A real strength: your endgame technique
You clearly know how to convert an advantage when the queens come off and the board thins out. In [[Link:game|preferible|sentientbiowaste|1789257758|the win against sentientbiowaste]], you stayed calm with almost no time on the clock, pushed a supported passed pawn to promotion, kept your rook behind it, and finished with checkmate. That is not luck, that is [[Link:term|endgame]] skill you can build around.
In [[Link:game|preferible|thefear0fdark|1789189399|the win against thefear0fdark]], you swapped the queens and the pieces at just the right moment, then used your king as an active piece. Your outside passed pawn and your king's activity made a simple win. The way you move from a small plus into a full point is genuinely strong.
Main improvement: be more disciplined about spending material
Set of losses show your main challenge is not opening knowledge. The difficulty appears when you decide to sacrifice a rook or a piece without a full forced breakthrough. Once the attack slows down, the material cost becomes the whole story.
- Against [[Link:profile|winstonlamchess]], [[Link:game|preferible|winstonlamchess|1789228474|this game is the best lesson]] from your recent losses. You had a solid position and then grabbed a pawn, exchanged too many pieces, and the opponent's rook and bishop became very active. Watch the moment a rook returned to open lines without being potentially attacked first. I recommend playing the most calming and protected move.
- Against [[Link:profile|mpachli]], in your [[Link:term|Sicilian Defense]] game with knight on the edge, you got a full knight and good chances, but the initiative faded. The enemy king and rook came out. This relates to [[Link:term|king safety]]: before trading queens or counting the material, check if the opponent can put a check on the king or a rook on the 7th.
- Against [[Link:profile|carajonetti]], you were better in a clear way, but then a rook sacrifice on the b-file was not a real sacrifice, it was just a [[Link:term|loose piece]] give it away. Once you rest, the game went very fast. Count all constant consequences before you play a rook to an open file.
A simple habit that changes these results
Before making a tactical blow, ask only one question: does the opponent have a quiet parry? If you can answer “yes” then step back and find a strong move, usually the knight or bishop to the center. If you find a way to get an extra piece to the fight first, you will be playing the same attacking chess but with a bigger bank account.
In your endgame wins, you naturally apply this method: you keep your king and rook improved until the conversion is clear. Apply the same logic one to three moves earlier.
- Replay the three losses and mark where you would have chosen a slower but safe square for the pieces. Do not change the game, just find war.
- Do a 10 minute tactic set on exposed king positions and rook lifts. The goal is not to see the first sacrifice, but to sit too, the final. You are frequently close.
- Use your endgames warmups: when you have a clean win, spend 5 seconds to count the enemy king's next checks. Those 5 seconds save many points.