John Leko

Hi John, here is your personalized post-match report

Quick snapshot

• Current Peak: 1883 (2023-03-24)
• Recent form: 5 wins – 5 losses in the sample provided.
• Typical session:

 

What you’re already doing well

• Active, initiative-driven openings. Your Nimzo-Indian victory against howku shows confident piece play and a willingness to seize space with early …d5 and …h5. You converted in only 17 moves − keep this aggressive mindset.
• Early king safety. In almost every win you castle before move 10, giving you freedom to attack (e.g. 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4… win vs yakkyyak).
• Tactical vision. Your 11.Qxc5!! in the Scotch Game exploited an overloaded queen and netted material; these shots appear frequently in your wins.

Key growth areas

1. Caro-Kann performance as Black (0/4 in the sample).
   • You are reaching similar Advance and Fantasy structures but struggle against early f-pawn thrusts.
   • Study model games with …c5/…Nc6 plans and the timely …g5 break. 15-20 minutes of focused opening prep will pay off quickly.
2. Handling Nb5 & outposts.
   Your latest loss (Alapin Sicilian) ended after 9.e5 Nd5 10.Nb5. Black can meet this by 10…dxe5 11.dxe5 a6! chasing the knight before developing the dark-squared bishop.
3. Time management. One game (vs jbhatt_192) was lost on time in a winning position. Try the “30-30-40 rule”: spend roughly 30 % of your clock on the opening, 30 % on the middlegame transition, and keep 40 % for the final phase.
4. Converting endgames. Against fat-frumos68 you reached a drawn rook-and-pawn ending but resigned after mis-assessing a distant passed pawn. Regularly practice technical endings on a trainer or by replaying classic endings – it sharpens calculation and confidence.

Targeted drills for the coming week

Theme	Exercise type	Daily dose
Opposite-colored bishop endings	Endgame studies	10 mins
Backward pawn exploitation	Annotated master games	15 mins
Caro-Kann Advance defence	Opening flashcards	10 mins
3-move calculation bursts	Tactics trainer	15 mins

One critical moment to replay

From your loss to deibyroos (moves 8-11):

    8… h6 9.e5 Nd5 10.Nb5 d6 11.Bf4 Nxf4?!
    Better was 11… Nxf4 12.exd6 Bxd6 with equality.
  

Drop this mini-sequence into your board and test alternative lines; you’ll see how quickly the position improves after simple prophylaxis.

Next steps

• Integrate at least one solid alternative to the Caro-Kann (e.g. the French or 1…e5) so you have a back-up on tough days.
• Play two games this week focused solely on staying above 5 minutes on the clock before move 20.
• Upload your games for engine review but first annotate them yourself; compare notes afterwards.

Keep up the sharp play, refine these specific areas, and your next rating peak is just around the corner. Good luck, and enjoy the journey!