IKKPHD IM

IKKPHD – Personal Chess Feedback

At-a-glance

• Current personal best:
• Typical session pattern:

What you already do well

• Tactical alertness. Games vs StarsAndDucks featured the classic 10.Qxh7# pattern, showing sharp eye for mating nets.
• King-side pressure in the Italian. You handle the Giuoco Piano structures smoothly: early h3, c3 & d3 keep the centre compact while you probe with Ng5/Qh5.
• Practical defence. The marathon Nimzo-Indian win against arivedal displayed stubborn resourcefulness when short of time.

Highest impact areas to improve next

1. Time management (critical)

Three of your last six defeats (via1608, unorthodoxsultan, GMBoorchess) were lost on the clock while the board was still playable or even favourable.

• Adopt a “20-40-40 rule” for 3 | 0: spend ≤20 % of the clock on the first 10 moves, 40 % on middlegame, 40 % on conversion/endgame.
• Use forced-move premoves (recaptures, single-legal replies) to steal seconds without risk.
• Revisit short games and ask “where could I decide quicker without affecting move quality?”

2. French Exchange structures

Both losses vs miguelho67 & AlexanderKing show the same pattern:

1. Early exd5 exchanges the centre.
2. Uncoordinated piece play (11.Ne5, 15.Nxc6?) chases ghosts, ceding material and dark-square control.
3. The queen drifts (Qe5/Qd6 cycling) while Black gains tempi and counterplay on c- and f-files.

Suggested fixes:

• Try the Tarrasch (3.Nd2) or the Advance (3.e5) – both keep more tension and suit your attacking style.
• If you do choose the Exchange, follow the “double-bishop battery” plan: Bd3, Qc2, Nf3-g5, castles long – instead of scattering the pieces.
• Study a model game such as Short–Timman, Tilburg 1991 to internalise the typical manoeuvres.

Reference fragment:

3. Converting technical positions

In the Sicilian B53 vs via1608 you were a pawn up; against unorthodoxsultan the endgame was drawish. Both slipped due to:

• Over-pressing instead of simplifying with structure.
• Pawn moves that fixed weaknesses (g- and h-pawns) before the king was centralised.

Drills to add:

• Weekly rook-and-pawn endgame studies – 10 positions with a 2-minute timer.
• Use the “clock first, board second” mantra when already winning materially.

4. Expanding the white repertoire

Next 14-day action plan

1. Solve 30 tactical puzzles per day, max 2 min each, to train quick pattern recognition.
2. Play 10 training games in “move-trainer” mode (no takebacks, 60 seconds per move) focusing only on the clock.
3. Annotate one win and one loss after every session – flag every move where you spent >10 seconds and check if the depth was worth it.
4. Revisit French model games and build a mini repertoire file.

Keep the fighting spirit – your tactical flair is already master level. Sharpen the time-handling and positional glue, and the next climb in will follow.

Good luck and enjoy the journey! — Your Chess Coach