Jana Mukhina WFM

Hi Jana!

You played 15 rapid-fire blitz games in the last session, scoring 60 % against an average 2300-rated opposition. Your tactical eye keeps you competitive in wild positions and you already reached a personal best of 2620 (2017-08-31). Below is some feedback to help you turn more of those promising middlegames into full points.

What you are already doing well

• Dynamic openings. With White you steer Ruy-Lopez (d3 systems) and Italian lines toward middlegames you understand; with Black you willingly enter the sharp Jaenisch and Two-Knights, scoring 3-0 this week.
• Tactical calculation. The win over Adwilhans Luciano Souza showed crisp calculation: 18.Nb4! a5 19.Nxc6! disrupting Black’s defence.
• Converting clear advantages. Your rook-and-queen end-game technique versus pebu3op_new was smooth; once a pawn up you kept queens on and pushed calculation until the flag fell.

Key areas to improve

1. King safety when counter-attacking.
   In the QGA loss to youhavefallenthiscity you advanced flank pawns around your king and then had no pieces left to defend. Critical moment:
   
   
   Ask yourself before playing ...g5 / ...h5: “How many defenders will still guard my king two moves later?”
2. Clock management.
   Two defeats (vs jovanzivic10, aliafshar12) were on time in playable positions. Adopt “35 % rule”: at move 15 and 25 glance at the clock—aim to keep ≥ 35 % of the starting time. If under, simplify or speed up immediately.
3. Opposite-coloured-bishop endings.
   In the game against bullmod you missed drawing chances because the power of opposite bishops to create perpetual checks was overlooked. Review 5 model games (Karpov–Timman, etc.) and practise similar table-base drills.
4. French Tarrasch structures (both colours).
   In your win you used the thematic ...f5 break; in the loss to boris abrashkin pieces were misplaced when you tried the same plan. Spend one study session mapping the typical piece routes after the pawn advance f6/f5.

Opening tweaks for the coming week

• White vs French: Add the simple 3.Nc3 line (instead of 3.Nd2) to cut the heavy theory and keep more pieces on the board.
• Black vs 1.d4: In the QGA prefer 6…Nc6 7.a4 Bg4! to stop d5 storms and keep your knight central.
• Keep nurturing your Ruy-Lopez d3 setups—your score is 75 % there; just update your file against the Jaenisch 3…f5 for when you are Black.

Structured training plan

Quick stats snapshot

Peak blitz rating: 2620 (2017-08-31)
When do you win most? →

Mindset tip of the week

When you feel a slide start, pause for three deep breaths before your next move. This micro-reset often prevents the “snowball” of inaccuracies that cost you two games this session.

Keep up the great work, Jana. Small, focused adjustments will lift you to the next plateau—I’m excited to review your next batch of games!