Hi MebMcjf! Here’s some constructive feedback based on your latest games.
1. What you already do well
- Never give up attitude. In your win against barbieri_cartunista you were still looking for mating nets deep into a rook-and-piece end-game and finished cleanly with
Qh2#. Excellent perseverance! - Basic tactical awareness. Forks such as
27.Re8+in the same game and the cute fork32.Nxd7versus justvahgar show that you are starting to “see” tactics. - End-game conversion. Once you are clearly ahead you rarely let the win slip. This is a valuable habit – keep it!
2. Biggest improvement opportunities
a) Opening discipline
In your most recent loss to denieliil you moved the same knight five times in the first ten moves (…Nc6-Ne5-Nc4-Nb6).
That allowed White to hit you with the classic Nxf7 tactic:
👉 Focus on one-move-per-piece development and castle early. A simple repertoire you can trust at your level:
- As White: The Italian Game (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4) – classical piece play, no early queen sorties.
- As Black vs 1.e4: Either the Scandinavian 1…d5 with the main line 2.exd5 Qxd5 or the solid French 1…e6. Avoid fancy Nc6/Ne5 ideas until you know the theory.
b) King safety
Several losses start with …Qe4+ or …Qf5 swings that leave your own king in the centre.
Remember the golden triangle: develop → castle → connect rooks. Make it a checklist before every move.
c) Tactical sharpness
You win many games because opponents blunder, but you also lose quickly when a tactic hits you. Ten minutes of puzzle training per day will pay enormous dividends. Concentrate on:
- Forks (especially on f7 / f2).
- Discovered attacks and pins on the e-file.
- Back-rank mates – both delivering and preventing them.
d) Time management
You usually finish with several minutes on the clock. That is great, but if you blunder in the first 20 moves you are playing too fast. Try a simple rule: Use at least 30 seconds on moves 5-15 unless the reply is obvious.
3. A suggested study routine
- 10 min puzzles (forks, pins, double-attacks).
- 5 min review of one of your games (win or loss); ask “Why did the evaluation change?”.
- 10 min opening drill: set up the first 10 moves of your main lines against a computer and play them out.
- Play one rapid game – apply today’s theme (e.g. castle by move 8).
4. Track your progress
Use these built-in charts to motivate yourself:
and keep an eye on 622 (2025-02-19). Small, steady improvements matter more than streaky jumps.5. Next steps
• Pick one opening as White and one as Black and stick to them for 20 games. • Solve 100 tactical puzzles this month. • Annotate each loss with a single sentence: “I lost because …”.
Keep enjoying the game, MebMcjf, and good luck at the board!