DonutHolestein

Hi DonutHolestein!

You have a fighting spirit and aren’t afraid to look for tactical fireworks early in the game. That adventurous style has already brought you several miniature wins and a respectable personal best of 1029 (2020-10-30). Let’s build on those strengths while fixing the habits that are costing you points and, more importantly, enjoyment.

What you’re already doing well

• Confident tactics: In your recent Scotch as Black you sacrificed material, chased the enemy king and finished with Qb4#. Spotting mating nets that fast shows good attacking instincts.
• Piece activity awareness: You often look for ways to activate bishops on open diagonals (e.g. …Bc5 in several games), which is a valuable habit.
• Willingness to experiment: Moves like 4.g4!? against stronger opposition prove you’re not afraid to try new ideas. That courage will pay off once it’s backed by sound fundamentals.

Recurring problems & how to fix them

1. Early-queen addiction

You play Qf3 or Qf6 by move 2 in almost every game, both as White and Black. Against beginners this works; against anyone who develops normally it invites …Nd4, …Bg4 or pawn pushes that trap your queen.

Try one week of games where your queen stays home until at least move 6. Force yourself to develop two minor pieces and castle first. You’ll instantly notice fewer losses like:

Focus instead on classical lines: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 (Italian) or 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 (Open Sicilian).

2. King safety & castling

Five of your last six losses occurred with your king stuck in the center or wandering on b3/b4 squares while the clock was ticking. Remember the principle “castle before launching pawns.” Develop fast, castle, then attack.

3. Time management

Most defeats were on time despite equal or winning positions. Bullet is fun, but try mixing in 10-minute rapid games so you can think through tactics without racing the clock. Practical tips:

• Use the opening phase to gain a small time lead by knowing a simple setup.
• Adopt safe premoves (recaptures, obvious checks) in bullet but avoid them when the board is messy.
• When ahead in material, simplify instead of hunting more pawns—each exchange reduces calculation time.

4. Tactical vision

Your games are decided by tactics within 15 moves. Daily drills on forks, pins and back-rank mates will convert many near-misses into wins. Use the custom puzzle feature on Chess.com and filter for motif “[ [Link|term|fork] ]” or “[ [Link|term|pin] ].” Ten puzzles a day is enough to sharpen calculation.

Opening menu (two-week plan)

1. With White: Play the Italian — 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.c3 Nf6 5.d4.
   Goals: rapid development, early castling, central control.
2. With Black vs 1.e4: Choose the Scandinavian — 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Qxd5 3.Nc3 Qa5 and castle kingside.
   Goals: queen appears but safely retreats, pieces come out naturally.

Progress tracker

Keep an eye on your performance curves:

Concrete next steps

• Play at least 15 rapid games in the next week using the opening menu above.
• Limit queen moves before move 6—write it on a sticky note next to your screen.
• Solve 30 tactical puzzles focusing on forks and back-rank mates.
• Review each loss for the first mistake; stop the auto-analysis once you find it and think why it happened.

Stick with these guidelines and I’m confident you’ll smash through your current plateau and set a new 1200 (2020-10-29) soon. Enjoy the journey—see you on the board!