Elena Luminita Cosma WGM

Hi Elena, here’s some tailored feedback based on your recent games (rapid 15 | 5).

1. What you already do very well

• Solid, flexible openings as White. Your main choice – 1.d4 followed by Nf3 & g3 – consistently steers the game into Catalan/King’s-Indian-Attack structures that suit your positional style. Your piece development is smooth and king safety is never in doubt.
• End-game conversion. Several wins (e.g. vs. ambotsari) show crisp technique: you activate the king early, keep rooks mobile and cash the outside passed h–pawn with calm accuracy. 2276 (2021-09-08)
• Patience under time pressure. Even with <2 minutes you still calculate forcing lines and very rarely blunder outright material – a sign of good board vision.

2. The recurring issues that cost you points

• Impulsive pawn thrusts in French/Queen’s-Pawn defences. In the loss to Tingjie Lei you pushed …b5/b4 & …cxd4 before completing development. This opened files near your king and let White seize the initiative.
  Tip : when playing the French, remember the classical rule “First finish development, only then expand on the flank.”
• Handling of pieces on the back rank. Against Munguntuul Batkhuyag your rooks were slow to join the fight; meanwhile the opponent doubled on the g-file and crashed through. Earlier lift (…Rf6-Rg6) or prophylaxis (…Kh8-Rg8) would have limited damage.
• Over-simplification in equal positions. A few draws slipped away because you traded into rook + pawn endings with structural weaknesses (isolated c-pawn). Keep an eye on pawn structure before exchanging.
• Time distribution. You often reach move 15 with ≈ 12′ but drop below 2′ by move 30. Even 30-second per move in the critical middlegame will help you spot tactics sooner and avoid later scrambles.

3. Concrete study plan

1. Deep-dive one French sub-line each week. Start with the Classical Steinitz (…Nf6/…c5) as that’s where most losses occur. Build a small model game database of both sides and annotate key ideas in your own words.
2. Tactics first, then calculation drills. 15 min/day of thematic puzzles (French & Catalan motifs). Focus on …c5 breaks, Bxf3 ideas, and typical zugzwang endings.
3. Play “no-pawn-push” sparring games. For the first 12 moves you may not move a pawn beyond the 3rd/6th rank. This forces rapid piece development and trains you to delay premature pawn grabs.
4. Post-mortem routine.
   • Spend 5′ marking “!” moves you’re proud of.
   • Spend 5′ on “?” moves (ask why they were shaky).
   • Run engine only after you’ve written a human explanation.

4. Two instructive snapshots

a) Converting the outside passed pawn (move 40 vs. ambotsari)

Model technique: fix the black pawn chain, centralise the king, then march the passer.

b) French Steinitz – wrong pawn race (vs. 123lt)

After 10…cxd4 Black is three tempi behind in development and the queenside pawns become targets. Simply 10…Qb6 (hitting d4) keeps balance.

5. Track your progress

Use the charts below once a month to ensure the new habits are sticking:

Final thought

Keep leaning on your positional strengths, but add a dash of dynamic calculation and disciplined development. With systematic opening review and sharper middlegame alertness, crossing 2300 rapid should be within reach soon. Good luck in your next games!