Ester Bjøru

Quick summary — what I saw in your recent rapid games

Nice energy and fighting spirit — you create complications and look for active chances. A few recurring issues cost you most games: early queen adventures & pawn grabs that leave you underdeveloped, moving the same piece twice in the opening, and repeated time trouble. You also show good instincts in sharp positions (your wins in gambit lines and the way you hunt for checks and pins).

Concrete patterns to keep and encourage

• You’re comfortable creating tactical complications — that helps a lot in rapid. Keep practicing tactics to convert those chances.
• Your play in gambit/sharp openings (example: Amar Gambit, Barnes Opening: Walkerling) scores well — this is a strength: you thrive in messy positions.
• Good tendency to look for active rook/7th rank ideas once pieces are traded — you recognize attacking targets.

Main weaknesses to fix (with examples)

From the two most recent decisive games:

• Early queen grabs and underdevelopment — example vs rangdinu: you took on g7 with the queen (Qxg7) then castled long and played Rd8+. Opponent answered Nxd8 and you were left with poor coordination. Short version: don’t grab pawns with the queen if it costs you development or leaves the king exposed.
• Passive piece moves and retreating developed pieces — example vs maximillianperry you played ...Ng8 after developing the knight to f6. That lost time and allowed White to seize the initiative.
• Time trouble — in the game vs maximillianperry you fell under 3 minutes midgame and made heavier concessions. Flagging or near-flagging appears more than once.

How to fix these problems — specific, actionable steps

• Opening principles checklist (before grabbing a pawn with the queen): have I finished minor piece development? Is my king safe? Do I have any hanging pieces? If the answer to any is “no”, avoid the pawn grab.
• Move-order discipline: avoid moving the same piece twice in the opening unless it gains concrete value. If you must retreat (like ...Ng8), ask: is there a better plan (trade, counterattack, or prophylaxis)?
• Time management rules:
  • Target: keep at least 5 minutes on the clock until move 20 in a 10|0 rapid. If you're below 3 minutes by move 15 you need to slow the clock down (use simpler moves, avoid long calculations, use “good enough” moves).
  • Practice 10|5 or 15|10 games to build midgame time comfort — lower time pressure improves decision quality.
• Tactics training: do 10–20 tactical puzzles daily for 20–30 minutes focused on forks, pins, back-rank mates, and knight forks (these motifs showed up often in your games).
• Post-game routine: after each loss, write down the last 5 moves where evaluation changed most, and ask:
  • “What was my opponent threatening?”
  • “Did I calculate checks/captures twice before moving?”
  • “Could a simpler developing move have avoided this?”

Short 4-week training plan (practical)

Minimal time daily (30–45 minutes). Focus each week on one theme plus regular play.

• Week 1 — Tactics + Time control
  • Daily: 15–20 puzzles (focus forks/pins/back-rank)
  • Play: 10 rapid games 10|5 — practice keeping 5+ minutes until move 20
• Week 2 — Opening basics & move order
  • Pick 2 reliable opening lines you like (one as White, one as Black). Review common tactical motifs in those lines (use your successful lines like Amar Gambit).
  • Play 8 games aiming to reach move 12 with all minor pieces developed and king castled.
• Week 3 — Simple endgames & converting material
  • Study rook + pawn vs rook basics and basic king & pawn opposition (15–20 minutes sessions).
• Week 4 — Review & consolidate
  • Analyze your 10 most recent losses (or the ones that hurt most). Make a short note of the recurring errors and keep a checklist to avoid them in future games.

In-game checklist (use before you press the clock)

• Who’s checking, capturing or attacking my pieces on the next move? (quick tactical scan)
• Have I developed both bishops/knights or do I risk lagging in development?
• If I’m about to grab a pawn with the queen: will I lose time or king safety?
• Clock check: do I have enough time for the critical phase? If not, simplify and play safe moves rather than long calculations.

Positives to emphasize — keep doing these

• Creating imbalances and complications — that plays to your strengths in rapid.
• Comfort with tactical melees — your win rates in several gambit-like openings show this is a path to success.
• Resilience — you keep fighting for the initiative even in worse positions.

Small checklist to use after each game

• One-line summary of outcome: why I won / why I lost.
• One tactical motif I missed or one tactical motif I used well.
• Time management grade (A/B/C). If C, note what cost the most time.
• One concrete improvement goal for next game (e.g., “No queen pawn grabs before castling” or “Keep ≥5 minutes to move 20”).

Optional — study targets I recommend

• Short tactics courses: focus on forks/pins/back-rank mates (15–30 min/day).
• One book or course on practical rapid chess/time management (search for “practical rapid chess” resources).
• Review model games in your best openings (for example, check patterns in QGD: Chigorin, 3.cxd5 and your top-scoring lines).

If you want, next steps I can do for you

• Walk through 2 of your recent losses move-by-move and mark the exact moment the evaluation swung (with plain-language explanations).
• Create a 2-week personalized training schedule based on how many minutes per day you can commit.
• Build a short opening cheat-sheet (5–10 moves) that avoids the common pitfalls you fell into.

Tell me which of those you'd like and I’ll prepare it. If you want a focused postmortem, pick one loss (or paste the game link) and I’ll annotate the turning points in plain English.