Abbas Mashhadi

Quick summary

Nice stretch of results — your rating trend is generally upward (1 month +11, 3 months +205, 6 months +105) and your strength-adjusted win rate sits just above 50% (0.501). That tells me you are solid at this level, finding wins consistently while still letting a similar number slip away. The goal now is to turn more of those close games into clean conversions.

What you’re doing well

• Discipline in the opening: you stick to a compact setup and frequently reach playable middlegames. Your records show good results with the Sicilian Defense and Caro-Kann Defense.
• Tactical awareness: several wins come from spotting concrete tactics (mates, forks, winning material). You finished the Scandinavian game with a clean mating finish — good vision to exploit the opponent’s loose king.
• Practical play under pressure: you convert when opponents make obvious time or tactical errors — good psychological edge in rapid games.
• Volume and practice: your game count is high, which builds pattern recognition and practical experience fast.

Common weaknesses to fix

• Time management / time trouble: games show moments where the clock became a decisive factor (wins by flag and very low remaining time). Try to keep a few seconds buffer so you aren’t making critical moves on instinct alone — especially in simplifications and endgames.
• Occasional passive plans in the middlegame: you sometimes allow your opponent counterplay because a pawn break or piece activation was postponed. Look for active plans earlier (pawn breaks, piece re-routing).
• Endgame technique & conversion: some wins came after the opponent blundered, not always from clear endgame technique. Strengthen basic rook and pawn endings and king + pawn races so you can convert without relying on opponent mistakes.
• Hanging/loose pieces and exchanged advantages: there are moments where traded pieces left you with small structural weaknesses. Double-check whether an exchange improves your position before committing.

Concrete next steps (week-by-week plan)

- Daily (15–30 minutes): tactics trainer focused on forks, pins, discovered checks and mating patterns. Prioritize puzzles that require calculating two or three moves ahead. - 3×/week (30–45 minutes): endgame drills — king and pawn basics, Lucena/Rook endgames, and opposition. Make sure you can convert a single passed pawn with active king. - 1×/week (45–60 minutes): review 3 of your recent rapid games yourself first (write down where you thought you were better/worse), then check with an engine to confirm key moments. Focus on mistakes where you lost the initiative or allowed counterplay. - Weekly play goal: 5 serious rapid games with increment (e.g., 10|5) and no auto-resign for the first 10 moves — practice converting with a bit of time on the clock. - Opening study: pick 2–3 main lines in your favored defenses (keep the reliable sidelines you already score well with). Study typical pawn breaks and piece plans rather than memorizing long move lists. Use the Sicilian Defense and Caro-Kann Defense as priority reviews this month.

Practical tips you can apply immediately

• Before every move in time trouble: ask three questions — Is my king safe? Is any piece loose? What is my opponent threatening? This habit avoids simple blunders and hanging pieces.
• When simplifying: trade when it improves your king activity, creates a passed pawn, or reduces your opponent’s counterplay. Don’t trade just to swap pieces if it hands them the initiative.
• Create small make-or-break targets (weak pawns, back-rank issues) and force your opponent to defend — this increases chances for practical errors in rapid time controls.
• Use a short mental checklist at move 10 and move 20: development complete, king safe, pawn breaks available, best square for each piece. It stops aimless maneuvering.

Position to replay — a clean tactical finish

Replay the Scandinavian game where you ended with a decisive queen move. Step through it and ask at each move: what changed about the opponent’s king cover?

Longer-term focus (next 3 months)

• Convert “practical” wins into reliable technique: with consistent tactics + endgame work, aim to push your strength-adjusted win rate over 0.52.
• Refine one opening repertoire for White and Black. Practice typical middlegame plans rather than long move-lists — that will save time during games and reduce move-one anxiety.
• Track one concrete metric weekly: average time left after move 20. Aim to increase it gradually — less time trouble means fewer speed blunders.

Final note

You’ve got the raw ingredients: volume, tactical nose, and good opening choices. The next leap comes from tightening time management and endgame conversion. If you want, pick one game (win or loss) for a deeper annotated review and I’ll walk through move-by-move suggestions.