Luca Cerquitella FM

Hi Luca!

Congratulations on the strong recent streak that pushed you to 2580 (2023-03-11). Your tactical alertness is obvious, but the PGNs also reveal a few recurrent issues that, if fixed, can lift you to the next bracket.

What you already do well

• Sharp tactical eye. Your win against amsterdammosquitoes is a model of converting a material edge into a mating net:
  
• Piece activity over material. In several games you willingly give up pawns (e.g., 19.cxb6 axb6) to seize the initiative. Keep that ambitious mindset.
• Opening breadth. You comfortably switch between 1.e4 and 1.d4, and as Black you handle both the Sicilian and off-beat Benoni structures. Versatility is a strength—just add a bit more depth (see below).

Recurring problems to fix

1. Time management – your #1 rating limiter.
   Five of your last seven losses were on time. Even when winning, you often dip below 20 seconds by move 25. Blunders rarely beat you—your clock does.
2. Early middlegame planning.
   When the opening theory ends, you sometimes drift. In the loss to Carlo Pauly you reached an equal Benoni but allowed …f5, …e4 without a clear plan. The same “what next?” moment appeared in your Accelerated Dragon game versus water_cold.
3. Endgame technique under pressure.
   Long endgames vs. ihcinihs and MagnusCarlsen43210 slipped mainly because you rushed when low on time, overlooking simple drawing resources. Endgames + time scramble = danger zone.

Action plan for the next 4 weeks

1. Clock discipline drill

• Adopt the “20/40/60” rule: aim to keep at least 2 min by move 20, 1 min by move 30, 30 sec by move 40. Abort games if you violate it.
• Play three 3 | 2 games daily focusing ONLY on moving within 3 seconds unless the position is critical.

2. Structured middlegame study

Pick two themes a week and review 5 GM games each, stopping at move 15 and guessing plans. Suggested themes:

1. Sicilian pawn structures (e4 vs. …d6 / …e6)
2. Benoni/Old-Benoni center battles
3. Caro-Kann Exchange minority attack

While watching, label every plan as pawn break, piece re-routing or king safety. This habit builds a plan library you can recall OTB.

3. Endgame routine

• Every second day solve 10 positions from Silman’s “Silman’s Complete Endgame Course” (chapters for 2000–2400).
• Recreate critical moments (e.g., vs. MagnusCarlsen43210 at move 45) and play them vs. the engine until you hold the draw 3× in a row.

4. Opening tightening (light, not heavy!)

Keep your broad repertoire but add one concrete line per week. Example for Week 1:

• As White vs. Sicilian …g6 (Accelerated Dragon) learn the Maroczy mainline 6.c4 Bg7 7.Be3 Nf6 8.Be2 d6 9.O-O O-O 10.Nc2. Knowing just 10 moves will avoid the early equal positions where you stalled.
• As Black vs. the Scotch Gambit, memorise the forcing 7…Be7 8.c3 dxc3 9.Qxd5 O-O which served you well against KafkaesqueKnight.

When to play

Your best win rate appears in late evenings and Sundays:

Key concepts to master next

• Prophylaxis   • Minority Attack   • Zwischenzug

Final encouragement

Fix the clock first; your tactical strength will do the rest. Aim for small, measurable goals—e.g., zero flag losses next week—and celebrate progress. Good luck, and keep the games coming!