Quick summary
Nice work — your recent rapid games show an attacking player who creates concrete threats and converts tactical chances. Your three most recent decisive games (two big wins and a couple of losses) highlight the same themes: you hunt for initiative, you’re comfortable pushing passed pawns and sacrificial ideas, but you sometimes allow tactical reprisals or miss defensive resources. Your strength-adjusted win rate (~51%) and multi‑month upward trend show real progress — keep building on that.
Recent games to review (clickable placeholders)
- Dec 3 — win vs mmbustamante16 — classic attacking finish with a passed pawn and mating net. See the key sequence below.
- Dec 1 — win vs russian-slave — powerful advance of a passed pawn and tactical follow‑through.
- Dec 2 — loss vs thenotorioustito — missed defensive resources after an exchange sequence; ended in a lost queen trade/insufficient counterplay.
- Dec 2 — loss vs heman0608 — material losses after allowing knight infiltration and some overextension on the queenside.
Open one of your wins (Dec 3) in a quick viewer:
What you’re doing well
- Creating forward momentum — you consistently push pawns to make space and generate passed pawns (decisive in both recent wins).
- Looking for forcing sequences — you spot tactics that lead to mate or decisive material (back‑rank and mating nets are recurring strengths).
- Comfortable in sharp positions — you don’t shy away from complications and often make the practical choice to keep the initiative.
- Good opening foundation in several systems (for example your French Defense and London lines have healthy win rates).
Recurring weaknesses & patterns
- Occasional tactical oversights — a couple of your losses came from missing a capture sequence or not re‑checking checks and forks before moving.
- Loose pieces and back‑rank risk after committing pawns — when you push on the wings or advance pawns, make a quick check for undefended pieces and counterchecks. Back rank issues pop up both ways (for and against you).
- Conversion and endgame technique — when ahead you sometimes exchange into messy endgames or let active enemy pieces back into play.
- Opening lines that give the opponent easy counterplay — some lines (for example the Italian Fegatello in your stats) have lower win rates; opponents find tactical replies there.
Concrete drills (weekly plan)
Make these simple, repeatable habits you can do in 20–40 minutes daily.
- Daily tactics (15–25 minutes): focus on forks, pins, skewers and back‑rank mates. Do 6–8 mixed puzzles and mark the ones you miss to review later.
- Blunder check (2 minutes per move): train a routine — before you click, scan for checks, captures and threats. If you build this habit you’ll cut your resignation losses.
- Endgame drills (2×/week, 20 min): King + pawn vs king, basic rook endgames, Lucena and simple queen endgame patterns. Converting wins is an easy rating booster.
- One annotated game/week: pick a loss and try to find the critical moment without an engine for 10–15 minutes, then confirm with engine — learning to self‑discover mistakes helps them stick.
Opening & repertoire advice
- Keep the lines that work (your French Defense and London Poisoned Pawn show good results). Double down on typical pawn breaks and one‑page plans for those setups.
- Prune or adjust openings with win rates under ~48% (for example some Amazon Attack lines and the Italian Fegatello). If you keep them, learn the main tactical motifs and a safe sidelines plan.
- Practice one “safe” system to reach middlegames where you excel — active pieces and clear pawn breaks. That reduces early tactical surprises and puts the game into your preferred structures.
Practical tips for your next 10 rapid games
- Before each game set a simple objective: “avoid losing material to a tactic” or “win by improving worst piece.” Small objectives reduce tilt and keep you focused.
- When a tactic appears — calculate forcing lines first (checks, captures, threats). If you can’t calculate to the end, simplify by trading into a winning endgame or avoiding the complication.
- If you create a passed pawn like in your recent wins, keep coordination: rooks behind pawns, queen supporting, and watch for enemy blockades.
- After a loss, wait 2–3 minutes before starting the next game; a short post‑mortem (where did I blunder?) prevents repeat mistakes.
Motivation & next steps
Your multi‑month trend is up despite a small recent dip — that’s a sign of improvement. Focus on the small process changes above (tactics habit + blunder check + one annotated loss per week) and you’ll see steady gains. A suggested immediate plan:
- Week 1–2: daily tactics + one annotated loss.
- Week 3–4: add 2 endgame drills per week + tidy one opening line (pick one low win‑rate and learn 3‑move plans).
- Reassess: run this cycle for a month and compare results (you’ll likely see fewer resignations and better conversion).
If you want, I can produce a 4‑week training calendar tailored to your daily time budget (10 / 20 / 40 minutes) and put together 5 positions from your recent games to practice specific motifs.
Small checks before you go
- Always ask: “What checks does my opponent have?”
- Ask: “Which of my pieces is undefended?”
- Ask: “If I push this pawn, what counterplay does it create?”
Want those 5 training positions mentioned above? Reply and tell me how many minutes per day you can commit and I’ll prepare them with short explanations.