Casper Liu FM

Hi Casper – performance overview

In your latest Titled-Tuesday run you scored +6 / -6 against an average opposition of 2400+. Your current personal best is 2602 (2024-10-08). The raw numbers (see

What you are already doing very well

• Opening range & flexibility. You handled Slav, Catalan, King’s Indian and Modern structures from both sides – opponents cannot predict you easily.
• Tactical alertness. The exchange-sac 20…Qxb2!! vs lluiss and the multi-purpose manoeuvre Nd8–c6–xe7 in your win over Blas Lugo show excellent calculation under pressure.
• Creating practical problems. Even against 2800-rated Zbigniew Pakleza you generated queenside tension and forced him to find only moves.

Recurring issues holding you back

• Clock management. Five of the six losses were in positions that Stockfish evaluates between ‑0.3 and +0.5 just before the blunder. You routinely drop below 15 s with 25-30 moves still to play.
• Transition to endgames. In the Catalan loss to dorsa_gh2014 you were objectively equal after 24…Nbd5, but queens were traded without a clear plan and the a-pawn run cost you. Similar story in the East-Indian endgame vs PatrykB8.
• Conversion discipline. After winning material you sometimes keep seeking new tactics instead of simplifying (e.g. 31…Ra1 vs lluiss was fine, but 35…Ra1 let the passer live three moves longer).

Targeted training plan

1. Clock handling routine (7-10 days).
   • Play five blitz games/day with the personal rule “move by 20 s”. • Review only the final 30 s of each game – train muscle memory for safe moves. • Switch to 3 + 2 once every two days; randomness forces faster decisions.
2. Endgame pattern pack (2 weeks).
   • Revisit rook+passer vs rook and opposite-colour bishops – they appeared in three of Monday’s games.
   • Solve 15 studies that end in zugzwang; it sharpens your feel for prophylaxis when simplifying.
3. Opening tightening (continuous).
   • Against the Pirc/Modern, cut the early h4-h5 plan unless the pawn can be supported – two losses followed that script. • Prepare a calm anti-…b5 line in the Catalan so 6……b5 doesn’t lure you into excessive pawn grabs.
4. Weekly self-review.
   • Pick one win and one loss, strip engines, and write a three-sentence narrative: “Critical moment – My choice – Better choice.” • Keep the notes; after four weeks patterns will pop out.

Quick reference from your latest highlight

    Slav Exchange vs Miamichess (excerpt)
    31.Nxe6 Nc4 32.a4 bxa4 33.Rc8+! …
  

You used activity, not material, as the deciding factor – bottle that instinct, then marry it with stricter time discipline and cleaner endings. 2600+ is within reach.

Good luck and enjoy the grind! – Coach Bot