Emil Anka GM

Hi Emil 👋, here is some focused feedback to help you keep climbing beyond 2271 (2014-02-12).

1. Opening observations

• As Black vs the Italian / Two Knights (C58)
  You handled the sharp 4.Ng5 d5 line confidently and found the important retreat 5…Na5. Nice!
  • After 11.Qxe5 you were already a pawn up. Instead of 12…Nc6 → 13.Nf3, consider the cleaner 12…Re8! cutting out White’s queen immediately and keeping pieces active.
  • When you castle short in these positions your g7–bishop often belongs on g7, not f6; aim for …Bg7 and …d4 to seize the initiative.
• As White in the Ruy Lopez (Berlin sideline)
  You showed good feel for space with 12.Bb3, 16.a5! and the regroup 21.Rd2–Rde2–Rde2.
  • At move 17 you spent extra tempi (17.Rad1 – 18.Qb4 – 19.h3) before committing to the thematic e4–e5 break. Drill this typical pawn lever so you can play it faster and earlier when conditions are right.
• Sicilian Accelerated Dragon repertoire
  In your win vs lord_of_the_rook you followed theory through 8…d5 9.O-O-O dxe4. After 13.e5 Nf5 you sensibly exchanged queens, but later allowed some counterplay on the light squares. Re-examine model games by Topalov and Carlsen to see how they keep the b4-e1 diagonal under absolute control.

2. Middlegame & tactical conversion

• Piece activity over material
  In the Italian win you captured 18…Bxb2 (greedy) then needed several tempi to untangle. Often the smoother 18…Re5 → 19…Rh5 keeps every piece on optimal squares and clamps g-file counterplay.
• Converting advantages
  After 20…R2xe3! your position was completely winning. Good calculation! The only improvement is to centralise the king earlier; the g7–pawn and h6–pawn moves slowed the finish.

3. Endgame habits

• Your technique is generally solid, but in several older losses you resigned with material equality or even an extra pawn under time pressure. Practise basic R + P vs R and B + N mate drills to feel comfortable converting when the clock is low.

4. Clock management

You usually reach move 15 with 80-85 % of your starting time, then drop below one minute near move 25. Try a micro-goal: be above 2 minutes on the clock by move 30 in 5 + 1. This lets you maintain calculation quality in the critical conversion phase.

5. Action plan for the next two weeks

1. Opening depth: Spend one session annotating the critical tabiya after 4.Ng5 d5 5.exd5 Na5 with engine off; then check with engine to fill gaps.
2. Tactics sprint: 30 minutes/day of hard puzzles (rating 2400-2600) to keep your tactical eye razor-sharp.
3. Practical endings: Play 10 unrated games starting from a pawn-up rook endgame; convert against the bot at level 5+. Repeat until you win 8/10.
4. Game selection: Mix in games vs 2100-2200 opposition to test your openings under pressure; your recent wins were against much lower-rated players.

6. Illustrative game

Below is your latest Italian victory. Re-play it and try to spot where alternative, cleaner wins were available:

Keep up the good work!

Your strategic understanding is clearly above the opposition you faced in these samples. Sharpen the few technical areas above, and a new peak rating is well within reach. Good luck, and enjoy the games!