Hi Mariana!
Great streak yesterday – four wins against 2000+ in one sitting! Below is a concise review of what is already working well and what you can sharpen next.
What you are doing well
- Active openings with d-pawns and the Caro-Kann – you regularly reach middlegames you understand. Your miniature against magncarls18 (15 moves!) shows confident handling of the Semi-Slav structures.
- Tactical alertness once the initiative is yours. The QGA win versus dollarbrain77 is full of accurate forcing moves after 12…O-O-O?!.
- Good practical sense in worse positions. Several victories on the black side of the London came from stubborn defense followed by counter-punching (…c5 & …c4).
Main growth areas
- Clock management
Five of the last seven losses were on time – often in equal or better positions. ⚑ - Early tactical hygiene
a) 5…Bxd1? in the QGA (loss vs Etete2) dropped your queen.
b) 15…Rxf2!! (you as Black) mated your king in the Semi-Slav (vs Zulia-vzla).
Common thread: under-estimating forcing moves before castling or with queens on the board. - Conversion technique in endgames
The drawn-but-lost rook ending vs magncarls18 shows hesitancy activating the king and pushing passed pawns.
Action plan for the next two weeks
| Theme | Concrete task | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Time usage | Play 10 | 5 instead of 1 | 0 & 3 | 0 for at least 20 games | ~3 h |
| Tactics safety | 25 puzzles/day, set to “Training → Defensive Blunders” mode | 20 min/day |
| Opening repair | Add 6…h6 line in the QGA to avoid 5…Bxd1 traps; review three model games | 40 min |
| Endgames | Study Chapter 3 of “100 Endgames You Must Know” (rook vs pawns). Test with lichess studies. | 1 h |
Illustrative tactical slip
White to move after 15…Rxf2!! – a reminder to keep the back-rank covered:
Ask yourself before every capture: “What is my opponent’s most forcing reply?”
Opening menu – next small tweaks
- Queen’s Gambit Accepted (White): after 4…Bg4 prefer 5.Qb3 instead of 5.Bxc4 to keep the queen safe and hit b7.
- London-vs-…c5: your setup with …c4 & …b5 (Black) is solid; add the manoeuvre …Ra6-b6 sooner to pressure b2.
- Caro-Kann (Black): vs 4.Bd3 lines, play 4…Bf5 early to avoid space squeeze seen against magncarls18.
Progress tracker
Use these live widgets to watch how the changes affect performance:
• Hourly performance:
• Weekly rhythm:
Your historical best so far: – let’s beat it by July!
Encouragement
You already show 2100-level understanding when initiative and time are on your side. Trim the early blunders and late-game time pressure, and a stable 2100+ blitz/rapid rating is absolutely within reach.
Keep enjoying every game and feel free to send me any positions you find puzzling.
Coach