Avatar of Tran Thanh Tu

Tran Thanh Tu IM

gm3t Japan Since 2014 (Active) Chess.com ♟♟♟♟♟
81.2%- 14.5%- 4.3%
Bullet 2500
21W 5L 0D
Blitz 2629
257W 56L 8D
Rapid 2487
37W 13L 7D
Daily 2286
359W 46L 21D
Coach Chesswick's Profile Photo
Coach Chesswick

Hi Tran Thanh Tu, here is your personalised chess feedback

Quick Glance at Your Progress

Your current Daily peak: 2208 (2022-06-06).
Keep an eye on your trends with

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Strengths to Keep Leveraging

  • Tactical alertness under pressure. In your recent win against bobsythedobsy you found the 17.exf8=Q+ deflection idea and converted smoothly (see mini-replay below).
  • Dynamic exploitation of imbalances. As Black versus Radagast_78 you willingly accepted doubled pawns in the Alapin, then used the half-open d-file and dark-squared bishop pair to seize the initiative.
  • Piece activity in the late middlegame. Your rook lifts (e.g. 26…R7d2!! in the Nimzowitsch‐Defence game) show good board vision and a willingness to coordinate heavy pieces.
  • End-game technique. Once you reach a material edge you rarely let it slip; the K+Q vs K+minor conversion against Radagast_78 was textbook.

Areas for Improvement

  • Over-extension of wing pawns. Both your loss to Falcon_126 and the older defeat vs kwokman featured early g/h-pawn pushes that weakened the king. Before advancing a flank pawn, run a quick checklist: “Will this square still be guarded if files open?”
  • Central tension management. In the Nimzowitsch-Larsen loss you allowed …c5xd4 followed by …Qxd5, giving Black a free central majority. Consider inserting prophylactic moves such as cxd5 or dxc5 sooner to keep the centre closed.
  • Consistency in your White repertoire. You alternate between 1.e4, 1.Nf3 and 1.b3. Variety is healthy, but using a “core” setup (e.g. Queens-Indian style with 1.Nf3 & 2.c4) will deepen your theory and reduce prep time.
  • Clock discipline. Two 2023 championship games were lost on time. Set a daily reminder and enable move-notifications so that technical forfeits never cancel good positions.
  • Conversion in material-plus endgames with opposite-coloured bishops. In several wins you needed extra moves to finish because the wrong rook/bishop was activated first. Practise thematic end-games where you’re up a pawn but colours are opposite to sharpen the plan of creating a second weakness.

Opening Radar

• As White your best score comes from the Nimzowitsch-Larsen Attack (1.b3). Study plans after …d5 and …c5, especially the critical …c5xd4 followed by …Nc6 set-ups.
• With Black you frequently choose the Nimzowitsch Defence (1.e4 Nc6) and the Alapin-Sicilian sideline. Consider adding one solid main-line opening (e.g. Caro-Kann or Slav) so you have a “quiet” alternative when a must-draw situation arises.

Model Snapshot

Here is the critical segment from your recent miniature where you punished an unsafe king:


Next-Step Training Plan (6 weeks)

  1. Week 1-2: Build a central-pawn audit habit. After every opponent pawn capture in the centre, ask “whose pawn majority is healthier?” Practise with 10 annotated master games featuring the Exchange French or Caro-Kann.
  2. Week 3-4: End-game drills on Chess.com Classroom or Lichess Studies: Opposite coloured bishops with extra pawn (minimum 25 positions, both colours).
  3. Week 5: Choose one main-line defence vs 1.e4 and play five rapid games focusing only on reaching the desired structure.
  4. Week 6: Self-review: pick three of your 2024-25 losses, annotate them and compare with engine suggestions. Look for the first moment evaluation dropped >1.0.

Final Thoughts

Your ability to spot tactics and generate activity already matches 2100-level players. By tightening central strategy and king safety, a climb towards 2200 is realistic this year. Stay curious, review systematically, and enjoy the journey!


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