Ekaterina Sudoplatova IM

Hi Ekaterina!

You continue to play energetic, initiative-driven chess that makes you a very unpleasant opponent to face. Below is some personalised feedback based on your latest games and overall play. Keep in mind that it’s much easier to spot areas to polish than it is to appreciate the large amount of good work you already do!

Your current profile at a glance

• Peak Blitz rating: 2457 (2019-02-07)
• Style keywords: initiative-focused, tactical, aggressive kingside play
• Typical game length: 25–35 moves (quick, decisive battles)

What you already do very well

1. Early Initiative & Pawn Levers
   Your wins often begin with pawn breaks (g4/h4 in the Sicilian Dragon, f4 in Queen’s Pawn positions) that pry open files before the opponent completes development.
   • Latest win (Black vs TalkerPro, Scandinavian): …e5, …Nb4!, …a5! illustrate how you combine central play with flank pressure.
2. Piece Activity over Material
   Sacrifices such as 27.Nxf6+!! in the Dragon game show a mature sense of compensation.
3. Endgame Technique when Ahead
   You convert extra pawns confidently (see the Italian vs Hercog, where the passed a6-pawn marched flawlessly).

Main improvement themes

1. Opening Objectivity (medium priority)

In several losses the trouble started by move 10:

• D02 Symmetrical vs octopus_assassin – 7…Bg4! punished an over-ambitious 7.f4; your king was stuck in the centre and mate arrived by move 13.
• B40 Sicilian vs cibarijus – After 10.c4?! the queen check on a5 and knight hop to c5 caught your king in long-term crossfire.

• Build a lean, reliable core repertoire you trust under two minutes.
• When testing sidelines, follow the “three-question rule”: (i) Is my king safe? (ii) Am I winning a race? (iii) Do I have a clear follow-up? If not, choose a quieter option.
• Review 15-20 top-level model games for each of your pet lines and store critical junctions in a spaced-repetition file.

2. Crisis Management & Forced Moves (high priority)

A recurring pattern in your losses is declining to defend accurately for one move and falling into a tactical trap (e.g. 13…Qxd2# in the Symmetrical Queen’s-Pawn, 25…Qxe3!! missed in your Scandinavian win but the opponent overlooked it).
Practical tip: whenever the opponent’s last move was a capture or check, force yourself to use 10 seconds on the “candidate triage” method:

1. Must-defend – immediate threats (mate / heavy material loss).
2. Must-calculate – forcing sequence you believe is winning.
3. Everything else.

3. Converting Extra Material (low priority)

When you are up material but the position remains complicated, you sometimes allow counterplay (example: June 8 loss vs johnsh17 – pawn up but let pieces infiltrate on b- and c-files). Work on

• Trading the opponent’s most active piece first.
• Using prophylactic moves (Kg2, h3) before grabbing pawns.

Targeted training plan (6 weeks)

Progress trackers

Paste these widgets where you monitor your training:

Homework corner

1. Analyse the full miniature that beat you in 13 moves:
   
   
   
   Write down the critical mistake and two safer alternatives.
2. Play three 15|10 games adopting a quieter setup (e.g. London or Italian Giuoco Pianissimo) to diversify tempo management.

Final thoughts

You already possess the tactical sharpness required for IM-level play; sharpening your opening objectivity and defensive reflexes will push you over the next rating barrier. Stay disciplined, review every loss, and celebrate small milestones along the way. Good luck, Ekaterina—see you on the leader-board!