Julien Laurent FM

Hi Julien, here’s your personalised chess feedback

Snapshot

• Peak rapid rating: 2013 (2025-04-06)
• Peak blitz rating: 2494 (2020-03-03)
• Main opening family with White: Queen’s Gambit / Colle-type structures (1 d4 ✚ 2 c4 / 2 e3)
• Main opening family with Black: Queen’s Gambit Declined & …e5 set-ups against 1 e4

When & how you score best

You convert a noticeably higher share of games played in the late evening. If you have the choice, scheduling important games in that slot could boost results.

Consistency over the week

Week-end sessions show bigger swings—good for experimentation, but tighten discipline if rating is the priority.

Your current strengths

• Tactical alertness – Your recent win against Simone A featured a neat clearance sacrifice:

• Piece activity over material – In multiple Queen’s Gambit games you give back pawns to keep rooks on the 7th or pressure f-files. That dynamic style is difficult for opponents if backed by accuracy.
• Opening knowledge vs 1 d4 – You reach comfortable QGD positions quickly and rarely fall for early traps.

Key areas to improve

1. Early resignations & tilt management
   Three of your last five losses ended before move 10, often in roughly equal positions (e.g. Barkind0, YeA52Light). Make a rule: never resign before move 25 or while material is equal. Use the game as calculation practice instead.
2. Time-management in fast games
   Two time-forfeit losses occurred in equal or better positions. Practical tips:
   • Play the first 10 moves of your repertoire instantly; they should be fully memorised.
   • Adopt the “55-35-10” rule in 3 + 2: keep ≥ 55 s by move 10, ≥ 35 s by move 20, ≥ 10 s for the finish.
3. Handling early sidelines from opponents
   In the loss to alexandreatlas (accelerated London) you reacted with 3…Bd7?! and drifted. Prepare a simple, robust set-up vs. offbeat lines:
   • Against the London: 1…d5 2…Nf6 3…c5 4…Nc6 followed by …Qb6 discourages Bf4-ideas.
   • Against early Nc3 & f4 gambits: favour a King’s Indian set-up (…g6, …Bg7) to avoid sharp theoretical traps.

Opening homework (next fortnight)

Skill-building plan

• Daily – 10 mins of mixed tactics at 5-minute puzzle rush; aim for a streak of 35. 
• Every other day – Play one 10 + 5 rapid game and perform a “3-question” self-review:
  1. Where was the critical moment?
  2. Was my time usage sensible?
  3. Did I follow a concrete plan?
• Weekly – Annotate one of your own games in depth, then compare to engine evals.

Mindset tip

“A lost game is only a failure if nothing is learned from it.” Stay at the board, fight on, and harvest end-game practice even in tough positions.

Enjoy the journey, Julien! I’ll be eager to see how these adjustments raise your next 2494 (2020-03-03).