Elena Nekrasova WFM

Hi Elena!

Congratulations on the steady climb to 2064 (2020-07-31) and on a recent sparkling win over tf1203. Below you will find an objective summary of your current game, together with concrete, short-term exercises that will give maximum “rating per minute” returns.

1. What you already do well

• Theory depth in mainline Sicilians. In your 2025-04-12 win you navigated the Sveshnikov (6…d6 7.Bg5) smoothly, producing the thematic 17.Nc6! and the exchange-sac 28.Rb6! that fixed Black’s queen. This shows good opening memory and a feel for initiative vs. material.
• Tactical alertness under time pressure. Many of your decisive blows (30.h4!!, 34.Qh8+, 35.Qf8#) were found with <30 s on your clock. Your pattern recognition is excellent; keep sharpening it with 10-minute daily puzzle rush.
• Flexible piece placement. When an opponent sidesteps theory (e.g. 3.Bc4 against your Sicilian) you quickly build a healthy centre with …d5/…e6 and develop harmoniously.

2. Repeated problems that leak points

•  Alapin (2.c3) blind spot. Four of your last six losses started 1.e4 c5 2.c3. In the game against tf1203 you followed the schematic …d5 but later chose 21…f6?! & 23…g5, loosening the dark squares and inviting 35.Ng7+. Fix: learn the crisp 8…Qa5 or 8…g6 lines and aim for an early …e5 break. Spend one evening building a mini repertoire that survives without memorising 20 moves.
•  Dark-square weaknesses in the king’s quadrant. Losses vs WalidSouleyman (…g5/…Nd7) and vs andriy59 (…Qe8–b8 plan) show an appetite for pawn thrusts before your king is fully secure. Rule of thumb: do not push the g-pawn in the Sicilian unless you can answer “yes” to all three questions:
  1. Is the h-file already closed?
  2. Can I meet Bh6 with …Bxh6?
  3. Is my queen’s knight ready to jump to f6/e5 if the centre opens?
•  Endgame conversion when a pawn down. The 72-move marathon that ended with 70…Kb1?? 71.Qh1# was completely holdable after 55…Bxf8. What failed was not calculation but “distant opposition” technique. Fix: 2×/week play the “Endgame Simulator” with only K+N+B vs. K+pawns until you hold 8/10.
•  Clock management.
  shows a dip in games that start between 20:00–22:00 UTC—exactly when your losses reach move 35 with <10 s remaining. Breathe, stand up, and start sessions earlier or shorten them.

3. Opening checkpoints for the next 30 days

• vs Alapin: Watch one 15-min video or replay the model game
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• vs d4: You scored 0-3 in the QGD Orthodox. Revisit the line 7…c5 (instead of 7…b6) and the Lasker Defence with quick …Ne4. A single file with five archetypal plans will cover 90 % of games.
• As White: Your Sveshnikov knowledge is a weapon—make it twice as lethal by adding the anti-Sveshnikov 3.Bb5+ vs 2…Nc6 shapes so you never face your own pet line.

4. Training menu

• Daily: 10 min Puzzle Rush + 5 annotated master games in your opening.
• 3×/week: 15 min endgames (rook vs. rook+pawn, opposite-coloured bishops).
• Weekend: One long 15|10 game, fully annotated afterwards. Post-mortem focus: “What was the worst pawn move I made and why?”
• Track progress with
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5. Quick reference cheatsheet

• “Loose pawn, loose game.” – Before pushing any wing pawn, count major pieces aimed at your king.
• Use the principle of two weaknesses. In your win vs vickglez you tied White down on the f-file and created a passer on h2. Replicate this in slower games.
• When worse, exchange pawns—when better, exchange pieces. Engrain this with 15 endgame drills.

Stick to this programme for one month and you should feel comfortable crossing 1900 blitz. I’m looking forward to analysing your next set of games!