Tea Lanchava IM

Hi Tea, here’s some focused feedback based on your latest games.

What you are already doing well

• Tactical eyesight. Your recent miniature with 12.Bxf7+!! and the follow-up 13.Qf3+–14.Qxa8 shows excellent calculation of forcing lines and a willingness to cash in on pins and loose pieces.
• Initiative-first mindset. In several wins you deliberately kept your king safe and then piled pieces on the enemy king. The sequence 25.Rh1–28.Rh6 against the Dutch is a good illustration of keeping the attack alive even when material is level.
• Clock handling in winning positions. When the attack is flowing you maintain a healthy time advantage, suggesting that you feel at home once complications arise.

Biggest improvement themes

1. Early pawn decisions in the English & closed openings.
   In the loss vs …Nb4/…e3 you pushed h4 and g4 before completing development. That gave Black anchors for minor pieces and targets later. Try the rule of thumb “only one wing-pawn push before move 15 unless development is finished.”
2. Transition from middlegame to endgame.
   Several lost endgames began with you still in ‘attack mode’ after queens were exchanged. When the queens come off, immediately reassess using Prophylaxis and ask “what does my opponent want now?”.
3. Central tension awareness.
   Frequently you capture in the centre at the first opportunity (e.g. 15.dxe4, 22.Qxa5) and allow your opponent pawn breaks like …c6 or …e4. Consider leaving the tension for one more move; often it restricts the opponent’s pieces.
4. Conversion technique in better positions.
   In the Birds-Opening loss you reached a dominating position but let counterplay on the dark squares and the back rank. Follow the “three-step method”:
   1. Improve the king
   2. Fix targets
   3. Create a new passed pawn
   before looking for the knockout.

Concrete study plan

• Opening clean-up: Cut your English move-order choices to two main lines so that you don’t improvise with Nb5/a3 unless you have analysed them.
• Tactics diet: 15 minutes a day on intermediate-difficulty puzzles with the motif …Nb4 and …e4 so these defensive resources enter your attacking vocabulary.
• Endgame routine: Play at least one 15 | 10 game daily where you must exchange queens by move 25. This forces you to practise endings under tournament time.
• Model games: Annotate two Kramnik wins with the English each week; focus on how he delays pawn breaks and gradually strangles the opponent.

Reference moments

Study the critical conversion slip in your most recent loss:

Compare it to the smooth finish in your latest win:

Stats & progress trackers

Peak Blitz rating: 2447 (2020-08-11)
Hour-by-hour performance:

Next session goals

• Score at least +2 in blitz by applying the “delay the capture” principle in the centre.
• Reach an endgame with an extra pawn and convert it cleanly—no pawn blunders allowed.

Keep the fighting spirit, Tea! With a bit more structure in quiet positions and endgames, your tactical flair will pay even higher dividends.