Michael Guan

What you’re doing well

You have a solid feel for when to take the initiative and keep the game dynamic. In rapid games, your willingness to enter sharper lines can create practical winning chances, especially when you see active piece play and pressure on open files.

• You perform well in several aggressive openings, getting practical chances from the start and leveraging unusual ideas to unbalance your opponent.
• Your long‑term rating trend suggests steady progress, indicating consistent improvement over time even when short-term results dip.
• You often convert middlegame activity into tangible chances, showing good calculation and tactical awareness in flowing positions.

Key areas to improve

• Time management in rapid: try to allocate time more evenly and identify critical decision points earlier to avoid earlier moves becoming time sinks.
• Opening preparation and diversification: while some lines are very successful, have a reliable mainline for each opening and a solid fallback if your opponent deviates from theory.
• Endgame technique: work on common endgames you reach after simplifying, so you can convert advantages into wins more reliably.
• Defensive vigilance: in sharp positions, double-check for tactical threats and avoid overcommitting to a plan that leaves you exposed to counterplay.

Opening performance snapshot

Your data shows strong results in some aggressive lines, such as highly combative openings that produce dynamic play. Those can be great sources of practical winning chances, but they also carry higher risk if your opponent knows how to neutralize them. Keep refining a small, reliable repertoire that covers both sharp lines and solid, steady options so you can adapt to different opponents and game tempos.

Strength-adjusted win rate takeaway

Your strength-adjusted win rate is around 0.57, which indicates you win more than half your games against players of similar strength. This suggests your overall play is competitive and capable of generating results when you stay consistent in plan and calculation.

Next steps and a practical training plan

• Openings: spend 2–3 focused sessions per week on your top 4 openings plus a dependable fallback line. Aim for 20–30 minutes per session with a simple plan for typical middlegame ideas in each line.
• Endgames and conversion: dedicate 1–2 short endgame practice sessions weekly (15–20 minutes) focusing on rook endgames, simple king and pawn endings, and converting small advantages.
• Tactical pattern building: solve 10–15 puzzles daily that mirror motifs you encounter in your chosen openings (forks, decoys, overloading, back rank ideas).
• Post‑game reflection: after each rapid game, write down 2–3 concrete lessons (e.g., “avoid overextending on the kingside” or “keep a flexible plan if the opponent challenges the center”). Apply these in your next game.
• Time management drills: practice a routine where the first 12 moves receive a set amount of time, then adjust based on the position. The goal is to maintain a clear plan even when the clock is tight.

Want a tailored plan?

If you’d like, I can assemble a focused, two‑week training plan matched to your openings and typical middlegame structures. Tell me which openings you want to prioritize and whether you prefer more tactical or more positional study.