Ngoc Hien Nguyen WFM

Hi Ngoc Hien Nguyen!

You’re playing ambitious, tactical chess and your recent results show that you can beat strong 2200-level opposition. Below is some personalised feedback to help you convert even more of your good positions into wins.

1. What you’re already doing well

• Active openings. You regularly seize space with 1.d4 & 1.e4 systems and are not afraid to mix in sidelines such as the Zukertort and attacking setups against the Pirc and Sicilian.
• Tactical alertness. Your mating finish in the Pirc (21.Rxg5#) was clean and shows that you spot forcing continuations quickly:
  
  
  
• Fighting spirit. Even when material is level you look for imbalances (…g5 push in French Advance, …c4 break in English, etc.).

2. Themes costing you points

1. Time management. Three of your last five losses were on the clock. In the Torre game you reached this position with 17 seconds left and then flagged in a roughly equal endgame:
   
   
   
   Practical tip: make one quick candidate move (Is my king safe? Can I gain/lose material in one move?) and play it when you’re under 10 s.
2. Conversion technique. Against RobertoJBM you promoted a pawn (54.d8=Q) yet still lost. This suggests the need for end-game drills, especially rook + pawn vs rook endings and handling passed pawns with little time.
3. Opening hygiene as Black.
   • Scandinavian: after 5.Bc4 you chose 5…e6, a playable but passive line. Study the main continuation 5…Qa5 (or 5…Nc6) to avoid early pressure on f7.
   • English → Symmetrical: in the loss where 22…Qa3 allowed Qd2–f4 ideas, consider delaying …Qa3 until your back rank is secure.

3. Quick-win fixes (next 2 weeks)

• Play one daily 10|0 or 15|10 game. This forces you to practise structured thinking without flag-stress.
• “1-minute rule”. When your clock shows ≤1:00, move within 5 seconds unless there’s an immediate tactic. You’ll halve your flag losses right away.
• End-game routine. 15 minutes each session on basic rook endings (Lucena, Philidor, Vancura). Your RobertoJBM game would have been a draw with correct technique.

4. Long-term growth plan

5. Track your progress

• Current blitz peak: 2496 (2025-05-13)
• When do you play best?

6. Motivation corner

Your attacking skill already puts heavy pressure on opponents rated 2200+. Tightening up the clock handling and end-game play could push you toward 2350 blitz in a matter of months. Stay consistent and review a couple of master games after each session—you’ll be surprised how quickly the small edges add up.

Good luck, keep the pieces active, and remember: “Better a good move now than a perfect move too late.”