Pepe Kan IM

Pepe Kan – Personalized Coaching Feedback

👍 What you already do well

• Tactical awareness. Your recent odds-games show quick exploitation of loose kings and hanging pieces (e.g. 11…Qh4# vs. hecsamrika).
• Confident piece activity out of the opening. Whether you answer 1.e4 with a Modern set-up or grab the initiative in Scandinavian structures, you rarely shy away from dynamic play.
• Converting large advantages. When you reach winning positions you usually finish the job methodically – a sign of good calculation depth.

🔍 Key growth areas

1. Time management. Two of your last three classical-blitz losses were on the clock (see game vs. Gonzalo Rojo). Prolonged think-tanks in the early middlegame leave you in Zeitnot.
2. Handling counter-play on the flanks. In Benoni/Benko-type positions you occasionally allow …b5 or …b4 to break through (loss vs. osomielero, December 17th). Earlier prophylaxis with a³, b³ or a rook lift would restrict these breaks.
3. King safety in “odds” experiments. Skipping castling is fine when you’re in total control, but several moves (e.g. 6.Kd2 and 7.Kc3 against hecsamrika) were needlessly risky. Build habitual safety checks into your move selection.
4. Endgame conversion when material is equal. Your flagged Scandinavian game reached an endgame where accurate technique could have maintained winning chances. Strengthen your knowledge of rook-and-pawn endings.

🛠️ Two-week action plan

1. Clock discipline drill: play 10 games of 3 + 2 but force yourself to move within 15 seconds for the first 15 moves. Review which decisions really needed extra time.
2. Prophylaxis habit: After each opponent’s move, ask “What is the threat?” before looking at your own ideas. Annotate three of your recent wins and explicitly write the opponent’s potential breaks.
3. Structured endgame study: work through the “rook vs. rook & pawn” chapter in a trusted manual, then practice three sparring positions against the engine.
4. Opening tighten-up: pick one main answer to 1.d4 (e.g. Modern Benoni) and create a one-page cheat sheet of critical lines; play it exclusively for one week to build pattern memory.

⚡ Critical moment to revisit

You were completely winning but lost on time. Try setting up this position against an engine and finish with at least 60 seconds left:

📊 Quick stats & trends

Peak blitz rating: 2531 (2021-11-18)
Activity heat-map:

🚀 Motivation booster

You are already good enough to beat 2200+ opposition with flair. Tightening the practical aspects above could easily add 100–150 Elo in the next quarter. Small, deliberate changes – especially to your clock habits – will pay the fastest dividends.

Good luck, and remember: accurate moves played on time beat brilliant moves played too late!