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
- 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. - 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.
- 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.
- 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
| Day | Focus | Suggested tools |
|---|---|---|
| Mon–Wed | French Advance endgames | 10 annotated games + lichess studies |
| Thu | Practical calculation (30 mins) | Set of 12 tactics featuring zwischenzugs Zwischenzug |
| Fri | 5 blitz & 2 rapid games | Self-review immediately after each game |
| Sat | Endgame drill: R+P vs R | 30-move table-base targets |
| Sun | Rest & review best game of the week | Publish notes to a friend or coach |
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