KTK97

Hi KTK97 — personalised feedback from your recent games

Quick stats

Peak Rapid rating: 1578 (2025-05-27)
Activity overview:

Your current strengths

• Tactical alertness. In your Scotch win you spotted 12.Nc7+! and converted the initiative all the way to 51.Qh8#. Good eye for forks  and skewers.
• Central pawn breaks. The d4–d5 push against Owen’s Defence (win vs. ehsanshaukat) showed good sense of timing; you opened lines before your opponent castled.
• Piece activity when ahead. Once you are a pawn up you usually place rooks on open files and queens on active diagonals, e.g. the 22.Rxd8+ exchange simplifying into a won ending.

Recurring problems to fix

1. Loose king safety in the early middlegame.
   • Loss vs. Rjmanville: 6…h6 7.Bh4 g5 left dark-square holes; after 10…Ba6 you had no development and the h-file attack collapsed quickly.
   • In several Caro-Kann games you allowed Qa5+/Qb4+ shots (e.g. Anya_foja). Early queen checks cost tempi and expose your king.
   Training task: before playing any pawn move in front of your king, spend an extra three seconds asking “What squares become weak?”.
2. Under-estimating counterplay when a tempo down.
   In the loss vs. CestleEmongate you grabbed the Bxc7 pawn but missed …Qd4+ and …Qxa1. This is a classic case of ignoring your opponent’s forcing moves.
   Drill: add “opponent checks, captures, threats” to every calculation branch — a mini version of the CCT checklist.
3. Time-management.
   You lost on time twice last week. Your move-to-move pace is okay, but you spend long thinks in quiet positions and then blitz when it’s sharp.
   Recommendation: Try the “30-20-10” rule in 10-minute games: keep at least 7:00 after move 15 and 5:00 after move 25. If you’re below that, simplify or speed up.
4. Opening repertoire gaps with Black.
   Opponents score well with the Exchange Caro-Kann and Owen’s Defence lines. Early moves where you struggled:
   • 6…Qa5+ without completing development.
   • Allowing the d4-d5/c4-c5 pawn wedge and landing in passive positions.
   Action plan: spend one study session on each of these mini-lines, just 8-10 critical moves deep. Memorise typical plans (…Ne7-g6-f4, …c5 breaks, safe development order vs. Bg5 pin, etc.).

Targeted training menu (next two weeks)

A position worth revisiting

From your Owen’s win: after 17…Nxd3 18.Qxd3 Qc6 the engine suggests 19.d5! instead of 19.Ne4. Compare the evaluation swing after each continuation to appreciate the power of pawn breaks.

Interactive board:

Next milestone

With tighter king safety and basic Caro-Kann repairs, 1600+ rapid is realistic within a month.
Stay curious, keep analysing, and good luck at the board!