Nerina Gaite WFM

Hi Nerina – personalised post-game review

What you are already doing well

• Activity first: in many wins you seize space with 1.d4 c4 and follow up with energetic pawn breaks (e.g. 18.f4! against andersfriden). This willingness to play for the initiative is a real strength.
• Resourcefulness under pressure: even with only seconds left you still find tactical shots such as 47.d8=Q!! (promotion while your clock showed 2.3 s).
• Practical conversion: once material up you tend to exchange pieces quickly (e.g. the double-rook endgame versus ido735), simplifying the technical phase.
• Bullet instincts: your score climbs sharply when games start after 21:00 UTC – see
  . Keep scheduling your sessions at your “sharp” hours.

Main themes to address

1. Time management
   • 4 of your last 6 losses were on the clock, not on the board.
   • The average remaining time in won games is 1.5 s – you are living on the edge.
   Action: mix in 3 + 2 or 1 + 1 games to train playing strong moves and pressing the clock. Bullet stamina improves rapidly when you alternate controls.


2. Tactics around pinned pawns
   Your quickest defeat came from overlooking a pin in the Grünfeld:
   .
   • As soon as …Re8 appeared, e4 was pinned and undefended.
   • Similar tactics decided the game against cyaslan97.
   Action: 10-minute daily Puzzle Rush + “Pin” and “Deflection” themes in tactics trainer will inoculate you against these one-move shots.


3. King safety in sideline openings
   In the Saragossa (1.c3) and Polish (1.b4) games you castled late and were caught by flank pawn storms. Action: whenever you experiment, apply the two-step checklist: (1) minor pieces out, (2) king tucked away. Bullet punishes delayed castling.


4. Opening repertoire coherence
   You mix 5.Nge2, 6.Ng3, 8.Ngxe4 systems with classical lines but sometimes reach unfamiliar structures. Action: pick one main weapon versus the Grünfeld / KID (e.g. 5.Nf3 & 6.Be2 Orthodox) and grind 20 annotated master games. Familiar patterns save clock time.

Micro-goals for the next two weeks

• Finish 150 puzzles with ≥80 % accuracy.
• Play 30 games of 3 + 2 and review only the first 15 moves for missed tactics.
• Create a panic repertoire: one bullet line each with White and Black that you can play almost instantly.
• Track your progress in
  .

Motivation corner

Your current peaks:
• 2217 (2024-12-20)
• 2205 (2023-06-29)
Each new tactical habit is worth ~40 elo; tighten up pins & clock, and the next peak arrives fast.

Keep the pieces coordinated, trust your intuition, and press the clock – looking forward to celebrating your next milestone!