Maciej Klekowski GM

Hi Maciej!

You have been performing at an impressive level (current peak: ), and the quality of your attacking play is obvious from the games you recently won. Below is a concise review of your current strengths, areas to polish, and a practical study plan you can start right away.

1. Strength Snapshot

• Tactical alertness. Your wins often feature neat shots such as 20.Nd4! in the first PGN and the exchange sac Rxb7+ vs puz2010. You rarely miss standard forks or discoveries.
• Piece activity in dynamic structures. Whenever the position opens (e.g. English → Reversed Sicilian, King’s Indian structures) you steer your pieces toward the enemy king with confidence and good coordination.
• Practical speed. You consistently keep ~20–40 s in reserve, which helps you finish complicated positions without time-pressure blunders.

2. Recurring Issues

• Over-extension of wing pawns. In several losses (vs Oleg Vastrukhin, WhoCanItBeNowA) the chain a4–a5–b6 or h4–h5–g4 created holes behind your advance. Ask yourself “What if the pawns get blockaded?” before pushing.
• Central neglect. Against 18…Nd4! (same game) or Black’s …c5 break in Maroczy you had no central pawn left to challenge the knight. Retain at least one pawn lever in the centre whenever you push on a flank.
• Prophylaxis against counterplay. In the Nimzo loss you allowed …Re1+ followed by a decisive invasion. Look one move further for your opponent’s most forcing reply before committing to tactics—classic zwischenzug awareness drill.
• Endgame conversion. A few wins came on time or by resignation in still-messy positions. Sharpen your technique so that you expect to convert without the clock’s help.

3. Opening-Specific Notes

4. Illustrative Tactic Gone Wrong

From your most recent loss (move 20), Black seized the initiative:

Instead, consider 20.Bb2! reinforcing d4 and keeping the position closed. Training task: set this position against an engine and try to hold as White for 15 moves.

5. Training Plan (4 weeks)

1. Daily warm-up: 15 tactical puzzles, focusing on intermediate moves and defensive resources.
2. Prophylaxis mini-drills: Pause any rapid game twice (move 10 and 20) and write down your opponent’s best threat before you move.
3. Endgame hour (2×/week): Study rook-and-pawn vs rook endings (Karsten Müller videos or Silman’s “Endgame Course”, no engines). Recreate key positions on a board.
4. Model-game review: Pick one top-GM game in each of your main openings weekly; annotate three critical decisions.
5. Sparring focus lines: Play five 5|5 games per session starting from critical positions—e.g. Maroczy bind after 10.Qd3, Nimzo after 10…Ba6. Use Chess.com’s “custom position” feature.

6. Performance Rhythm

Your win-rate pattern shows late-evening dips—likely when fatigue kicks in.

Consider moving serious rated sessions to your high-performance slots (green peaks above) and use other times for casual training or analysis.

7. Quick Reference Checklist (before every move)

• What is my opponent’s most forcing move? (look for checks, captures, threats)
• Have I completed development or am I launching premature pawn pushes?
• Is the centre secure before I advance on the wing?
• Will a simple improving move (king safety, doubling rooks) serve me better than a complex tactic?

Keep up the sharp play, temper it with a touch more restraint in pawn storms, and your rating ceiling will climb quickly. Enjoy the grind!