Eric Peterson FM

Hi Eric, here is your personalized post-game review and training plan

1. Quick snapshot

• Current focus openings: French Defence as Black, Smith-Morra and Open Sicilians as White.
• Tactical style with a preference for initiative and open lines.
• Peak blitz rating: 2385 (2022-01-09).

2. What you are doing well

• Opening familiarity – you navigate the French structures comfortably and reach middlegames with healthy piece activity.
• Tactical alertness – the recent win against PLaci78 shows excellent calculation (…Nxe5! and the exchange-sac with …Rfxf3/…Rxc2).
• Resourcefulness under pressure – even when down material you generate counter-play with rook lifts and pawn breaks (…d4!, …h5-h4).

3. Recurring trouble spots

• Time management – three of the last six losses were on time or in severe time-scrambles. Blunders creep in once you drop under 45 s.
• Over-extension in gambits – in the loss to tomislav rakić (Smith-Morra) the sequence 22 h4? gxh4 23 Qg4+ allowed Black’s king to hide while your own back rank fell. Evaluate king safety before launching pawns.
• Endgame technique – you reach rook endgames a pawn up but sometimes misplace the king or rooks (e.g. passive 44 Ke3? in the bkulbak game). A bit of theoretical polishing will convert more of these.
• Prophylaxis – good attackers also need to ask “What is my opponent’s idea?” In several French games you allowed …c5 or …f6 without restraining moves. Work the habit of a quick Prophylaxis scan each move.

4. Targeted training menu

1. Clock discipline drill
   • Play 5+5 or 10+0 sessions and set a rule: make one move every 15 s for the first 15 moves, even if it is only a developing move. This conditions you to keep 2 min in reserve for complications.
2. Model games for your openings
   • French Advance (Black): study Caruana – Vachier-Lagrave 2020 to see how MVL handles the …c5 break and long-term pawn targets.
   • Smith-Morra (White): add a quieter Anti-Sicilian (e.g. 3.Bb5+) to avoid forcing gambit lines when not in a tactical mood.
3. Endgame micro-course
   • Spend 20 min/day with 100 Endgames You Must Know chapters 6–9 (rook vs. rook+pawn, Lucena & Philidor).
   • Re-play the ending vs bkulbak and set the goal “keep rooks behind passed pawns”.
4. Prophylaxis habit builder
   • After every opponent move, verbalize their three most forcing tries before you touch a piece.
   • Do 10 puzzle-rush runs but pause 2 s after each correct answer to ask, “What could the engine play against me?”

5. Concrete homework position

Load the diagram below and find a safer plan than 22 h4? (hint: improve your worst-placed piece first).

6. Motivation boost

You already compete at an expert/CM level online. Closing the gaps listed above could easily add 50-100 rating points and, more importantly, make your results steadier. Keep enjoying the creative positions you thrive in, but balance them with technical skills and clock control. Looking forward to your next batch of games!