Alexander Costello IM

Hi Alexander!

You are sitting very close to a personal best (only a few points under 2794 (2025-03-23)) and have shown you can beat 2700-rated opposition at will. Below is a short roadmap for pushing through the next ceiling.

What already works

• Active play & calculation. In the QGA win over carlocapau you uncorked 18…Qxf2+ and never looked back – a nice illustration of concrete thinking in sharp positions.
• Conversion technique. When you reach an end-game edge (e.g. vs Mattechecetmatt) you keep the squeeze on, even with little time left.
• Clock awareness. You usually stay up on the clock until the late middle-game – essential in 3-minute chess.

Growth areas

1. Smoother development vs system openings.
   In the loss to GulamaliRises (London) two early pawn moves – …f6 and …b6 – weakened dark squares and delayed castling. Aim for a “minor-piece trio before flank pawns” rule of thumb. A simple antidote is:
   …d5 …Nf6 …Bf5 …e6 0-0 before you look at …c5/…c6/…f6.
2. Tempo economy with the knights.
   In the Caro-Kann Advance (White vs ShazilTheGOAT2006) your knight wandered Na3-c2-e3-g2 while Black gained space. Before making a second knight move ask: Does this create a direct threat or improve a critical square? CriticalSquare
3. Recognising central pawn breaks.
   A number of losses start with the opponent seizing the centre (…c5/…e5). Add one daily exercise where you pause and list all legal pawn breaks for both sides; it will train automatic awareness of those moments.
4. Time allocation in won endings.
   Many of your wins end with <10 s on the clock. Reviewing the basic K+P, rook, and queen endings will let you blitz them out and save time for earlier critical positions.

Opening focus for the next week

• As Black vs London: play 10 training games with the scheme …d5 …Nf6 …c5 …Nc6, castle, then break with …e5.
• As White vs Caro-Kann: study the Short Variation model game “Karpov – Miles, Skellefteå 1985” and try h4-h5 before relocating your knight.

Mini-quiz (next study session)

1. After 14…Nxd4 in the London game, what simple reply equalises for Black?
2. Why is …f6 rarely sound before castling in Queen’s-pawn structures?
3. Calculate the cleanest continuation for Black from this position (taken from your QGA win):
   

Monitor your trend

Check when you play your sharpest chess –

Keep up the great work, Alexander. One slow accurate move is worth three bullet-speed blunders – and you are only a handful of those away from the next milestone!