Liran Zhou IM

Hi Liran, here is some constructive feedback based on your latest bullet session.

1. Opening trends

• As Black you rely heavily on the Scandinavian (both main line & Mieses-Kotrc) and Modern/Pterodactyl set-ups. This brings surprise value, but strong opponents (e.g. VierPaarden) have started steering the game into quiet but unpleasant pawn-grind positions. Add one solid back-up, e.g. the Caro-Kann or a pure King’s Indian, so you are not forced into early …Qd8 retreats every game.
• As White your e4 repertoire scores superbly, yet in two recent losses you allowed …b5 breaks in Sicilian structures. Spend a half-hour revising critical lines where Black meets Bc4 with …d5/dxe4 so you can choose between maintaining tension or switching to an immediate f4-f5 initiative.

2. Critical tactical moment

The conversion technique in your last win was crisp:

Excellent resourcefulness with 20…R4b7! and the a-pawn race. The only faster win was 27…Qxg5+; worth adding to the mental checklist: whenever you have doubled rooks on the b-file, first ask “do I already have a knockout capture?” before repeating.

3. End-game & practical play

• You scored several rook-and-pawn endings on the increment, but the loss versus VierPaarden showed hesitation in converting an extra exchange. Drill the “bridge” technique and the classic Philidor/Lucena positions for 10 minutes daily so these endings become automatic under ten seconds.
• When ahead material you occasionally keep queens on and push a side-pawn (e.g. the a-pawn in the Caro-Kann loss) instead of centralising the king. Adopt the heuristic “trade pieces, keep pawns” unless a concrete calculation shows a forced mate.

4. Time management

You are playing 1-minute bullet (60 on Chess.com). Your average move time dipped under 0.8 s in wins and rose to 1.2 s in losses. Two habits will help:

1. Pre-move every recapture in familiar openings—your Scandinavian structure is ideal for that.
2. Use “increment clusters”: after a forced sequence, spend one move on a simple pawn push to bank 0.5-1 s before the next tactic.

5. Study recommendations

• Opening refresh: 15-game blitz streak in the Advanced Caro-Kann to experience both colours.
• Middlegame themes: re-examine opposite-side castling attacks; your pawn storms are strong, but learning typical exchange sacs on c3/f3 will increase their potency.
• End-game drill: 20 random rook-vs-pawn positions per week on any trainer; focus on the drawing zones & key squares (see Philidor and Lucena).

6. Tracking progress

Use the charts below to verify that the changes stick:

7. Motivation snapshot

Your current bullet peak: . Next target: 2900. Stay disciplined, keep the mouse warm, and enjoy the grind!

Good luck, and feel free to send the next batch of games for deeper analysis.