Quick summary
Nice run, Hicham — you’re clearly a tactical player who creates chances, sacrifices for initiative, and converts when the opponent slips. Your recent wins show strong attacking sense; the loss shows a tactical oversight around the f7 square that ended the game quickly. Below are focused, practical steps to keep the strengths and fix recurring weaknesses.
What you’re doing well
- Active attacking play — you seek open lines and use rooks and queen aggressively to break the opponent’s king position.
- Willingness to sacrifice material for initiative — that produced a direct win in your games where the opponent misdefended.
- Tactical pattern recognition — you convert combinations and exploit hanging pieces quickly.
- Transition play — after winning material you tend to press the advantage rather than trade into a draw.
Key weaknesses to fix (high impact)
- King safety and tactical blind spots around f7 and back-rank squares — one recent loss ended by an early mate because the light-square weakness was ignored. Review small king-side weaknesses before pushing pawns or making quiet moves.
- Move-order / calculation lapses — double-check captures that open lines to your king. Before capturing, ask: “Does this open a direct attack on my king or fork my pieces?”
- Time management in critical phases — in several games you got low on clock in the middlegame/endgame. Keep a little more time for the finish (use the first minute to build a plan, then speed up when positions are simple).
- Opening fundamentals — you play sharp, tactical openings often; tighten a few key lines so you avoid early traps and unnecessary pawn moves that weaken squares near the king.
Concrete drills and training plan (weekly)
- Daily tactics: 15–25 minutes of mixed-tactic puzzles focused on pins, forks, skewers, and mate-in-2/3 patterns. Emphasize solutions where king safety changes after a capture.
- One loss review per day: pick a recent loss, pause 10 minutes, find candidate moves yourself, then check with an engine. Write down the turning move and the tactic you missed.
- Opening cleanup: pick 2 main lines you play (e.g., Italian/Bishop’s Opening, Philidor). Drill common tactical themes and 3 typical move orders so you avoid early tactical failures.
- Play slower practice games twice a week (15+10 or 30|0). Use extra time to practice calculation and endgame conversion under low pressure.
- Weekly endgame micro-sessions: 20 minutes practicing basic rook endgames and king-and-pawn vs king — these improve conversion and confidence when you have an edge.
Game-specific takeaways
Loss vs vaso1301 — quick tactical note:
- You allowed a decisive attack on f7. After exchanges in the center, the opponent’s queen infiltration to f7 delivered mate. In similar positions, keep the knight or a pawn defending f7, or make a defensive waiting move that doesn’t create new weaknesses.
- Before capturing in the center, scan for opponent checks and queen infiltration squares (f7, g2, e2, b2 depending on the board).
Review the exact sequence with the embedded game viewer and try to find the saving idea before checking the engine:
Loss game (play through moves):
Win examples — strengths in action:
- Quick tactical miniature where you exploited weak squares and delivered checkmate with a coordinated attack. Good intuition to sacrifice and follow up with fast piece activity.
- Longer game where you won material on the kingside by opening files and using rooks effectively to force decisive simplifications.
One recent win viewer (review how you converted pressure into material):
Practical checklist to follow during each game
- Before any capture: ask “Does this open lines to my king?” If yes, calculate one extra ply.
- After every 5 moves: pause and re-evaluate king safety and hanging pieces.
- When ahead in material, simplify by exchanging when it reduces opponent’s counterplay — don’t let checks or queen invasions complicate the finish.
- If low on time, trade into simpler endgames where your technique is strong (you convert material well).
Next two-week plan (easy to follow)
- Days 1–7: 15m tactics/day, review 3 losses (10m each), 2 rapid training games (15+10).
- Days 8–14: 20m tactics/day, clean 2 opening lines (15m each), 1 longer practice game (30|0), 2 endgame sessions (15m each).
- After 2 weeks: re-check your rating trend — your slopes show positive momentum; keep the plan and adjust intensity where you feel blindspots remain.
Final encouragement
You have strong attacking instincts and an upward rating trend. Focus on a few defensive basics (king-safety checks, move-order discipline, and time control) and your win rate will climb faster. If you want, I can analyze one of your losses move-by-move with suggestions — tell me which game to deep-dive (use opponent name or the embedded PGN above).