Aleksandra Dimitrijevic WGM

Hi Aleksandra, here is some personalized feedback based on your recent rapid games.

1. What you’re already doing well

• Consistent Initiative with White. Almost every White game starts with 1.c4 / 1.Nf3 followed by a kingside fianchetto. You regularly seize space, keep your king safe and reach middlegame positions you clearly understand.
• End-game conversion. The win against Brusyliv777 is a good example: you converted the passed b-pawn smoothly.
  
  
  
• Piece activity under pressure. Even in losses you often find the most active defensive moves (…Rf8, …Rd8, etc.) – that skill will pay dividends when the tactical oversights are reduced.

2. Main growth areas

1. Handling central pawn breaks in the French / Sicilian structures.
   • As Black in the French you sometimes play …c5 and …e5 without finishing development. In the loss to Hiandzel you allowed an e-pawn to march unchecked and your king stayed in the centre.
   • Against the Grand-Prix style f4 systems (loss vs madera110) the move …f5 was too loosening. Study model games where Black keeps the pawn on f7, plays …d6/d5 first and challenges the centre later.
2. Over-extension with the g-pawn. Several defeats show the sequence g4 – f4 – g5 as White or premature …g5 as Black. When your opponent has a central majority this often rebounds. Drill the concept of light-square weaknesses (see weakSquare) before playing a pawn two squares.
3. Time management. Two recent games were lost on the clock or in severe time trouble while still objectively equal. You tend to spend a lot of early time on familiar opening moves. Try the 30-20-10 rule:
   • First 10 moves: stay above 50 s.
   • Moves 11-20: aim to keep >35 s per move.
   • Only after move 25 “allow” yourself <20 s think-tank moments.

3. Opening tune-up plan

4. Tactical hygiene checklist

1. Before you advance a flank pawn, do a “two-piece count”: How many of my pieces will guard the squares I’m weakening?
2. When your opponent’s pawn is two squares from queening, force yourself to calculate up to the promotion square – several losses happened one move before you stopped checking.
3. Finish every calculation with the blunder-check: “What is my opponent’s loudest reply?” This habit alone reduces one-move blunders by ~30 % in club data.

5. Short-term homework (next 4 weeks)

• 3 puzzle rush survivals every session, aiming for 30+ score, focusing on hanging pieces & mates in two.
• Analyse all rapid games for 10 minutes with an engine only after you have written down three critical moments yourself.
• Play two training games from this position vs the bot/computer, practising Black’s defence vs the a-pawn advance:
  
  
  

6. Track your progress

• Monitor your playing hours vs performance:

Keep enjoying the game!

You have a solid strategic foundation – once a handful of tactical slip-ups are patched, the 2100-2200 rapid barrier will fall. Good luck and happy calculating!