Ni_Coulas

Hi Ni_Coulas – your recent games tell an interesting story!

You have a lively, tactical style that scores very well against opponents who are surprised by early complications, but it sometimes backfires against stronger or well-prepared players. Below is an action-oriented review based on your last few wins and losses.

1. Opening Choices & Early Queen Adventures

• You often bring the queen out on moves 2-4 (Qf3, Qf4, Qh5, etc.). Versus hoeineim-55 you played 2.Qf3 in a Scandinavian and were already worse by move 5.
  Why it matters: the queen can be chased, costing tempo tempo and leaving you behind in development.
• When you skip castling (e.g. the loss to skidaffy) the king becomes a target once the position opens.
• Action plan:
  1. Try a “no early queen” challenge for 20 games. Do not move the queen before move 6 unless you are recapturing a piece.
  2. Add one solid line with Black (e.g. French or Scandinavian with …Qa5 instead of …Qd5/Qf6) and one with White (Italian or Queen’s Gambit) so you always know the first 8-10 moves.
  3. After each game, ask: “Was my king safe and were all minor pieces developed by move 10?” Keep a simple log.

Mini-example of the danger you face:

White has lost castling rights and material — a common pattern in your quick-queen lines.

2. Tactical Strengths & Blind Spots

• Your wins feature nice tactical awareness (…dxc4 & …Nxe5 vs LWDzz was precise).
• But in losses you sometimes miss opponent counter-tactics:
  • Against skidaffy the flashy 8.Nb5!? followed by 10.Nxa8 let Black take over the centre and your king never found shelter.
  • Versus Tayan29 you launched queenside pawns but overlooked …Nd5/…Nc3 and the lethal …e3/…e2 break.
• Action plan:
  1. Add a “10-second blunder check” before every move: “What changed? What are the forcing replies (checks, captures, threats)?”
  2. Solve 15-20 mixed tactical puzzles daily. Prefer defensive exercises as well as attacking ones.

3. Time Management

• Two recent games were lost on time in won or equal positions. You spend a lot of clock in the opening (searching for creative moves?) and again in complex endgames.
• Action plan:
  1. Split each 5-minute game into phases: Opening ≤ 1:45, Middlegame ≤ 2:30, Endgame ≥ 0:45. Glance at the clock after every 5 moves.
  2. Play 10|0 rapid sessions each week to practise deeper thinking without severe time pressure.

4. Endgame Technique

• Good conversion against Alepessanha (queen vs rook & pawns) – you kept the king cut and advanced your own pawns.
• In the marathon with BlackLaki you were a pawn up but drifted and eventually flagged. Look for the simplest winning plan, not the prettiest.
• Action plan: Solve 3 basic rook endgames daily (Lucena, Philidor, & “cut-off king” techniques) until they feel automatic.

5. Psychological & Practical Tips

• Use your tactical flair as insurance, not as a substitute for sound development.
• Keep a short post-game routine: save the PGN, add one phrase per critical moment (“should have castled”, “missed fork on e4”). It will build pattern recognition quickly.
• Study the games of attacking players who still respect opening rules (e.g. Tal’s early 1960s games, or modern Nepomniachtchi).

6. Quick Reference Dashboard

Best blitz rating so far: 268 (2025-05-29)
When do you win most?

7. Next Week’s Training Checklist

1. Play 10 rapid games with your updated opening lines; upload and annotate two of them.
2. 120 tactical puzzles (≈ 17 per day).
3. Review three GM games where the queen did not move before move 10.
4. Message me one position where you felt uncomfortable – we will analyse it together.

Keep up the fighting spirit, tighten the fundamentals, and you’ll soon push past 250 blitz. Good luck!