What went well in your recent rapid games
You’ve shown strong results in aggressive Sicilian lines, with notable success in the Dragon Variation with the Yugoslav Attack. This demonstrates good practical handling of sharp middlegames and the ability to press for an advantage when the position loosens. Your rating trajectory over the past year also suggests steady progress and growing confidence in your play.
Key improvement areas
- Endgame conversion: In longer games, aim to simplify to favorable endings when you’re ahead and avoid letting the opponent activate counterplay. Practice typical rook and pawn endgames and king activity patterns to improve clean wins.
- Opening consistency: Some openings you use show mixed results (for example, Ruy Lopez: Closed and certain Gruenfeld lines). Consider reinforcing a narrower, reliable repertoire for rapid games and study common middlegame plans and typical pawn structures for those lines.
- Calculation under pressure: A few losses indicate tight tactical spots where deeper calculation and move-order awareness could help. Regular tactical puzzles focused on middlegame combinations will help you spot winning ideas earlier and avoid blunders.
- Time management: Develop a simple in-game routine to allocate time for key decisions. After the opening, set a plan for the main middlegame idea and check for tactical threats on each opponent’s last move before making a decision.
Opening performance insights
Overall, you’ve had better results with several Sicilian lines, notably the Dragon Variation with the Yugoslav Attack and broader Sicilian setups, plus solid results in the Scandinavian and some Dragon sublines. Be cautious with the Scheveningen Variation, which shows no wins in the provided sample and may reflect a misfit with your current style or an opponent’s preparation. The Ruy Lopez: Closed line shows a mix of results; you may want to rely more on openings where you feel confident and comfortable in the ensuing middlegame plans. To deepen your understanding, consider focusing on 2-3 openings you perform best and study the typical middlegame ideas and endgames that arise from those lines. For further reference, you can review related material on openings like Dragon Variation, Yugoslav Attack and check your opponent’s profile Yu Tian Poh for patterns you’ve faced.
Strength Adjusted Win Rate and rating momentum
Your strength-adjusted win rate is strong, indicating you win often against relatively strong opponents. The rating changes and trend slopes show consistent positive momentum over multiple timeframes. To sustain this growth, keep a regular practice routine, review losses carefully to identify recurring mistakes, and gradually expand your reliable openings and endgames knowledge.
Practical improvement plan (4 weeks)
- Week 1: Deepen your Dragon Variation knowledge in the Sicilian (as Black) or refine your preferred Dragon plans. Solve 15–20 tactical puzzles daily that focus on middlegame motifs common in those lines.
- Week 2: Endgame mastery: practice rook endings and king activity in simple rook endings; review 2–3 endgames from recent games and write down the key conversion ideas.
- Week 3: Time management and routine checks: use a timer for practice games, set a limit on candidate moves, and after each game review where time was spent and how to improve pacing.
- Week 4: Repertoire consolidation: lock in 2–3 openings you perform best (for example, Dragon Variation and Najdorf-related lines in the Sicilian, plus a solid fallback like Scandinavian) and study 2 model games for each to internalize typical plans and transitions.
Next steps
If you’d like, I can tailor a focused practice plan around your next games and adjust the suggestions to your upcoming opponents. You can also share a specific recent game you want to review in detail, and I’ll provide a move-by-move critique emphasizing decision points, tactics, and strategic ideas.