pfau55

Coach’s Feedback for pfau55

At-a-Glance

• Peak Rapid rating: 1331 (2022-08-06)
• Activity trends:

Your Strengths

• Tactical alertness. You often spot forks on c7/c2 or double-attacks (e.g. 10.Nxc7+ in several wins).
• Confidence in open positions. When files open you’re willing to sacrifice material for initiative – a good sign for future growth.
• Speed control. Almost every game finishes with plenty of time on your clock, so you can afford to slow down at critical moments.

Key Areas to Improve

1. Opening fundamentals:
   You like early queen moves (Qf3/Qf5/Qb5+) and flank pawn pushes, but they often violate classical principles (develop pieces, fight for the center, castle early). Stick to simple, principled setups for now:
   • As White: the Italian Game (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 3.Bc4) or Scotch Game.
   • As Black: reply to 1.e4 with the French Defense (…e6 & …d5) or 1.d4 with the Queen's Gambit Declined.
   These give clear plans and reduce the urge for premature queen adventures.
2. King safety:
   In your losses you rarely castle and the king stays in the center (e.g. vs. Lenz34 and Sachin1829). Practical rule: “If you touch your queen before both knights and bishops are developed, double-check that it’s really necessary.”
3. Piece coordination & blunder check:
   Many resignations were simply a lost piece after moving the same piece several times (see move 9…Qb4? vs. Sachin1829). Before every move run the three-second blunder scan:
   “What does my opponent attack? What do I leave en-prise? What changed?”.
4. End a game you’re winning.
   You reach winning positions but sometimes let the opponent back in. After you win material, switch mindset from attacking to consolidating: trade queens, centralize rooks, and only then chase checkmate.

Illustrative Mini-Lesson

The following attack from your last win shows your tactical eye. Replay it and notice how fast development & centralization would have made the mate even easier.

Training Plan for the Next Two Weeks

• Daily: 10 tactical puzzles with the theme “piece left undefended”.
• Opening drill: play 10 practice games starting with the first 8 moves of the Italian Game without moving your queen. Review each with the “development & king safety” lens.
• Endgame basics: work through rook‐and‐pawn vs. rook exercises; this will teach you the value of trading into a won endgame.
• Self-analysis: after every loss write one sentence answering “Which principle did I break first?”

Positive Habit to Keep

Recording your games and reviewing them (as you’re already doing) is the fastest path to improvement. Keep that habit and overlay today’s checklist after each session.

Good luck, and see you at your next milestone!