Ebrima Bah FM

Hi Ebrima!

Great job pushing your rating into the 1800-2100 range (current peak: 2061 (2021-08-21)). Your recent games show an energetic, tactical style and a willingness to play unorthodox ideas. Below is some tailored feedback that should help you break through to the next level.

What you already do well

• Tactical alertness. In the win against MunduYungi you spotted 17.Qxc8+ followed by precise rook activity and converted a material edge cleanly.
• Active piece play. Even when behind in development you look for dynamic resources, e.g. 21.Nf5! in your Ruy Lopez win, seizing the initiative.
• Practical fighting spirit. You seldom agree to early draws and often outplay opponents in complex middlegames. Your overall results by hour and day confirm this competitive consistency:
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Key areas for improvement

1. Clock Management (highest priority).
   Five of your last six losses were on time when the position was still playable or even better for you.
   • Adopt a “minimum-time-per-move” rule in the opening (e.g. never drop below 80-90 % of your starting time before move 15).
   • When you have an increment, treat it as income: move, bank the seconds, breathe, repeat.
   • Practice quick-solve drills (puzzles with a 60-second limit) to build instinctive pattern recognition.
2. Opening accuracy.
   Your results with 1…Nce7 vs. the Ruy Lopez and …Bd6 vs. the Scotch show creativity but also invite early pressure.
   • Pick one mainline defence each against 1.e4 and 1.d4 and study 10-15 critical branches so you can play the first ten moves almost automatically.
   • Add a short “trigger list” to your notes (typical pawn breaks, bad squares, standard plans).
   • Review the concept of prophylaxis so you can spot your opponent’s aims right out of the opening.
3. King safety & transition to endgames.
   Positions such as 6.Kf1 in your Pirc win worked, but against stronger opposition an uncastled king will be targeted.
   • Make castling a priority unless you have a concrete reason to delay.
   • When you reach a winning endgame, simplify decisively—don’t give the clock a chance to beat you.

Concrete next steps

1. Play three 15 + 10 games this week, focusing solely on staying at least three minutes ahead on the clock at move 20. Annotate them afterwards.
2. Solve 25 intermediate puzzles (rating 1800-2200) daily. Use a timer so each puzzle gets max 3 minutes.
3. Review the pawn-structure themes in the Caro-Kann Advance and the Ruy Lopez Closed; build a mini-repertoire file with typical plans and tabiyas.
4. Analyse one master game per day that features your intended openings. Ask: “Where did the first long think happen, and why?”

Confidence boost

Your skill set is already strong enough for the 2100-plus bracket. Tightening up time usage and early-middlegame accuracy will translate the advantages you regularly achieve into points. Keep your tactical edge sharp, trust your intuition, and refine your openings—steady rating gains will follow.

Good luck, and feel free to send me any games you’d like annotated in depth!

Coach