Carsten Hecht FM

Hi Carsten, here is some tailored feedback on your recent Blitz games (3 | 0).

What you are already doing well

• Sharp tactical vision. In your wins you consistently spot tactics such as 19.Nxc7!! (vs Ispanec) and 27.Qxe5 (vs DerSchachPate), seizing the initiative at every opportunity.
• Opening breadth. You are comfortable with 1.e4 and 1.d4 as White and answer 1.e4 with both the Scandinavian and the French as Black, giving you practical flexibility.
• Practical instincts in time trouble. Several decisive games were finished with < 40 seconds on the clock—your ability to keep the game complicated often pays off.

Priority areas to improve

1. King safety when counter-attacking.
   Loss vs AvatarRoku7 shows how quickly an exposed king can become the main target.
   • Make castling a concrete goal in the opening (≤ move 10), especially in the French and QGD structures.
   • When you launch …b5 or …g5, double-check that the resulting dark squares around your king are covered.
2. Depth of calculation in forcing lines.
   In the Alahambra123 game you overlooked 28…Qxd1+ and resigned immediately. Before entering a tactical sequence, force yourself to “see one more ply” beyond the obvious capture or check. A quick blunder-check habit will eliminate many of these swing games. blunder
3. Conversion technique in better positions.
   A couple of recent wins took longer than necessary because you repeated moves or chased “ghosts” instead of consolidating. Invest a few sessions each week on basic end-games (rook + pawn vs rook, opposite-coloured bishops, etc.) so that converting a two-pawn edge becomes routine rather than stressful.
4. Time management pattern.
   You often fall below 45 seconds around move 20, even in quiet positions. Add a simple self-check: “Am I still in the opening tabiya? If yes, move in ≤ 5 seconds.” This will keep more time for the inevitable scrambles.

Opening-specific notes

• Scandinavian as Black. After 4.d4 Nf6 5.Nf3 Bg4 your opponents score well with 6.Be2 and 7.d5. Study the …e6 & …Bb4+ sideline to meet this plan.
• French Tarrasch. You resigned versus 14.Bf4 in a position that was still playable (…Qb6!, …Rfd8). Build confidence by analysing these structures with a strong engine and trying thematic games vs bots.
• Queen’s Gambit Declined. In the AvatarRoku7 loss, the early …a6/…b5 allowed Nc3–e4–d6 tactics. Consider the more solid …Be7 and …c6 setups until you master the sharp lines.

Suggested training routine (6-week micro-cycle)

Day	Focus	Tools
Mon / Thu	30 min tactics (rated puzzles at 5 min each)	“Puzzle Rush Survival” + annotate wrong answers
Tue	Opening review (one line per week)	Replay model games; create a 15-move memory file
Wed	End-game drill	Chessable “100 Endgames” chapters 1-10
Fri	Practice games (3|2 or 5|0)	Self-annotate, then verify with engine
Weekend	Play OTB or longer online games (15|10) to apply concepts calmly	—

Motivational checkpoint

You reached 2596 (2023-10-16) recently—congratulations! Let’s aim to stabilise 50 points above that mark by the end of the cycle.

Annotated snapshot

Below is the critical tactic from your last loss; rehearse it until you can “auto-spot” the mating pattern.

See when you play best

Keep up the fighting spirit, and remember: consolidate first, then celebrate!