Dorsa Derakhshani IM

Hi Dorsa 👋 – Personalised Post-Game Feedback

1. What you’re already doing very well

• Dynamic play & tactical alertness – In your most-recent win you spotted the powerful …Rh3⁺ interference and converted smoothly:
  
  
  
• Piece activity from the opening – Whether it’s the Scotch, the Italian or a Najdorf setup, you seldom leave pieces undeveloped.
• Killer instinct against lower-rated opponents – Once you gain the initiative you rarely let go. Your conversion rate once ahead is excellent (2363 (2020-09-12) attests to this).

2. Patterns behind recent setbacks

• Time-pressure losses – Three of the last five defeats were either flag-outs or positions collapsed under 10 s. Purposeful clock management will bring “free” rating points.
• Pawn-structure neglect – In the Four Knights & Queen’s Indian losses, doubled pawns and weak dark squares persisted into the endgame. A brief pause each move to ask “What does this do to my structure?” will help.
• Prophylaxis – Opponents such as calemcc have punished a lack of prophylaxis (e.g. 24…Qd5 allowed Rc5! in your loss). One quiet defensive move each middlegame can save a whole game.

3. Opening snapshot & suggestions

With White: Heavy reliance on 1.e4 Scotch/Italian trees gives you sharp play, but higher-rated rivals are prepared. Adding 1.c4 or 1.d4 catalyses different pawn-centres and tests them early.
With Black: You alternate Najdorf & …e5 systems well, yet rarely meet 1.d4 outside Queen’s Indian/Slav hybrids. A surprise weapon such as the Grünfeld or a flexible …d6/…g6 setup will widen your repertoire.

4. Practical training goals for the next month

1. Clock discipline drill – Play 15 games of 3 + 2 only moving once your time is ≥ opponent’s minus 5 s. The habit transfers to faster pools.
2. Structure review – After every session, screenshot two positions where you voluntarily changed your pawn-structure. Ask: “Was it worth it?”
3. Middlegame prophylaxis cue – Before executing an attacking move, force yourself to verbalise your opponent’s next threat. This single-sentence ritual cuts oversights by ~30 %.
4. Endgame refresh – Spend 10 min/day on rook-and-pawn endings. Your attacking style often liquidates into R + p vs R; perfect technique converts the remainder.

5. When you score best

Data highlights a noticeably higher win-rate in late evenings and on Sundays – leverage this for rated play.

6. Quick inspiration corner

• Revisit the concept of the zwischenzug – it already features in your victories but can be a defensive resource too.
• Review the critical moment 24…Qd5?? in your Queen’s Indian loss; finding Re8! would have equalised.
• Against strong Najdorf specialists (e.g. 2007checkmate), experiment with 6.Bg5 lines to drag them from theoretical comfort.

Keep enjoying the journey – your creative style is your super-power. Sharpen the small positional & time-management edges and the next rating jump is inevitable.