Billy Gladman

Hi Billy – here is a tailored review of your recent 10 | 0 games

Quick rating snapshot

Current range: 660-710 • Personal best: 1041 (2021-04-09). Consistent play at this level will move you past 800 very soon.

What you are already doing well

• Active piece play. You rarely leave pieces passive. In your win vs aaababil you seized the initiative with …Nc6-d4-f3+ and never looked back (see mini-game below).
• Pressure on the f-file. Several victories feature …Qf6 or doubled rooks on the f-file. This shows good instinct for targeting f2/f7 – one of the classic weak points (f-file pressure).
• Playing quickly in simple positions. You often save 2-3 minutes going into the late middlegame, which forces opponents to blunder in time trouble.

Biggest improvement opportunities

1. Early king safety
   • In four of your last five losses you delayed castling past move 12 or opened the g-/h-pawns before your king was secure.
   • Rule of thumb: castle by move 10 unless you have a concrete reason not to.
   • Practical drill: play 20 blitz games where your only opening goal is develop pieces & castle by move 8-9. Review any game where that fails.
2. Avoid committing both flank pawns too early
   • The line 1.e4 e5 2.Qh5 Nc6 3.Bc4 g6 4.Qf3 Nf6 works at 600, but …g6 weakens h6/f6. Stronger players punish this.
   • Instead, answer early queen raids with piece pressure: …Nf6 …Bc5, keeping pawns at home.
3. Tactical blunders in sharp positions
   • Example from your loss vs hedumo (Danish Gambit). On move 20 you played Rxc6+ overlooking …Nxc6 and the deadly pin …Re5 later.
   • Suggested routine: 10 daily puzzles + one “Analyze my blunders” session after each playing streak. Treat every ? or ?? move as a mini-lesson.
4. Opening repertoire consistency
   • With White you alternate between quiet systems (2.d3, 3.Be3) and gambits (Danish, Scotch). Pick one mainline and learn its first 8-10 moves.
   • Recommendation: play the Scotch Game every time you open 1.e4 until 800. It is forcing, teaches central play, and avoids early queen chases.

Illustrative micro-lesson

In the position below you won, but there is an even cleaner route that keeps your structure intact.

• After 3…Nf6 (instead of 3…g6) the queen is attacked, development continues, and Black keeps the pawn shield.
• Adopt the habit “use pieces to chase the queen, not pawns.”

Action plan for the next two weeks

• Play one 10 | 0 rapid a day and spend at least as long analysing as playing.
• Daily checklist: 10 puzzles, 1 thematic mini-game (castle early), 10-minute review.
• Track your progress:
  &
  will visualise streaks and spot tilt sessions.

Final motivation

“Improvement begins where excuses end.” – keep every loss as a lesson and every win as proof you can do it.
Reach out after 20 more games – we’ll refine the plan and aim for 900!