Loek van Wely GM

Hi Loek!

Great to see you still fighting hard online. Your recent batch of games shows the same energetic style that made you a top-class GM over the board. Below is a brief performance snapshot followed by specific, constructive advice.

Quick performance snapshot

• Current peak on the server: 2985 (2023-11-26).
• Activity curve:
  . Most of your losses come in the late evening UTC slot—worth monitoring fatigue.
• Weekly form:
  (notice the dip on Sundays).

What’s working well

1. Dynamism in equal-material middlegames. Your win against FormerProdigy (Sicilian B40) is a textbook example of converting a flexible IQP position into a queenside pawn avalanche.
   
   
2. Technical endgames. The grind versus penguingm1 shows excellent use of outside passed pawns and king triangulation; keep trusting that instinct.
3. Psychological pressure. Early …h5/h4 pawn thrusts often force practical mistakes from opponents rated 2600-ish on Chess.com.

Recurring problems & how to fix them

1. Excessive pawn pushes in Anti-Meran structures.
   • In your losses to AnishGiri and GOGIEFF the sequence 9.Ne5 Bd6 10.Ne4?! led to over-extension and weak dark squares. • Recommendation: add a calmer branch (e.g. 9.Bd3 or 9.Be2) to your repertoire and study model games by Kramnik in the Semi-Slav.
2. Time management.
   • Two recent games (vs Bortnyk, vs Rakhmanov) were lost on time in drawable positions.
   • Try the “Bronstein 30-30-40” rule: spend roughly 30 % of your time on the opening/middlegame, 30 % converting the advantage, and save 40 % for any tricky endgame.
3. King safety after flank pawn storms.
   • The mate against LiemLe arose after 19.Ne5 Rxa6 20.e4 Be6 21.Rfe1 Rc8 22.exd5 cxd5 23.Bxb5 Rb6.
   • Solution path:
     – Add a quick “king-in-the-window” check before every pawn lunge.
     – Drill tactical motifs such as the zwischenzug and perpetual-check resources so you can bail out when the attack fizzles.

Targeted training plan (4 weeks)

• Week 1-2: 30 annotated games on Semi-Slav with the black pieces; focus on move 9 alternatives and typical minority-attack plans.
• Week 2-3: Daily 15-minute calculation sprints using positions where both kings are semi-exposed. Aim for 90 % accuracy on depth-3 variations.
• Week 3-4: Endgame ladder—play at least 20 rook-and-pawn endgames vs engine at depth 20; practice the “side-check” technique that decided the penguingm1 encounter.
• Throughout: finish every blitz session with a 5-minute mindfulness cooldown to reduce tilt and improve next-day prophylaxis.

Final encouragement

You’re still outplaying 2600-level opposition in sharp positions—proof that your intuition is as sharp as ever. By tightening the openings and keeping a closer eye on the clock, you’ll convert more of those promising middlegames into wins. Keep the energy high and the king safe, and good luck in the next play-in!