Hi Hippolyte Feyte!
You are an imaginative attacker who is never afraid to look for mating ideas. At your rating level that courage wins a lot of games, and it will keep serving you well once it is paired with a bit more structure.
What you are already doing well
- Tactical alertness. In your latest win you spotted the deflection 31.Qxd8+ and the back-rank mate 32.Qxf8# — excellent pattern recognition.
- Playing for the initiative. You often seize space with pawn thrusts (e4/e5, g4/g5) and put your opponent on the defensive.
- Fast decision making. Your clock management in 5-minute games is good; you reach winning positions with plenty of time left.
Biggest improvement opportunities for the next month
-
Develop pieces before the queen.
Early queen sorties (Qa4+, Qb3, Qh5, etc.) give short-term checks but often fall behind in development. Try the “four-move test”: if your queen move will not create a concrete threat in four ply, develop another piece instead. -
King safety first.
Four of your last five losses featured an uncastled king in the centre. Make castling a default goal unless you see a direct tactical reason not to. -
Cut down on loose pawn pushes.
Moves like 5.g4 and 6.g5 (loss vs Artin_pro2) weakened dark squares and invited …Qxg5. Use pawn storms after you are ahead in development, not before. -
Slow down for one blunder-check.
Before every move ask, “What are all the things my opponent can do next?” This single habit will reduce dropped pieces by 50 %+ at your level.
Opening corner
• When you open 1.d4 d5 2.c3 you are entering the Colle-Zukertort / Saragossa territory.
Aim for the clean setup d4–e3–Nf3–Bd3–O-O–Re1–e4.
Skip early queen checks; they do not fit the system.
• With 1.e4 stick to a simple repertoire: Italian Game as White, Scandinavian or French as Black.
Those lines teach development and king safety without tons of theory.
Key tactical moment
The finish of your last win — notice how every move is check or mate:
Mini training plan (4×30 min per week)
- 15 min: Solve 10–15 mate-in-two puzzles to sharpen calculation speed.
- 10 min: Review one of your own games; locate the first move you would change.
- 5 min: Play the “opening rehearsal” — set up an empty board and develop to a safe castled position in 12 moves.
Tracking your progress
• Current personal bests: 1002 (2021-01-15), 956 (2022-06-25)
• Keep an eye on your consistency with these charts:
Glossary refresh
• Deflection: Forcing a key defender away.
• fork: A single move attacking two (or more) enemy pieces at once.
• Zwischenzug: An intermediate move, often a check, played before recapturing.
Stay curious, keep the king safe, and enjoy the journey. One disciplined habit at a time will push you well beyond 800 rapid before the end of the season.