Thomas Stomberg IM

Hi Thomas, here is your personalized post-match review

Quick snapshot

• Current mood: Warrior-like—your games are sharp and uncompromising.
• Highest blitz rating so far: 2264 (2014-07-02).
• Activity trends:

Your main strengths

• Consistent opening repertoire. The English (1 Nf3/1 c4 setups) and French Defence give you comfortable positions quickly. You rarely get lost in the opening.
• Tactical alertness. Motifs such as the Nb5-d6 fork and exchange sacrifices (e.g., 30.Qe8# vs aggressive93) show good pattern recognition.
• Piece activity over material. In several wins you willingly return material to keep the initiative; this is a master trait.

Key improvement themes

1. Time management. Four of the last six losses were on time. Even when ahead, you slipped into “bullet mode” calculations.
   • Adopt a 30-second safety rule: move before your clock dips below 0:30 unless the position is critical.
   • Practice games at 5 + 5 or 10 + 0 to build a thinking rhythm.
2. Conversion technique in won positions. Game vs yeganehpoor (48…Ra4+ 49.Kf5) was still objectively drawn but the clock and a few inaccurate rook moves cost you. Work on the “two-result mindset” — aim to keep positions simple and safe when winning.
3. Handling the French pawns. In several French Advance/Tarrasch structures you allowed …c5 breaks without being fully ready (e.g., vs aggressive93). Study model games by Korchnoi and Caruana on this structure and engrave typical plans: clamp with c3–d4–e5, or strike with c4 when Black plays …Nc6 before …Ne7.
4. Queen & Rook coordination. Two losses featured back-rank or dark-square weaknesses once queens entered (see 40…Qxh3+ in your loss as White). Reinforce the habit of asking “What does my opponent’s last move threaten?” before touching a piece.

Illustrative mini-lesson

Compare the critical moments in your most recent win and loss:

Winning motif – minority attack succeeds

Struggling motif – over-extension in the French

Notice how in the first clip every move tightened the noose, while in the second clip each pawn push (…h5/…h4/…g4+) opened new targets around your own king. The takeaway: when you have an extra pawn but a loose king, prefer improving piece placement over further pawn thrusts.

Action plan for the next two weeks

One last nudge

You already play at an advanced level; polishing clock management and tightening defensive awareness will push you toward the next rating band quickly. Remember: good moves are nothing without good timing. Keep the fighting spirit, Thomas!

— Your Chess Coach