Shaunn Swietzer

Hi Shaunn, here’s a tailored review of your recent play

Your current strengths

• Creative openings. Lines like the Nimzo-Larsen (1 b3) and Bird’s (1 f4) often take opponents out of book early and you score well when they react inaccurately.
• Pressure with the g- and h-pawns. In your win against jplayschess101 you used h4–h5 followed by …f4/g4 to rip open the kingside—great feel for initiative.
• Practical tactics. The …Qf7# combination in your daily win showed good calculation and pattern recognition.

Key areas to improve

1. Time management. Three of the last five losses were on the clock rather than the board.
   • Adopt a simple “spend 30 s before move 10” rule in rapid games.
   • Use the opening phase to stay ahead on time by relying on a tighter repertoire.
2. Opening efficiency. Early pawn moves such as h3 and a3 often appear before development is complete (e.g. loss vs jplayschess101 in the French). Each such move costs a tempo.
   • When playing 1 e4, study the mainlines of the Caro-Kann (Classical 4…Bf5) so you can skip sideline experiments like 3 Qf3.
   • If you enjoy 1 b3/1 f4, create a model game file of 5–6 GM examples and replay them weekly.
3. Piece safety & tactics. Several defeats featured unprotected pieces (e.g. 13…Nxe4 winning a central pawn in the Caro-Kann).
   • After every opponent move, ask “what changed? what’s hanging?”
   • Daily 5-minute tactic drills focusing on forks and intermediate moves (zwischenzug) will pay quick dividends.
4. End-game conversion. Your win with …g3 showed you can finish, but some promising positions fizzle out when minor pieces remain passive.
   • Practice R+P vs R and basic opposite-colored bishop endings 10-15 min per week.

Action plan for the next month

1. Play three 30 + 10 rapid games each week; annotate one of them yourself before checking with an engine.
2. Complete 50 puzzles/week on themes you blundered (forks & hanging pieces).
3. Build a core opening file: Caro-Kann (as White) + Classical Scandinavian (as Black) with no more than 10 moves of prep each.
4. Review this feedback again after 30 days and update goals.

Quick stats & visuals

Your peak rapid rating: 1790 (2017-02-09)

When do you win most?

Which days are streaky?

Keep it up!

You already demonstrate tactical awareness and fighting spirit. By tightening the opening moves and managing your clock better, 1600+ is within reach soon. Good luck, and enjoy the climb!