Alshaeby Razan WFM

Hi Razan!

Well done on pushing your Blitz peak to 1906 (2025-03-03) and beating several 1800–1900 opponents recently. Below is a constructive review of your latest games and a roadmap for the next stage of your improvement.

What’s already working

• Tactical alertness: Your wins versus szybkilotnik and galshab show sharp calculation—e.g. the a-pawn sprint (moves 28-35) and the exchange-sack on c3 to activate rooks.
• Pressure in time-scrambles: Three of your last five victories came by your opponent’s flag. You keep pieces active, forcing them to spend time on defence.
• Opening variety: With White you handle 1.e4 gambits (King’s Gambit) and 1.d4 QGD structures; with Black you employ the Semi-Tarrasch, Caro-Kann and Modern—good experience for a well-rounded style.

Biggest improvement priorities (next 4-6 weeks)

1. King safety & prophylaxis
   • In your loss to Fajny_ziomek_123 you played 21…f6, weakening the dark squares and walking into Qh6-g7#.
   • Against XXX1101 you pushed pawns (h4-h6, g-pawn) before castling and were caught by …Qe2+ tactics.
   Drill: Pause before every pawn move in front of your king; ask, “What squares become weak and can my opponent’s queen/ bishop land there?”
2. Converting advantages without rushing In the Semi-Tarrasch win you were up two pawns on move 25 but still gave White counter-play on the seventh rank. Work on converting extra material with clean technique (centralise king, trade pieces, keep rooks doubled).
3. Consistent repertoire choices Switching between Caro-Kann and 1…e5 is fine, yet some tricky sidelines (Scotch Gambit, Advance Caro) have cost you points. Pick one main defence to 1.e4 and learn its critical lines two moves deeper.
   Mini-task: build a flash-card set covering:   • Scotch Gambit: 6…Ng4 (main), 6…Bb4+ (sideline).   • Advance Caro: 10…c4 plans vs 10…Nh6.
4. Endgame awareness Games vs golmerbabe and addict_insane ended with you down in simplified positions after overlooking pawn races. Add 10 minutes of rook-endgame drills to each tactics session.

Targeted exercises

• Daily 20-position set on Defensive Tactics (double-checks, back-rank mates, perpetual checks).
• Weekly review of one of your own losses with the questions: “Where did my evaluation go wrong?” – “Which candidate moves did I dismiss too quickly?”
• Play three training games starting from the diagram after 21…f6 in the Scotch Gambit and find the best defensive set-up.
• Study 5 model games on the Semi-Tarrasch to reinforce typical endgames with minority attack vs isolated pawn.

Progress tracker

Use the interactive charts below to watch for plateaus and adjust the workload accordingly:

Next steps

1. Add the above drills to your calendar.
2. After 20 rated games, export the PGNs and we'll reassess openings/endgames.
3. Keep enjoying the creative positions—just remember to castle before you attack!

Good luck at the board, and feel free to reach out after your next rating jump!