Olga Alexandrova IM

Hi Olga, here is your personalized post-match report

Quick glance

• Current form: 5 wins – 5 losses (last 10 games)
• Peak rapid rating:
• Typical play window:

What you are doing well

• Confidence against the Modern Benoni – your win versus mozgokliuj shows excellent handling of the Snake Variation. You seized the d6 outpost early and never let go. A highlight position:
  
  
  
• Resilience in unbalanced pawn structures – several wins (e.g. the Caro-Kann vs. Driveintosnow) came from dynamic queen-side pawn majorities you converted smoothly.
• Proactive king safety – you rarely leave your king in the centre. The habit of castling by move 10 is almost universal in your wins.

Priority improvements

1. Time-management in critical moments
   Four of the five losses feature sub-10 second decisions in double-edged positions. Your ideas are good, but you need time to calculate. Aim to reach move 20 with ≥60 seconds left.
2. Handling early …Bb4⁺ in Queen’s-Pawn openings
   In three recent defeats (two by anthony-karelia, one by from_pawn_to_pawn) Black played …Bb4+ on moves 2-3. Your habitual answer is 3.Nc3/3.Nd2, but the follow-up plan is not yet crisp, leading to misplaced pieces and pawn weaknesses.
   • Study the Bogo-Indian set-ups with 4.Bd2 & 4.Qd2.
   • Consider the solid 3.Bd2 to avoid doubled c-pawns.
   • Rehearse typical ideas in the Ragozin-style structures arising after …c5.
3. Converting extra material in time trouble
   The loss to angryhorse9 was still winning after 29…Nxg4. You missed simpler techniques (e.g. 30…Qh7+ 31.Qh3 Qxh3 32.gxh3 Nxe5) because of the clock. Blitz out forcing checks FIRST, then look for fancy.

Opening map (last 10 games)

White: 1.d4 with 3.c4 (70 %), 1.e4 Caro-Kann testers (30 %)
Black: Caro-Kann (4×), Queen’s-Indian / Bogo setups (3×), Benoni structures (2×), Neo-Grünfeld (1×)

Suggest adding one surprise weapon to each side to avoid preparation fatigue. For instance, try the Anti-Benko line 4.a4 versus 3…b5, and experiment with the Petroff when opponents expect Caro-Kann.

Concrete study plan for the week

• Day 1-2: Build a mini-repertoire versus early …Bb4+ using 30 model games.
• Day 3-4: Solve 40 tactics themed on overloaded pieces (pattern from the maugdag3 game). Tag any new motifs (e.g. Zwischenzug, Deflection).
• Day 5: 3 × 15|10 sparring games where you must keep ≥1 min on the clock after move 25. Review with an engine only for blunders ≥1.5.
• Day 6-7: Endgame refresh – play rook-and-pawn positions vs. the bot; aim for the “bridge-building” Lucena method twice without hints.

Positive mindset checkpoint

Remember: every loss above 2400 rapid is data, not drama. Keep a short notes file after each session (what surprised me, what I managed well, one thing to refine). Tiny, steady iterations will push you to 2550.
Good luck and enjoy the journey!