Lishen Mentile WCM

Hi Lishen Mentile!

You have climbed quickly from the 1200-range to the high-1600s and your games show real attacking flair. Below is a concise, constructive review of your recent play together with practical study goals.

What’s already working well

• Piece activity out of the opening. In your recent Bishop’s Opening win you reached an overwhelming position by move 18 thanks to rapid development and well-timed pawn breaks (e.g. 17.f4!).
• Tactical alertness. Motifs such as forks (31.Rxg7+ vs mariansf) and deflections (20.Qxg8! vs shaunlinks) appear frequently in your wins—keep sharpening tactics every day.
• End-game perseverance. The 101-move victory against jan-pauldoolaard shows stamina and the ability to convert small advantages.

Key themes to focus on next

• Time management. Four of the last six losses were on time in playable or even winning positions. Add a mid-game time check (e.g. “Be below 4:00 by move 20”) and practice 5 | 5 games to ingrain a steady move cadence. time trouble drills will help.
• King safety in the Pirc / Modern. In the loss vs noprotoss you advanced …g5 and …h6 while the centre was still closed. Study model games where Black delays kingside pawn moves until White’s centre is fixed. A quick mini-repertoire in the Classical Pirc will tighten your structure.
• Converting attacking positions. Even in your wins some quicker knock-outs were missed:
  • Bishop’s Opening: after 12…Nd7 you had 12.Bxf7+! Kxf7 13.Qf3+ winning immediately.
  • London win vs PalX89: after 16…Bd6 the simple 17.Nxc6! wins a pawn with tempo.
  Try freezing the board at critical moments and asking, “If this were a puzzle, where is the win?”

Opening map

• As White you score very well with the London System and the aggressive Bishop's Opening. Keep them, but memorise the first 8-10 moves versus the main defensive setups to save clock time.
• As Black you alternate between the Pirc/Modern and solid d6/d5 systems. Consider adding one clean line against 1.e4 (e.g. Caro-Kann or …e5) so you aren’t always defending a kingside storm.

Tactical snapshot

Below is one critical moment from your Pirc loss. Black (you) to move after 18.Bg5:

The immediate …d5 was excellent, but after 21.Qd2 the forcing line 21…exf4! keeps material near equality and opens the f-file. Spotting these forcing continuations will turn shaky positions into holdable ones.

Suggested weekly routine

1. 30 min/day of mixed tactics (rating 1800-2200). Aim for 85 % accuracy under 3 minutes per puzzle.
2. 3 rapid games (10 | 5) with full post-game analysis—write down one lesson from each.
3. Review one classical model game in the Pirc Defense or your favourite London-System plans.
4. End-game: drill the Lucena and Philidor rook endings until you can execute them in <30 seconds.

Your progress at a glance

Enjoy the journey, keep the pieces active, and manage the clock—your next milestone (1800 rapid) is within reach!