win many tactical games, but occasionally let advantages slip in quieter endings (see the long K+B+P vs K ending that flipped). Endgame table-base drills and playing out simplified positions vs an engine will help.
• Clock management. Your toughest decisions often come with less than 90 seconds left. Add one or two 15 | 10 games per week to practise deeper calculation without flag pressure; this habit will transfer back to 10-minute games.

3. Illustrative moments

Latest win (Black) – converting the exchange sacrifice

Key point: After 30…Rxd3! Black cashes in on piece activity. Notice how all of your pieces take part, while White’s rooks are passive.

Reference loss – the Damiano Disaster

Take-away: Respect your opponent’s attacking resources; a single tempo ( …h6 ) wasn’t enough to plug all the dark-square holes. Seek the most forcing defensive replies in sharp lines.

4. Opening suggestions

• Against 1.e4 (as Black) – Your current 1…e5 repertoire scores well. Add a solid alternative (e.g. the Petrov) so opponents can’t prepare exclusively for the Italian.
• Against 1.d4 – You often reach King’s Indian structures but sometimes mishandle the queenside when White plays c4-c5. Study model games by Radjabov & Gelfand on the classical KID …e5 lines.
• French Advance (as White) – Your Paulsen-Milner-Barry gambit with 7.dxc5 is a nice surprise weapon; keep it, but also learn the main line ideas after 7.Be2 to stay flexible.

5. Training plan (6 weeks)

1. Daily: 20 tactics (rating 2400-2600) + annotate one of your own games without an engine.
2. 2 × week: Play a 15 | 10 game and do a full post-mortem with engine check afterwards.
3. Weekly: Endgame Friday – 30 minutes on rook endings; test yourself with practical studies.
4. Fortnightly: Pick one opening tabiya and create a mini file of critical lines + plans.
5. Track progress:
   and
   each Sunday to spot fatigue patterns.

6. Mindset corner

Remember that improvement is non-linear. A temporary dip (like the September losing streak) is normal. Evaluate decisions, not just results, and celebrate small process wins (e.g. “I used a zwischenzugzwischenzug today!”).

Good luck with your training – looking forward to seeing you break through the next barrier!