Efstathios Gazis FM

Hi Efstathios!

Your recent results around the 2300-rapid mark (see 1805 (2020-04-01) and

) show that you are already a strong practical player. Below is a short appraisal of your current strengths and the areas that will give you the fastest rating gains.

What you are already doing well

• Active piece play. Whether in the Indian Game (A45) as Black or the Sicilian as White, your pieces rarely sit passively. The win against louispatzoer is a textbook example – after 16…e5! you seized the initiative and never let go.
• Courageous pawn breaks. You are not afraid of moves such as …c5, …f5 or the quick …g5 (vs periodic78). They often create practical problems for opponents who are still in book.
• Conversion technique. In several endings (e.g. the Bb7–ending vs amigo73) you switched smoothly from piece activity to pawn promotion without giving counter-play.

Quick wins still on the table

1. Structure before tactics in the Taimanov-type positions.
   In the loss versus Gabriel Adrian Romanelli you played 18.f5, opening the center when your king was still on g1 and Black’s minor pieces were aiming at e4–f4. Instead consider the slower plan:
   
   – same space gain, but with the dark-squared bishop holding the kingside.
2. Time-management & repetition loops.
   The sequence 27.Qd5+ … 30.Qb7 … 29.Qd5+ in the same game burned 40 seconds and gave Black a free tempo. Make it a rule: if you repeat once to gain time on the clock, the third move must be a new decision.
3. Clarify plans in the Benoni-type structures.
   Against bitcoinchef3 you allowed …c4 and an outside passed a-pawn. In Modern-Benoni positions decide early whether you are playing:
   • the typical e4–e5 → Nd6 crush, or
   • a queenside expansion with b4 & a4.
   Mixing both usually leaves the d-pawn weak and lets Black free his pieces (exactly what happened after 22…Bd6).

Opening roadmap (next 4 weeks)

Week	Focus	Practical goal
1	Taimanov as White	Play 5 games without f4/f5 before castling long — observe resulting middlegames
2	Benoni defence as Black	Memorise the key idea …b5 → …a6 only after White commits a4
3	Queen’s-Gambit structures	Drill 10 puzzles featuring the minority attack so you can recognise the pattern quickly
4	Endgame technique	Play out five bishop-vs-knight endings from equal material in training mode

Micro-skills to sharpen

• When you spot a forcing line, add a blunder check (“What is my opponent’s only good move here?”). This would have saved 31.Qxa6? in the loss against FingolfinWarrior.
• Refresh your knowledge of the principle of two weaknesses — see zugzwang and how you induced it in the endgame vs louispatzoer.
• Spend one session on rook-and-pawn basics; the resignation vs equilibrium1026 came from an avoidable rook infiltration on the c-file.

Mindset corner

Notice that each of your recent losses started with an early clarification of the center (either …exf5 or …cxd4) initiated by you. Train the patience to keep tension; it will add 30-40 rating points on its own.

Next steps

• Review 15 minutes of your own games every day (even the wins).
• Add a weekly 3-game practice session where you start from a critical middlegame position and play against 2200+ opposition.
• Track your results with

– you score best in late evenings; schedule important games accordingly.

Keep up the great work and enjoy the climb!