Jakov Geller GM

Hi Jakov, here’s some tailored feedback to help you keep climbing!

Quick snapshot

• Current form: strong tactical conversion in your latest win against megashark2025.
• Peak ratings so far: , .
• Activity trends:

What’s working well

• Fast tactical vision. Your 8…Nxf2!! in the Four-Knights game was thematic and executed with confidence. Converting with 14…Qg1# shows strong calculation under 10 min time control.
• Opening familiarity. You handle the symmetrical four%20knights as Black and classical king-side attacks as White with comfort, often steering positions into tactical waters where you shine.
• Practical time handling. In most wins you keep at least 50 % of the clock when the game ends, giving you margin for complex middlegames.

Areas to strengthen

• Early-game resilience. Your most recent loss was a resignation on move 2 after 1.d4 d5 2.Nf3. Whether it was tilt, lag or distraction, try pausing 10 seconds before aborting/resigning; it prevents free rating drops and preserves focus for the next game.
• Opening breadth. Opponents rated 2600+ will soon prepare for your repeated 1.e4 & …g6 setups. Adding one solid line (e.g. the ruy%20l%C3%B3pez with White or the nimzo-indian against 1.d4) will make you less predictable and deepen your positional understanding.
• Pawn-structure sensitivity. Several 2022 qualifier losses came after early …g5/h5 or g-pawn thrusts (e.g. vs Arman_Hakemi). Pushing flank pawns before your king is secure left dark-square holes and cost material. Add the “no pawn moves near my king before move 10 unless justified” rule to your checklist.
• End-game stamina & clock. The timeout vs Aaravamudhan Balaji arose in a queenless rook end-game that was probably drawable. Schedule a weekly 30-min session of pure rook-endgame technique and play some 5|5 games to practise finishing cleanly with little time.

Suggested training plan (4 weeks)

1. Openings (30 min/day)
   • Add the Ruy López Exchange as a surprise weapon.
   • Prepare a quick-play reply to 1.d4 (…Nf6 …e6 …Bb4).
   • Build a “first 15 moves” file; test it versus 2600+ bots.
2. Tactics (15 min/day)
   • Continue puzzle rush but switch to rated puzzles >2600 theme to stretch calculation depth.
   • After each puzzle, verbalise the mating net or material win idea.
3. Strategic review (2 sessions/week)
   • Annotate two of your lost games focusing on pawn breaks you regret.
   • Compare with engine suggestions at depth 20, write one takeaway sentence per critical position.
4. End-games (1 session/week)
   • Study the Philidor & Lucena positions, then practise against the computer at depth 10 until you can win/draw in <45 sec.

Reference game to revisit

Next steps

1. Play three training games this week where you must castle by move 8 unless forced otherwise.
2. After each session, jot down one “blunder type” you made and how to avoid it.
3. Update me with a short summary of your progress; we’ll refine the plan together.

Keep up the great work and enjoy the journey!
—Your Chess Coach