Avatar of Nilufar Yakubbaeva

Nilufar Yakubbaeva WGM

nilufaryakubbaeva29 Since 2020 (Inactive) Chess.com ♟♟
43.6%- 49.1%- 7.3%
Rapid 2226 11W 6L 2D
Blitz 2590 296W 292L 74D
Bullet 2088 692W 826L 90D
Coach Chesswick's Profile Photo
Coach Chesswick

Hi Nilufar!

Great job keeping an active tournament schedule and scoring several nice attacking wins. Below is some personalised feedback based on the sample of your recent rapid games (≈60 s “bullet/ultra” time control):

What you already do well

  • Initiative-first mindset. In many of your wins you create early tension with space-gaining moves such as 4.e4 in the Queen’s Gambit Declined or quick pawn storms (e.g. 14.c4, 15.b4 in your Chigorin game). Your opponents are often pushed onto the back foot.
  • Piece activity. You seldom keep pieces passive. Typical examples: 26.Rxe6! in the Bd3-Chigorin win and the Bxc5 / a-pawn push sequence in your first PGN. This keen eye for activity is a real strength in fast games.
  • End-game conversion under time pressure. The capstone of your main win (…66.f8=Q!) shows solid technique even with only a few seconds left.

Priority areas to work on

  1. King safety in the middlegame.
    Several losses feature long-term exposure of your king or neglected pawn shields (e.g. 31…Bd4+ in the loss vs badia99 and 21…Qxa2 in the Caro-Kann defeat). Try to ask “What is my opponent’s next check?” every move until castling — and again whenever you push flank pawns.
  2. Handling reversed-colour structures.
    You often play both sides of the English & Queen’s Pawn systems. While your white results are good, with Black you lost similar structures (see both Caro-Kann games) because of misplaced knights on the rim (…Nh5 / …Na5) and premature pawn grabs. Revisiting model games on those setups will pay dividends.
  3. Move-order traps.
    Fast games punish imprecision. Example: in the East-Indian loss you allowed 23.Qc8! and the fork 32…Nc3? led to quick collapse. A short daily tactic drill (5–10 puzzles) that focuses on “quiet” intermezzos will sharpen this.
  4. Clock management.
    Three of the five recent defeats ended by resignation in lost positions you reached while well ahead on the clock. Consciously bank 5–10 s after the opening so you have time for critical middlegame decisions.

Action plan for the next two weeks

  • Review two instructive model games in each of these lines you frequently reach: (a) Caro-Kann Exchange with 4.Bd3, (b) English Symmetrical with …c5 …Nc6. Annotate them and note typical manoeuvres.
  • Add a 10-minute daily session on defensive tactics. Focus on “find a saving resource for the side to move”.
  • Play a mini-match (10 games) against a training partner or bot where your only goal is to keep your king pawn shield intact. Review any game where you castle into an attack.
  • Track your results using
    01234567891011121314151617181920212223100%0%Hour of Day
    and
    MonTueWedThuFriSatSun100%0%Day of Week
    to spot when fatigue affects accuracy.

Quick stats

Your all-time best blitz rating: 2636 (2022-09-17). Aim to stabilise within 50 pts of that peak before pushing higher.

Inspiration corner

Replay your cleanest recent finish:


Keep the momentum, stay curious, and enjoy the game. Good luck in your next sessions!


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