Stanislav Mikheev IM

Postgame snapshot

Nice win — you converted a complicated middlegame into a winning passed-pawn race and active king play. Below is a compact replay of the critical sequence from the game and the final position so you can quickly revisit the turning points.

Opening played: Sicilian Defense - Chekhover Variation • Opponent: waterexpense

[[Pgn|23 fxe5|24 Qh5|26 Qxh6|27 Bxg5|31 Rxb7|34 Rcc6|41 Rxc8+|43 Rxa5|49 Rf6+|52 g6|53 g7|54 Rxg7|55 Rd7|56 Bxe1+|63 Rxd2|64 h7|65 Kf6|fen|8/7P/2n2K2/8/8/8/3k4/8|orientation|white|autoplay|false]

What you did well

You showed several practical strengths that won this game:

• Direct attacking instincts — you repeatedly opened lines against Black’s king (Qxh6, Bxg5) and kept the initiative.
• Creating and running a passed pawn — the h‑pawn march (h3–h4–h5–h6–h7) was decisive and you timed it well with rook activity behind it.
• Active rook play — exchanges and rook lifts (Rxb7, Rxc8+, Rxa5) simplified into a favourable endgame while keeping pressure on the enemy king.
• Good king activation in the endgame — moving your king toward the action (Kg3–Kf4–Ke5–Kf6) was the right idea to support the pawn race.
• Practical decision making — when the opponent tried to queen, you found ways to neutralize the counterplay and trade into a winning position.

Key moments to review

Replay these decision points and ask “what else was possible?”

• Early queen moves: Qxd4 then Qe3/Qh3 — they were effective this game, but repeated queen moves in the opening can cost time and allow the opponent easy development. Check alternatives that develop pieces first.
• 31.Rxb7 — this won material and simplified; review whether the simplification was the fastest technical path. Could any tactic have made the win faster?
• 41.Rxc8+ — a critical exchange sac/threshold moment. Verify the calculation that allowed simplifying into a winning king+pawn endgame rather than letting Black build counterplay.
• Pawn push timing in the endgame — you converted well, but the opponent had a counter-queening attempt (e1=Q). Study similar queening-race motifs to speed up the right choices under time pressure.
• Time usage — you reached the final phase with only a few minutes left. Look for places earlier where you can save time (standardized opening play, quick candidate moves) so you have breathing room in the endgame.

Concrete improvements — short term plan

Focus on a small, practical set of training tasks you can do over the next 2–4 weeks:

• Tactics: 15–20 minutes daily on puzzles emphasizing mating nets, queening races, and rook tactics (forks, skewers, back-rank themes).
• Endgames: 3x/week practice of rook + pawn vs rook endgames and basic king+pawn promotion races — these patterns appeared in your game and are high ROI.
• Opening: tighten your responses to the Chekhover/Sicilian lines you face. Pick 2 reliable move-orders so you don’t spend too much time in the first 10 moves.
• Tempo & clock: play 10–15 rapid games with the explicit goal of reaching move 15 with at least 10 minutes on the clock. Practice quick, good-enough decisions in known positions.

Study checklist — what to practice next

Reference these drills after each session/game:

• One tactic theme per day (pins, forks, discovered attacks). Track accuracy and speed.
• One endgame example per day — convert one won rook+passed pawn position and defend one lost pawn race.
• One opening line: learn a typical middlegame plan (not just moves) for your favoured Sicilian/Catalan lines — you already have strong results in Catalan and several gambits, nurture that edge.
• Review 2 recent wins and 1 loss per week — annotate candidate moves and where you could have saved time.

Longer-term goals (3 months)

Based on your rating trend and win rate, aim for:

• Sharpening endgame technique so that pawn races and rook endings are routine wins.
• Reducing early time consumption by having a concise opening repertoire — this preserves time for critical calculations later in the game.
• Raising your puzzle solving streak and average speed; that will reduce blunders in complex tactical middlegames.

Quick takeaways

• Strengths: attacking sense, passed-pawn technique, active rook + king coordination — these are your winning patterns, use them.
• Main fix: time management and minimizing unnecessary opening queen shuttles (unless they serve a clear purpose).
• Daily micro‑habits: 15 minutes tactics, 10 minutes endgame, one opening line review — small, steady work will convert your current momentum into consistent rating gains.

Want a follow-up?

If you like, I can:

• Annotate the full game move‑by‑move with short comments on most critical positions.
• Create a 2‑week training plan tailored to this game (tactics list + endgame exercises + opening drills).
• Generate 10 tactical puzzles drawn from motifs in this game for targeted practice.

Tell me which option you want and I’ll prepare it.