Zhe Quan IM

Hi Zhe Quan – Personalised Performance Review

What’s already working

• Enterprising openings with White
  Your Trompowsky/Torre systems regularly yield an early initiative. The recent win against Raymond Gao shows crisp handling of the Bxf6 c3 d4 structure.
• Tactical eyesight
  Ideas such as 18.Nxc5!! and 35.Nf4! (GAO game) illustrate sharp calculation when the position is “alive”.
• Fighting spirit in long endgames
  You converted a tough rook-and-pawn ending (vs GAO) by keeping the passer alive until it queened.
• Rating potential
  2827 (2023-05-16) confirms you already perform at a strong level – the following tweaks should push you higher.

Priority areas for improvement

1. Early flank-pawn pushes as Black
   In the loss to Eugene Hua you advanced …h5-h4 before completing development, weakening g6–f7. • Ask the classic pawn can’t go back question: “Which squares am I leaving behind?” • Study model English/Closed-Sicilian games where Black keeps the kingside compact and breaks with …d5 or …f5.
2. Passive piece placement in the “double-fianchetto” set-ups
   Moves such as 11…Nd7 & 17…Nf8 ceded the d5/b6 outposts. Consider switching to either a) Symmetrical English with …e5, or b) Queen’s-Indian style …e6/…d5 so both bishops hit the centre early.
3. Time management
   Two recent games (vs Chain0, immobilizing) were lost on time despite drawable positions. • Budget ≈60 s for the first 10 moves. • Practise “increment sprints”: play rook-endgame drills with 5-second increment until you can move confidently without dipping below 10 s.
4. Converting winning positions
   With material edge you sometimes keep complicating (e.g. 24…g5 vs PositionalGenius). Adopt “trade pieces, keep pawns” unless a direct mate is on the board.

Opening snapshot

• White: Trompowsky (A45) and Fianchetto vs Dutch – excellent results.
• Black: Najdorf scores well; flank openings (1.c4/1.Nf3) need a reliable main line.
• Homework: build a 12-move anti-English repertoire you trust.

Concrete training plan

Keep the momentum

Your dynamic style is your trademark – polish the defensive side and clock handling, and you’ll break the next milestone soon.

Good luck with your training! ♟️