Narmin Khalafova WGM

Hi Narmin!

You have had an impressive run lately, scoring wins against strong opponents such as chillooout and ren_tur. Below is a summary of what you are doing well, followed by a focused improvement plan.

What’s working well

• Active piece play. In several recent wins you steer your pieces onto aggressive squares very quickly (e.g. …Bxd4 in your King’s Indian game).
• Opening versatility. You handle both 1.d4 and 1.e4 positions with comfort and have a solid Modern/Pirc set-up as Black.
• Sharp tactical eye. Your game vs ren_tur (…Qa5–a3 break) showed good calculation under 60-second time control.

Key areas to target next

1. Clock management (highest priority).
   Four of your last five losses were time forfeits in equal or better positions. Try the routine “move–breathe–scan”: make a solid move quickly, then use any spare seconds to double-check tactics while the clock is on the opponent’s side. Playing one rapid (10 | 0) game each day will also train your internal time sense.
2. Central breaks as Black.
   Your Modern/Pirc structure is sound, but in the loss to AdNair Black never struck back in the centre with …e5 or …c5. Study model games by Kamsky & Vachier-Lagrave to see when to hit the d- and e-pawns.
3. End-game liquidation decisions.
   In several wins you exchanged into winning rook endings nicely, yet in this losing position you still had a trivial draw if you had played …Kd3 instantly:
   
   Practice converting 3- and 4-piece endings against engines to make quick, accurate decisions.

Quick action plan

Stats & trends

Your peak blitz rating so far: 2567 (2025-01-02). Track how often you win at different times of day and on which weekdays:

Motivational snapshot

Remember how smoothly you converted this position against ren_tur—one calm move 36…d2=Q finished the game:

Final thoughts

Your tactical strength already places you among the top players in your rating band. With a little more clock discipline and deeper central strategy as Black, 2400+ blitz will feel natural. Keep the momentum going, and reach out if you’d like specialised opening files or additional sparring games.

Good luck and good chess!
—Your coach