Quick recap
Nice string of results — 4 wins and 1 draw in your recent rapid block, with solid wins in several different openings and a strength‑adjusted win rate around 0.69. You’re converting advantages and finishing games. Below are focused, practical points to keep the momentum and target the specific leaks that still cost you danger in sharper positions.
What you’re doing well
- Consistent results across different systems — you won with Alekhine Defense, French Defense: Exchange Variation, Australian Defense and an Amazon Attack line. That shows flexible preparation and practical feel for unbalanced positions.
- Conversion skills — several games ended by resignation or mate after you improved piece activity and created decisive threats (good technique in the middlegame → endgame transition).
- Tactical alertness — you found direct, forcing continuations (captures, checks and exchanges) to decide games quickly. Keep that up; it’s a major asset in rapid chess.
- Time management — with 15|10 rapid you generally kept comfortable time on the clock and didn’t flag; that lets you calculate deeper when it matters.
Key recurring issues to fix
- King safety and central king walks: in the Alekhine win (you as Black vs ehsankhan-41), White’s king wandered into the center and you finished with heavy‑piece infiltration. As the one who benefits from an exposed king, make sure you don’t put your own king in similar danger when you push pawns or trade pieces — evaluate queen/rook infiltration squares before advancing kingside pawns.
- Avoiding loose pieces and back‑rank threats: a few positions showed you (or your opponent) getting tactical payoffs from loose coordination. Before each pawn push or rook lift, do a quick check: are any pieces undefended? Is there a back‑rank or skewer tactic?
- Pawn structure decisions: some midgames featured pawn pushes that opened lines toward kings. Push when you gain activity or concrete targets, otherwise keep structure solid and improve pieces first.
- Targeted calculation in sharp openings: you play several different openings — which is great — but in sharper lines (Alekhine-style and tactical French lines) a single imprecise reply can change the evaluation quickly. Prioritize concrete forcing moves in those lines.
Concrete drills & next steps (practical plan)
- Daily: 10–15 tactical puzzles focused on forks, pins, back‑rank and discovered attacks (roughly 60% tactics, 40% endgame basics).
- Weekly: one thematic training game (15|10) where you play only one opening you want to sharpen (example: Alekhine Defense). After the game, do a quick 10–15 minute review: mark one critical moment and find the best move for both sides.
- Endgame refresh: 10 basic rook and pawn endgames (Lucena, Philidor, simple king + pawn races). Your conversion is good — strengthening these will raise conversion speed and confidence.
- Pattern study: spend two sessions on typical mating nets/infiltrations with queen + rook against an exposed king — those patterns won you games and will help you spot winning continuations faster.
- Pre‑move checklist (on each move): 1) Are any of my pieces hanging? 2) Any immediate checks/captures/threats for opponent? 3) Does my king have luft or escape squares? This short routine reduces tunnel‑vision blunders.
Game study — a short example
Here’s the quick tactical knockout you won as White vs seidy9. Watch how you developed quickly, used piece activity and punished an exposed queen/knight arrangement. Replay it and pause at move 10–11 to see the deciding tactics.
Study moment: after 10...Nb4, the opponent’s queen on a4 becomes a tactical target — you don’t need long calculation to see Qxa4+ when it wins immediately. Looking for these hanging pieces earlier will give you more quick wins.
Short checklist for your next 10 games
- Openings: pick 1 line to practice deeply (play it at least twice in training).
- Tactics: solve 5 puzzles before you start a session to warm up pattern recognition.
- During the game: before each pawn move ask “does this open lines to my king?”
- End of game: if you’re up material, simplify to an endgame you know (rook + pawn vs rook basics).
- After each loss/draw/win: mark 1 key turning point and write a one‑line plan for how you’d improve next time.
Final note
You’re on a positive trajectory — varied opening wins and clean conversions show strong practical skill. Focus short, regular drills on tactics, back‑rank/king safety patterns and one opening to deepen. If you want, send one full game you felt shaky about and I’ll give a line‑by‑line micro post‑mortem with exact alternative moves and plans.