Shahzeb Mistry

Hi Shahzeb (“mistry786”) — coach’s review

What you are already doing well

• Tactical alertness. In your most recent win you spotted the intermediate move 12…Re8+, forcing White’s king off the e-file before winning the queen with 13…Qxd4. A nice Zwischenzug!  
  
  
• Willingness to play actively as both colours. Your Smith-Morra win shows healthy piece activity and the courage to sacrifice pawns for initiative.
• Opening variety. You have tested the English, Sicilian, Caro-Kann and Danish Gambit lines. This broad base will pay dividends once the underlying plans become clearer.

Recurring pain-points

• Clock management. Two of the last five losses (e.g. vs architf99) were on time in drawable or even better end-games. You often reach move 30 with <20 seconds.
• End-game conversion. In the Scandinavian loss to mohassanzadeh you entered a rook-and-pawn ending two pawns up, but inaccurate king activity and passed-pawn handling flipped the result.
• Loose central squares in the early middlegame. Several defeats show pieces jumping into d4/d5/e5 (e.g. 17…Bg7–e5 in your Alapin loss) because your minor pieces were undeveloped or misplaced.
• Over-pressing. Good attacking intentions sometimes become material over-extensions (grabbing the a-rook on move 20 of the Scandinavian, ignoring Black’s counterplay).

Targeted training plan

1. Time-management drill. Keep a practice board and play 3 + 2 games where you must have ≥60 seconds by move 20. If the clock dips below, force yourself to make the next move instantly.
2. End-game basics, one per week:
   • King & pawn fundamentals (opposition, outside passed pawn).
   • Lucena & Philidor rook endings.
   • Minor-piece vs pawns endings, focusing on knight vs outside passer.
   Fifteen minutes of drill a day will stabilise many of the lost positions you currently resign.
3. Structure before tactics. Add the question “What is my opponent’s plan?” to your thinking routine on moves 8-15. This simple dose of Prophylaxis will reduce early-middlegame blunders.
4. Specialise in one main opening system for a month. Recommendation:
   • As White: Continue the Smith-Morra, but study only the main line through move 10. Know the typical “c3-d4 pawn chain” ideas, not just tricks.
   • As Black vs 1.e4: Adopt the Caro-Kann Classical (…d5, …Bf5) to practise solid piece placement rather than early tactics.
   Mastery of a single structure will make the rest of your repertoire easier to navigate.
5. Weekly self-review. After every 20 games, export two wins and two losses. Annotate them briefly, focusing on critical decision ↠ time left ↠ move quality.

Quick stats & visuals

Peak rapid rating: 1740 (2023-03-05)

When you tend to score best:

Your most productive days:

Next session goals

• Play 10 rapid games (10 + 5) applying the move-20/60-seconds rule.
• Send me one annotated end-game where you felt “lost in the fog.”
• Prepare the Caro-Kann Classical tabiya up to move 8 and be ready to explain Black’s plan in your own words.

Keep the energy and creativity you already have, Shahzeb. With tighter clock habits and a touch of end-game technique, you will break the 1400 barrier soon. Good luck!