Constructive Feedback for Roman Golubev
Congratulations on your current progress – your games show energy, creativity and a willingness to fight for the initiative. Below is a structured review based on your most recent results and general patterns that appear in your play.
Your current profile
• Peak rating so far: 2520 (2021-04-20)
• Activity overview:
Key Strengths
- Attacking instinct. When you gain space or a lead in development you are quick to generate threats (e.g. the French-Advance win where g4–g5 and d5–d6 ripped open Black’s king).
- Tactical alertness. You spot tactics such as Bxf3, rook lifts and mating nets even in time pressure, as seen in the Alekhine’s Defence miniature ending with 41.Qf7#.
- Piece activity over material. Exchange sacrifices like Rxd8+ in the French game show healthy appreciation of dynamic compensation.
High-Impact Improvement Areas
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Opening hygiene – cut out early self-pins & loose pawns.
• In several losses you pushed f- & g-pawns before completing development, making your own king the target (e.g. French loss vs Tooth_Master).
• Aim for the “four opening rules”: pieces out, king safe, centre controlled, only then pawn storms.
• Suggested homework: build a compact repertoire – one main line with White (e.g. 1.e4 open games) and two defences with Black (a solid vs 1.e4 and 1.d4). Depth matters more than breadth at your stage. -
Safety checks each move.
Many tactical oversights stem from a skipped “\u2192 What can my opponent do next?” audit. Add a short blunder-check routine before every move to avoid one-move drops and back-rank issues. -
End-game conversion.
Games such as the Ruy Lopez Exchange (king and pawn ending vs Parasect) slipped from equal to lost due to imprecise king routes.
• Drill the basic “four” endings: king+pawn vs king, opposition, outside passed pawn, Lucena/Philidor rook positions.
• 15 minutes of end-game puzzles daily pays off fast. -
Clock management.
Repeated time scrambles force you into bullet-mode calculation and increase blunders.
• Try “40 / 20 rule”: spend at most 40% of your base time on the first 15 moves, next 20% up to move 25, then preserve the rest for the finish.
Opening-specific Notes
• Dutch Defence (as Black): after …Ne4 and …c5 you captured on c3 twice and landed in a worse structure. Study the Stonewall and Leningrad mainlines to understand when taking on c3 is safe.
• French Classical, early …c5/…c4. Locking the centre with …c4 gave White a free b4-push. Instead, follow with …cxd4 and pressure d4 later.
• Alekhine’s Defence. Your win shows you know thematic breaks like …f6. Keep refining the Trifunovic setup – it suits your dynamic style.
• When in doubt, remember the concept of zwischenzug and playing for tempo advantages.
Tactical Pattern Bank
Keep a notebook of motifs you meet frequently – knight forks on c7/e6, rook lifts to h3/h6, back-rank mates. Solving 20 mixed puzzles per day will reinforce pattern speed.
Highlighted Game for Self-Review
Try stepping through the annotations yourself first, then compare with an engine. Focus on critical moments marked by doubled question-marks.
Action Plan for the Next Month
- Play three 15 + 10 games per week and annotate them without an engine first.
- Finish one chapter of Silman’s “Complete Endgame Course” on rook endings.
- Memorise eight key lines in your main opening choices, focussing on plans not moves.
- Daily: 20 tactics + 10 minutes of spaced-repetition flashcards for weak motifs.
Stay curious, keep analysing and remember that every loss is data. Good luck, Roman – looking forward to your next rating jump!