Hi John, here’s your personalised post-match review
Quick snapshot
• Current Rapid peak: 2014 (2025-04-16)
• When you score best:
• Weekly consistency:
What’s already going well
- Sound opening choices. As White you steer into Queen’s-Gambit structures, while as Black you rely on the Caro-Kann and Semi-Slav. These lines are fundamentally solid and suit your positional instincts.
- Tactical eye when attacking. Wins against alepxmex (…Qg3#) and dctrip13 (15.Nxf5!) show courage and accurate combination play.
- Rapid mobilisation of heavy pieces. Rooks often reach open files early (15.Rfc1, 25.Rxc7), converting pressure into material.
Key areas to sharpen
1. Early-queen syndrome
In the loss to rivoli92 your 8…Qb6?! (Caro-Kann) invited Nd5 tactics and left you behind in development. Until move 10, aim to move each minor piece once before shifting the queen—gaining tempo instead of donating it.
2. King safety in sharp Semi-Slav positions
Against noh4o you pushed …g5/h6 without counting defenders. When opposite-side castling looms, do a “king-attack audit”: attackers – defenders > 2 → rethink the pawn thrust.
3. Endgame resistance
A practical rook ending slipped away here:
Even two pawns down you could hold by keeping your rook behind the passed pawn and cutting the white king. Ten minutes of rook-and-pawn drills daily will pay off quickly.
4. Time management
Three recent defeats were on the clock. Try this rhythm for 120 + 1 games:
- Moves 1–10: ≤ 10 s each (rely on preparation).
- Moves 11–25: up to 30 s when the position first opens.
- After move 25: keep ≥ 60 s banked for technical endgames.
5. Concrete calculation drills
Missed forks on d5/f7 recur in both your Caro-Kann and Queen’s-Gambit games. Solve three themed puzzles (forks & double attacks) before every playing session to strengthen pattern recognition.
Two-week action plan
- Play 15 Rapid games where your queen stays on its starting square until move 10.
- Daily: 15 tactical puzzles focused on double attacks and clearance sacrifices.
- Review one of your own endgames each evening, writing down one alternative defence you missed.
- Watch/read one short segment on the main-line Caro-Kann (4…Nf6 5.Nc3 Bf5) to broaden your Black repertoire.
Final thoughts
Your graph shows steady upward momentum; with tighter clock discipline and earlier king safety you can realistically push past 1800 soon. Keep enjoying the journey, and let me know when you’re ready for the next review!