olita rause IM

Hi Olita, here’s some tailored feedback based on your latest games

What you’re already doing well

• Active piece play out of the opening. With White you regularly develop quickly (Italian, Petroff, Sicilian Alapin) and castle early, giving yourself chances for initiative.
• Tactical alertness when attacking the king. Your wins against kotovq and sabuhi79 show good use of pins, forks and mating nets.
• Practical time-management in time scrambles. You often keep just enough on your own clock to make the last moves, forcing the opponent to flag.

Main improvement themes

1. King safety vs direct queen checks.
   Your most recent loss came from the Center Game, where an early …Nxd4 left your king in the centre and you were mated on move 15:
   
   Study a safer reply such as 4…Qxd5 or 4…exd4 and remember the principle “don’t move the same knight twice in the opening if it leaves the king exposed”.
2. Loose pawn pushes on the kingside.
   Early …g5/…g4 in several of your Black games create holes on f6 and h6. Against stronger opponents (e.g. Eladbery1) this backfired. Before advancing flank pawns, ask yourself the “three questions” (prophylaxis):
   – What does the move weaken?
   – What is my opponent’s best reply?
   – Can I achieve the same goal more safely?
3. Spotting one-move tactics against your own pieces.
   In the loss to arismendy35 you played 18.Ba6 and 19.Bb7, overlooking …Rxb7. Solving 10–15 tactical puzzles per day (theme: “loose piece, tactic hit”) will help. Try setting a timer so you practise under the same pressure as a 3 | 2 game.
4. Convert won positions more efficiently.
   Several victories relied on your opponent’s flag. Aim to finish games “on the board”: plan a clear route (exchange down to a winning end-game, create passed pawns, etc.) so you are not dependent on the clock.

Opening corner

• With White: Your Italian/Fried-Liver set-up scores well, but add a solid alternative (e.g. the c3-d3 Giuoco Pianissimo) to avoid becoming predictable.
• With Black vs 1.e4: Consider building a mainline repertoire (Petrov or Classical Sicilian) and keep the early …g-pawn storms as surprise weapons.
• Against the Center Game: Memorise the first 6 moves so you no longer spend time over the board.

Training plan for the next 4 weeks

• Tactics: 15 minutes / day, focusing on double-checks and defensive resources.
• End-games: Review basic rook endings (Philidor & Lucena) – many of your games reach R+P vs R structures.
• Opening refresher: Build a mini file with critical Italian and Center-Game lines; revisit before every playing session.
• Slow games: Play two 15 | 10 games each week and annotate them yourself before checking with an engine.

Motivation snapshot

Your current personal bests:

• Rapid: 2120 (2020-05-25)
• Blitz: 2203 (2020-04-28)

When do you play best?

Keep up the fighting spirit, and good luck in your next games!