bijan-1346

Hi bijan-1346, here is some personalised feedback based on your latest rapid games.

What you are already doing well

• Quick development & space-gaining pawn pushes. Games such as your win against canito1959 show confident central control (e4-d4-e5) followed by a well-timed a- & b-pawn storm.
• Tactical eye. You routinely convert material advantages with forcing moves (24.Rxc4!, 29.Ra4⁺) and are not afraid to sacrifice pawns for activity.
• Time management. Most of your decisive games finish with 70–80 % of the clock still intact, giving you valuable calculation time in critical positions.
• Rating trend. Your peak rapid rating so far is 1519 (2025-02-24). Keep an eye on it as a motivational marker.

Patterns that are holding you back

1. King safety during flank pawn storms.
   In the loss vs NieFenG999 you advanced h- and g-pawns without completing development. Black’s 18…b3! opened files towards your king and the counter-punch was decisive (Qb6-b3-Nd4).
   Tip: Each time you push a rook pawn, ask “How many defenders will still protect my king two moves later?”
2. Overlooking between-moves (Zwischenzug).
   In several defeats the opponent inserted an unexpected check or capture (e.g. 28…Rxc4⁺ in the same game). Train tactics with themes “inter-mezzo” and “deflection” to sharpen this sense.
3. Excess queen moves in the opening.
   The Old-Steinitz game (ItzTheRook12) featured five queen moves before move 12, costing time and leaving pieces undeveloped. Aim for one purposeful queen move before move 10 unless a concrete tactic justifies more.
4. End-game conversion & defence.
   You resigned several rook endings with equal material. Before pressing “resign”, spend 20–30 seconds searching for drawing resources such as perpetual checks, stalemate nets, or fortress ideas. Study Lucena & Philidor positions for confidence.
5. Repertoire depth over breadth.
   As Black you alternate between 1…e5, 1…c5, 1…c6 and even 1…b6. Variety is good, but at ~1400 rapid you will improve faster by mastering one main defence versus 1.e4. Consider specialising in the Caro-Kann or the solid e5 classical lines first.

Targeted training plan (next 3–4 weeks)

1. Daily tactics (15 min)

Focus on intermediate moves and defensive resources. Use a mixed motif set filtered for rating 1200-1600.

2. Opening mini-course (3 sessions)

Pick your preferred Black defence & create a one-page “move order map”. Play 10 unrated games using only that defence, then review with an engine to spot early inaccuracies.

3. End-game basics (2 sessions)

Study rook-and-pawn endings: Lucena, Philidor, & the “Vancura” drawing technique. Practise against a bot set to +2 pawns in a rook end-game.

4. Post-game routine

After every game, tag one critical turning point and one missed resource. Archive them in a personal notebook for weekly review.

Progress tracker

You can visualise your improvement with the built-in charts below:

Win rate by hour:

Win rate by day of week:

Keep the momentum!

Every improvement cycle should feel slightly uncomfortable—evidence that you are pushing beyond routine play. Stay curious, analyse both wins and losses, and let me know when you crack the next milestone.

Good luck and happy studying!
— Your Chess Coach