Debraj Biswas

Quick summary

Nice conversion in your recent wins — you find concrete targets, simplify into winning material and finish accurately. Your losses show a recurring theme: tactical oversights around the queen and missed checks/captures when castling opposite sides. Below I highlight what you do well, the key mistakes from your most recent loss, and a compact, practical plan to improve quickly.

What you're doing well

• You pick active plans: opening lines for rooks and the queen, and you don’t shy away from simplifying into favourable endgames.
• Good conversion technique — when you win material you usually trade down and finish cleanly (example: your checkmate finish from July shows good coordination of rooks and king).
• Playing dynamically in the Sicilian and Indian setups gives you practical chances — you score consistently when the position opens up.

Key mistakes to fix (concrete example)

Main repeated issue: moving the queen into a square where it can be captured or forked without counting opponent replies. In your most recent loss you castled long and then played the queen to g4 — your opponent replied with a knight capture leaving you down immediately.

Study this short replay (look for the queen being captured after your move 12):

• Replay the position and moves:
• Label the tactical motifs: knight forks, back-rank and discovered attacks — always ask “what is my opponent threatening?” before a queen move.

Tip: before every queen move, do a 3-question check: Can I be attacked? Any checks, captures or threats against my king? Which pieces lose defenders?

Practical checklist to use in every game

• Before moving your queen: Check for checks, captures and threats (3-second rule).
• When castling opposite sides (you did O-O-O vs O-O): assume an all-out pawn storm is coming — keep one pawn or piece to slow it down and don’t expose the queen on the pawn storm file.
• Count attackers & defenders on any square where a tactical sequence may begin (especially around g4, f7, e4 squares in your games).
• In time trouble: simplify if you’re ahead or create forcing lines if behind — avoid speculative queen excursions when low on time.
• If you see an exchange sac offered by the opponent, check if the resulting position has concrete mate threats or unstoppable passed pawns.

4‑week focused improvement plan

• Week 1 — Tactics: 15–25 short tactics daily (forks, pins, skewers, queen traps). Emphasize knight forks and queen safety. Drill 10 puzzles that force you to check candidate captures.
• Week 2 — Opening fundamentals: pick one reliable setup (for you: the Indian/London‑type lines) and learn the common tactical traps and a simple 10–15 move plan. Study typical pawn breaks and where your queen belongs in those plans. See London System: Poisoned Pawn Variation and Sicilian Defense.
• Week 3 — Practical play & review: play 10 rapid games (10+0 or 10+5). After each game, annotate 3 turning points — one tactical miss, one missed plan, one good decision to repeat.
• Week 4 — Endgames & conversion: practice basic rook/rook+pawn endgames and simple mates. Convert won material in training positions (avoid giving back material by blundering the queen).

Mini drills you can do today

• 10 minutes: solve only knight‑fork puzzles and queen‑safety puzzles.
• 10 minutes: drill the position from your recent loss — play both sides and find where White could have avoided the queen trap.
• Play one slow rapid (15+10) and force yourself to use the 3-question queen check before every queen move.

Mindset & time management

When you feel a good tactical shot is possible, pause and verify all opponent replies — many of your losses come from reacting too quickly. Use the increment: if you have +10, spend an extra 15–30 seconds on sharp positions rather than a hasty queen sortie.

Next steps (actionable)

• Start a replay of your recent win to reinforce what you did well: rsandrik (opponent from your win) — note how you turned opponent overextensions into a decisive attack.
• Replay the loss vs bangbeto26 with the PGN above and write one sentence on what you missed on move 12 — then set a daily 10‑minute tactic habit for 14 days.
• Pick one opening to simplify your study load (e.g., stick with the Indian/London family) and learn 2 common plans for each side.
• Use the short checklist during your next 20 games and track whether you avoid queen blunders — small habits add up quickly.

Motivational close

Your progress trend shows you can climb — you already convert advantages and win messy games. Fixing a handful of recurring tactical oversights (queen safety & basic forks) will lift your win rate quickly. Keep the daily short drills and review each loss — you're on the right path.