Saad Khan

Hi Saad! Great to see you playing so many rapid games.

What you are already doing well

• Killer instincts when you have the initiative. When you gain material or space (e.g. your French win with 17.Ne7+ and 19.Bg7#) you convert quickly and rarely let the opponent off the hook.
• Confidence in open positions. As White you usually choose 1.e4 and steer the game into tactical waters where your calculation ability shines.
• End-game tenacity. Your 76-move win against Kvijay108 shows good persistence and basic technique in R-and-pawn endings.

Biggest improvement opportunities

1. Early queen trades that ruin your own king safety.
   In the loss vs. feruzjonr you played 4…Qf6?, swapped queens two moves later and were forced to play …Kf8/Ke7. • Ask yourself: “If queens come off, is my king safer or weaker?”
   • Try keeping the queen on the board until you have castled, especially in dubious gambits like the Englund.
2. Piece activity over pawn-grabbing.
   Several defeats (e.g. vs. WillGravel) start with you grabbing a pawn on a8/b2/etc. and then getting chased. A quick checklist before taking loose material: “Can I retreat the piece safely? Am I falling behind in development?” Practice this with the three-question discipline: Threats? Captures? Checks?
3. Black repertoire against 1.d4.
   Your results with the Englund Gambit (1…e5) and early …Bb4+ systems are negative. Recommendation: switch to a sound structure you can rely on, for example the Queen’s Gambit Declined or the Slav. Study 15 model games and play 20 training games focusing only on the first 10 moves.
4. King safety before pawn storms.
   In several Italian-Game losses you rushed …g5/…f5 without finishing development. Aim for this order: (1) minor pieces out, (2) castle, (3) connect rooks, (4) then launch pawn breaks.
5. Time management.
   Your clock often shows 8-9 minutes after only five moves – then tactical oversights appear later. Try the “30-20-10 rule” in 10-min games: • First 10 moves – keep at least 7:00. • Middle-game – aim to reach move 25 with 3:00. Use your opponent’s time to calculate, not to relax.

Action plan for the next two weeks

Day	Task	Goal
1-3	Watch/annotate 5 GM games in the QGD.	Learn typical piece placement.
4-6	Solve 50 “king in the center” tactics.	Improve punishment skills and pattern recognition.
7-10	Play 10 rapid games as Black vs 1.d4 using QGD only.	Build muscle memory for a solid setup.
11-14	Review your own games focusing on moves made under 10 seconds.	Identify impulsive decisions.

Motivation corner

• Your current peak rating is 1048 (2025-06-18). • According to

you score best in the evening – schedule your rated games then! • Celebrate the small wins: every time you castle before move 10 as Black, give yourself a point. Reach 20 points this week.

Keep it up!

Stay curious, review each game for five minutes, and remember: progress in chess is a marathon, not a sprint. Looking forward to your next set of games – let’s push that peak even higher.