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Quick recap of your recent rapid games

Nice work — you scored clean wins against suresh2526a and ongwenkai and you fought long in the loss to ssycarlsen. The decisive win on 29 Oct came from spotting a tactical shot that won material (you captured on b5 and the queen was lost). Below is an interactive replay of that win so you can review the critical moment on the board:

Win vs Suresh2526a (Pirc Defense)

What you did well

• Alertness to tactics — you converted a tactical chance in the Pirc game quickly and cleanly. That shows good pattern recognition under time pressure.
• Active piece play — in the games you push pawns and open lines when your pieces are active (good use of opposite-side castling ideas and pawn breaks).
• Opening choices that suit you — your track record shows strong results with lines like the Scandinavian Defense and some offbeat systems. Playing comfortable openings gives you practical chances.
• Resilience — in the long endgame vs SSYCarlsen you kept fighting instead of resigning early; that’s a good habit for learning and for practical play.

Recurring weaknesses to fix (high priority)

• Endgame technique with passed pawns and king activity — in the long loss, the opponent’s passed pawn + king infiltration decided the game. Practice opposition, king activity and queen-vs-pawn scenarios.
• Awareness of pawn races — when pawns start rolling on both sides, evaluate swap vs blockade carefully. Don’t let connected passed pawns queen unchallenged.
• Time management in critical phases — you often reach very low time in the middlegame/endgame. With a 10s increment you should avoid creeping below ~30 seconds on the clock for complex positions.
• Tactical oversight under time pressure — the wins show you can find tactics, but losses show occasional missed defensive resources. Slow down for a second to check opponent threats before committing to a pawn push or piece trade.

Concrete next steps (what to practice this week)

• Daily tactics: 12–20 puzzles per day (mixed difficulty). Prioritize mating nets, forks, pins and queen/rook tactics — 15 minutes/session.
• Endgame drills (3 short sessions/week): king + pawn vs king, opposition, passed pawn defense, and queen vs pawn promotion races. Spend one 30–45 minute session reviewing the patterns leading to the opponent’s queening in your loss.
• One focused opening session: pick the lines you play most (for you: Pirc Defense and the Scandinavian Defense). Learn 2 typical middlegame plans and 1 tactical motif for each. Don’t memorize only moves — learn the ideas.
• Time-control practice: play 5–10 rapid games with the same increment (9|10 or 15|10). Force yourself to keep at least ~30s on the clock before complex positions (use the increment to think 10–20s extra on critical moves).
• Post-game review habit: after each loss, note one recurring theme (e.g., “lost pawn race”, “passive king”) — review 5 such themes weekly and make a short plan to fix each.

Short checklist to use during games

• Before any pawn push: ask “Does this create a passed pawn for them?”
• Before trading pieces: ask “Does this simplify into an endgame where I’m worse?”
• Every time you capture: glance for enemy counterchecks and promotion threats.
• When below 30s: switch to safety mode — avoid speculative sacrifices and check all captures twice.

Study resources & drills (quick wins)

• Tactics sprint: 5-minute timed sets — improves speed and pattern recognition.
• Endgame target: master the opposition and basic pawn races — 3 classic positions > 3 repetitions each.
• Opening plan sheet: for each opening you play, make a one-page summary: main pawn breaks, common piece placements, one typical tactic and one re-check move order trap.
• Review games by theme: create folders “Passed-pawn losses”, “Hanging queen”, “Time trouble” — move 3 games into each and write 3 fixes per folder.

Follow-up

If you want, I can:

• Mark 3 concrete moments in your win vs suresh2526a and the loss vs ssycarlsen for targeted study.
• Build a 2-week training plan (tactics, endgames, opening notes, and 10 practical rapid games) tailored to your schedule.
• Generate a short workbook of 12 endgame positions and 30 tactics similar to the mistakes you’re making.

Tell me which option you prefer and I’ll prepare it.