leon77r

Hi leon77r – well played!

Your tactical eye is steadily improving and you have already reached a personal high of 963 (2025-11-04). Below you’ll find a short review of recent games, clear action-points, and a few positions to keep you inspired.

What you already do well

• Tactical alertness. You are quick to spot forks and loose pieces – the 8.Nxc7⁺ / 9.Nxa8 sequence in your latest Four Knights win is a textbook example.
• Active piece play. When you get castled and connected rooks (e.g. 20.Rd8! in the same game) you coordinate very effectively.
• Fighting spirit. Even in inferior positions you keep looking for counter-chances, which often swings the game back in your favour.

Top 3 priorities for the next two weeks

1. King safety first. Several losses start with your king stuck in the centre or walking on the queenside (see the diagram vs abdullah405 below). Make castling by move 8-10 a habit and think twice before advancing the pawns that shield your king.
2. Opening discipline.
   • As White, replace the early Nd5 leap with the main lines 4.Bb5 or 4.d4 in the Four Knights – you’ll develop faster and keep the tactical chances you enjoy.
   • As Black, your Scandinavian is fine, but decide before the game whether you’ll keep the queen on d5 (modern line) or retreat to d8 (classical). Mixing both costs tempi.
3. Clock management. Four of your last six defeats were on time. Try this routine in 3-minute blitz:
   • 0-10 sec per move in the first 10 moves (all theory/basic development).
   • 10-15 sec for each critical middlegame decision.
   • Use your opponent’s turn to identify forcing replies so you can “pre-move” safely when appropriate.

Activity snapshots

Illustrative moments

Tactics rewarded:

King in danger: (Black to move, game vs abdullah405)

Instead of the adventurous …Ka6-b5-c4 try 19…Ne7, trade the annoying c5-bishop, and only then consider castling.

Recommended study bites

• Daily Mate-in-2 puzzles to reinforce pattern recognition and speed.
• Play three 10|5 rapid games per session to practise slower, more accurate decision-making.
• Review basic rook-and-pawn endings (Lucena & Philidor) – they appear often once the early tactics settle.

Next steps

Keep logging your games, annotate one win and one loss each day, and tick off the priorities above. Feel free to send me any tricky positions you encounter – we’ll turn them into learning opportunities. Good luck and enjoy the journey!