Josué Alves

Quick summary

Nice set of games — you’re playing actively and you convert practical chances (you even won one on time). Your recent trend is upward and your strength‑adjusted win rate (~49.9%) shows you’re close to a “breakthrough” level where a few targeted fixes will give a real rating boost.

What you’re doing well

• You fight for the initiative early — fast pawn breaks and rook activity are recurring themes in your wins.
• You’re comfortable simplifying into favorable rook/queen endgames and using active rooks (see the game where the rook went to the fifth rank and delivered pressure).
• Good opening volume: you’ve built experience in many systems (Scandinavian, Four Knights, Sicilian Alapin, Two Knights), so you recognize common plans quickly.
• Practical time management in short games — you use practical moves and sometimes win on the clock when opponents mismanage time.

Main weaknesses to fix

• King safety when you grab material. In your loss you accepted a risky pawn grab that opened lines to your king — avoid captures that open files toward your king unless you calculate defensive resources first.
• Tactical oversight in sharp positions. A recurring theme in losses: a tactical sequence (sacrifice or opening of a file) that you didn’t parry cleanly. Slow down for one extra second on critical captures and checks.
• Premature pawn grabs and loose pieces. Don’t take “bonus” pawns when they cost you piece activity or create back‑rank/king problems.
• Relying on flagging. Winning on time is fine, but make sure you convert positions too; over-reliance on clock wins is fragile as you move up.

Concrete notes from your most recent win

Opponent: q8chessq8 — Four Knights type game. You played solidly: central exchanges, rook activation and then used the rook on the 5th rank and a pawn push to freeze the white queen. Final decisive theme was active rooks + advancing pawn to restrict the opponent and win on time.

• Good idea: trade into an endgame where your rooks are active and your opponent’s king is slightly exposed.
• One tweak: after winning the h‑pawn with ...Rxh5, be mindful of checks and potential queen checks on the back rank — keep a luft or a defensive resource in hand.

Concrete notes from your most recent loss

Opponent: reynolhasibuan — you lost after material gains turned into tactical liabilities.

• Key mistake: taking the a2/b‑pawn (…Bxa2) and then allowing the opponent to open lines with g4 and Rxg4+. That sequence gave White decisive activity against your king and led to loss of material or unstoppable threats.
• Rule of thumb: before taking a pawn that creates an open file toward your king, pause and check the opponent’s most forcing reply (checks, captures, threats). If a single forcing reply wins material or brings heavy pieces in, don’t take.
• When your opponent threatens to open the h‑file or g‑file against you, consider prophylactic moves (move the king, create luft, or trade a key attacker).

Opening & repertoire advice

• You play a lot of Scandinavian, Four Knights and Italian/Tarrasch lines. Those are fine — but your Four Knights win rate (~40.7%) suggests some specific lines need polishing. Study typical pawn breaks and minor‑piece maneuvers in the g3 systems (how to react to ...Nd4, ...Nxf3).
• If you like sharp play, add one “safe” reaction against gambit lines where you tend to get tangled — e.g., an early simplifying line that reduces tactics and puts the burden on opponent to create imbalance.
• Drill the concrete motifs you see often: rook to the 5th rank, rook lifts to the 3rd/5th ranks, and how to convert when up a pawn but with opposite‑side castling or open files.
• Use the opening links for quick refresher study: Four Knights Game and Scandinavian Defense.

Short training plan (2–4 weeks)

• Daily 20–30 minutes: tactics puzzles (focus on pins, discovered checks, sacrifices that open files). Aim for 30–50 puzzles a day — speed and accuracy matter for fast controls.
• 3× week: 20–30 minute focused opening study — pick two lines where you lose most often (Four Knights and Scandinavian) and learn 5 main plans + 2 tactical shots for each.
• 2× week: 15 minute endgame drills — basic rook + pawn vs rook, back‑rank defenses, and how to convert a pawn advantage with an active rook.
• Weekly: review 5 of your own recent losses — write down the turning move, the tactic you missed, and the defensive idea you could have used.

Practical tips for fast games (bullet/blitz)

• Pre‑move only when a capture or recapture is forced and the move is safe. Otherwise a single mouse slip costs you the game.
• In time pressure, avoid speculative pawn grabs that open lines to your king — trade off into simple winning endgames instead.
• Use your increment: if you have +1, make short, safe moves to build time (don’t try to calculate deep forcing lines with 5 seconds left).
• Keep a short checklist before captures: (1) does it open a file to my king? (2) are there checking ideas? (3) do I allow a fork or skewer?

Next steps & checklist for your next 50 games

• Track: how many losses happen after you take a “free” pawn? If >10% of losses, avoid those pawns for a month.
• Daily tactics + weekly review of 5 losses (as above).
• After each game, flag one move you want to analyze deeply — that habit crushes repeat mistakes.
• Celebrate practical wins (you convert chances and you can win on the clock) but aim to convert more positions before time scrambles.

Motivation & final note

Your rating trends and recent positive slope show you’re improving — small, targeted fixes (tactical alertness, king safety when capturing pawns, and disciplined time use) will give you outsized gains. Keep grinding the puzzles, review losses, and you’ll see that ~50% strength‑adjusted rate push into a new rating band.

If you want, I can: (1) make a 2‑week puzzle plan, (2) prepare a 1‑page Four Knights cheat sheet with typical tactics and plans, or (3) annotate a single loss with move‑by‑move alternatives. Which would you like next?