Elizaveta Dorokhina WFM

Coaching Feedback for Elizaveta Dorokhina

Elizaveta, your recent games demonstrate a strong understanding of opening principles and a keen sense for tactical opportunities. Here are some highlights and areas for improvement based on your latest results:

Strengths

• Opening Preparation: You consistently choose sound openings and apply good theoretical knowledge, such as handling the Queen's Gambit Accepted and French Defense variations with confidence.
• Active Piece Play: In multiple games, you effectively develop pieces to active squares and seek tactical opportunities, as evidenced by your sharp exchanges in the middlegame, seizing material and dynamic play.
• Endgame Technique: When the material is reduced, you play precise moves to consolidate your advantage, showing good technique converting small edges into wins.
• Attacking Vision: Your attacking ideas, like in the game ending with a checkmate on move 20, show that you are comfortable launching coordinated offenses and spotting opportunities quickly.

Areas for Improvement

• Positional Patience: In some games, there were moments where speeding into complications led to overextension or tactical oversights. Enhancing positional understanding to better evaluate when to simplify or push will strengthen your overall play.
• Time Management: Maintaining consistent time usage across all game phases will help avoid rushed decisions, especially in complex positions.
• Defensive Awareness: Occasionally, defensive resources were missed, particularly under pressure. Focusing on spotting your opponent’s threats before committing to aggressive plans can help avoid unexpected reversals.
• Endgame Calculation: Although endgame technique is solid, practicing visualization and calculation of longer forced lines may convert more winning chances, especially in rook and minor piece endgames.

Key Moment from a Recent Game

In your recent win in the Queen’s Gambit Accepted (see move 13. Nxc7+!), you demonstrated excellent tactical insight by winning material while keeping pressure on your opponent. Moves like 19. Rxc6 followed by 20. Rc7 pushed your advantage effectively, forcing your opponent into difficult choices. Continuing to sharpen your tactical motifs like forks, pins, and discovered attacks will serve you well.

Next Steps

• Regularly review your games focusing on key turning points to understand alternative plans.
• Incorporate targeted endgame studies, especially rook endgames and basic minor piece techniques.
• Practice slow-paced calculation exercises to build depth in complex tactical sequences.
• Consider thematic opening study to deepen your repertoire and reduce early inaccuracies.

Keep up the excellent work, Elizaveta! Your consistent effort and determination show great promise. If you wish, we can analyze specific games together or explore tailored exercises for your improvement.