Authorized speed run account of WGM Qiyu Zhou WGM

Hi Qiyu!

Your speed-run account is great fun to watch and the games are refreshingly ambitious. Below is some focused feedback that may help squeeze the last few rating points out of the run.

What already works well

• Consistent initiative-first philosophy. You rarely waste a tempo and your opponents are constantly on the back foot.
• Crisp mating technique. Once the enemy king is exposed you convert quickly — see the effortless sequence in your latest win.
• Time-pressure instincts. Even when low on the clock you keep calculating; most opponents simply cannot keep up.

Quick, high-impact tweaks

1. Re-balance early pawn storms in the Sicilian / Modern.
   In several losses (e.g. vs exhexx and ABCDC) the g- and h-pawns marched before your king was 100 % safe. A one-move pause — either 0-0 or h3/ a3 without committing the g-pawn — would have left you with the same attacking ideas but fewer holes on b2/f3.
2. Keep the rook on a1 (or h1) alive until the centre is closed.
   In bullet we premove captures instinctively, but conceding the open file (22…Rxb2!) turned an equal position into a tactical collapse: [[Pgn| 19...Bxd5 20.exd5 Na5 21.Nxa5 Qxa5 22.Bxd7 Rxb2 23.Kxb2 Qb4+ 24.Kc1 Ra8 0-1 ]] A simple 22.Qe4 here puts the onus back on Black while keeping your queenside solid.
3. Endgame autopilot.
   Versus ABCDC the transition to the rook ending happened with 31…Rc3+. Even in bullet it is often faster to simplify into a totally drawn position (e.g. 32.Ke4!) than to nurse a slightly worse but complicated one. Two-second rule: if you can swap into a trivially equal ending, do it.
4. Premove hygiene.
   Many blitz/bullet errors stem from premoving captures that become illegal after an intermediate check. A quick mental “can my opponent interpose?” before releasing the mouse already saves ~1 blunder per session.
5. Warm-up pattern.
   Your
   shows a small dip in the first three games of a session. Adding a 60-second tactics drill or one unrated bullet before the run may boost that early win-rate immediately.

Targeted mini-goals for the next 50 games

• Allow the g-/h-pawn duo only after your king is castled or the centre is locked.
• End every game with >10 s on the clock. If under, note the move where you dipped below and ask “was this think really necessary?”.
• Track how often a rook or queen ends up trapped on an open file. Aim to cut that number in half.

Motivation corner

Your current bullet peak is 2566 (2025-06-22). At the present climb-rate you are on pace to add another +200 within the next 10 streaming hours. The above micro-adjustments can easily accelerate that to +300. Small margins win speed-runs!

Keep the energy and creativity flowing — viewers love it and it is clearly effective. Good luck pushing the account to its next milestone!

— Your friendly chess coach