Yevheniia Toroptseva WFM

Hi Yevheniia!

Congratulations on your recent string of wins against strong opposition. Your current blitz peak is , and the trend in your results (see

1. What you are already doing well

• Dynamic piece play. In the win vs alvarorodriguezavila you planted a knight on d6 as Black and followed with …f6-a6-Ra7, showing excellent feel for counter-attacking squares.
• Converting advantages under time pressure. Several wins were secured with <10 s on the clock. Your nerves and tactical awareness are clear assets.
• Practical opening choices. 1.Nc3 and the French-Sicilian set-up (…c5 + …e6 + …g6) regularly take opponents out of book, giving you rich middlegames you enjoy.

2. Recurrent issues to address

• Time management in equal or worse positions. Four of the five recent losses were decided by flag or sudden blunder after you fell below 15 s. You race early but spend too long in tense middlegames.
• King safety vs flank pawn storms. In the loss to Guadalupe Montano Vicente (Modern …g6) you allowed h4–g5–h5 without creating counter-play. Similar patterns appeared in Chess960 where you postponed castling.
• Chess960 unfamiliarity. All three Chess960 games were lost. The common threads were slow development and rooks stuck in corners.
• Endgame conversion. Even in winning games, positions such as 60…Qc4 vs Navyblue show you needed extra moves to finish. Faster, cleaner technique saves time and energy.

3. Game-specific pointers

• After 11…Re8 you had a comfortable Modern set-up. Instead of 15…a6, consider 15…Nf6–g4 to challenge the dark-square bishop before White’s kingside expansion.
• Critical moment: 29…Nb4 left c- and e-files weak. 29…Ndf4! keeps pressure while guarding c5.

• Early …b5 & …e5 created holes on c5 & d5 and delayed castling. In Chess960, general rules still apply: develop minor pieces while keeping the king flexible.
• Move 17…Rd8 was good, but the follow-up 19…Bg7 allowed h4–Rd7. Instead, bring the knight to c6–d4 first.

4. Action plan (next two weeks)

1. Clock discipline drill. Play 10 blitz games where you force yourself to have ≥1 min after move 25. If you dip below, resign and start over. This conditions faster routine decisions.
2. Chess960 warm-ups. Each session, set up three random positions and spend 3 minutes identifying:
   • Castling options.
   • Safest square for each king.
   • Which pawn break opens lines for your rooks quickest.
3. Anti-flank-pawn repertoire check.
   • Vs 1.d4 g6 lines: add the prophylactic plan …c5–Nc6–Nf6–e5 so you can hit the centre before g4/h4 appears.
   • Prepare one fighting line vs g3 systems that keeps queens on (e.g. Leningrad Dutch).
4. Endgame speed. Solve 20 rook-pawn vs rook studies on the Practice board; aim for ≤30 s per puzzle. Your checkmating patterns will become automatic, freeing time in real games.

5. Quick reference checklist

• Ask “Is my king safer than my opponent’s?” every five moves.
• If not castled by move 10, make castling or central pawn break your next objective.
• When ahead in material, trade one pair of rooks and simplify the pawn structure before pushing passed pawns.
• When behind, keep queens and look for imbalances; avoid symmetrical endgames.

Keep enjoying your creative style, but balance it with the solid habits above. I’m confident these tweaks will push you comfortably beyond the next rating milestone.

Good luck, and feel free to send over any specific positions you’d like to analyse further!