Chola Musonda FM

Hi Chola Musonda!

You have an enterprising, tactical style and it shows in many of your recent wins. Below is some focused feedback to help you convert even more of those sharp positions into points.

What you’re already doing well

• Piece activity early – In several games you mobilise both bishops and a knight to aggressive posts before move 10, keeping your opponents under pressure.
• Dynamic pawn breaks – Examples such as …b5 in the King’s Indian win and 5…h5 in the Scandinavian show you’re not afraid to seize space or open lines for initiative.
• Tactical alertness – Tactics like 22.Bxa6!! in your win vs losermaster111 demonstrate good calculation when the position opens up.

Main growth areas

• Time management – Five of your last six losses were on time in roughly equal or winning positions. Aim to stay above 15 seconds after the opening; use pre-moves only in forced recaptures.
• Opening hygiene – Creative moves such as 3…Bh3?! (Torre) or 5.Na3?! (Clemenz) left you fighting uphill. Build a compact repertoire so you spend less clock on move-ordering surprises.
• King safety – In a few Bird & Benoni games you delayed castling and were punished on the dark squares. Make castling (or a clear alternative) a priority by move 10.
• Endgame conversion – Positions like the French endgame vs Putzy2009 were strategically won for you but slipped away in technique and time. Practise rook-and-pawn endings 10 minutes a day.

Targeted opening tips

• As Black vs 1.d4, the King’s Indian serves you well. Memorise the main Saemisch ideas so you don’t spend clock reinventing moves like …Rb8-b5.
• As White, your early Bg5 systems score nicely, but study the basic traps so you can punish …h6 g5 plans instantly.
• Retire experimental first moves (h3, f4 without preparation) until rapid/blitz study time allows.

Middle-game checklist

1. Are all pieces participating? (Rooks on open files, minor pieces on outposts)
2. Can I improve my worst piece before starting tactics?
3. What is my opponent’s best idea? Prepare a counter before executing mine.

Endgame focus

Review basic opposition, rook-pawn techniques and side-checks. Solving three practical endgames per session will make time-scrambles less scary.

One of your highlight tactics

The following burst of activity shows how dangerous you are when the position opens:

Next-week action plan

• Play 10 rapid (10|0) games focusing solely on staying above 30 seconds after move 20.
• Solve 20 mixed tactics under 3 minutes each; immediately annotate any miss.
• Review two master games in your main openings; note typical pawn breaks.
• Finish with one basic endgame study session (30 minutes).

Progress trackers

Peak blitz rating: 2461 (2023-11-07)  |  Let’s push this number by +50 in the next 30 days!

Your performance throughout the week:

Keep harnessing your tactical vision, Chola, and balance it with a bit more structure and clock discipline — the results will come quickly. Good luck, and enjoy the journey!