RomsC7

Hi RomsC7 – here’s a personalised review of your recent games

1. What you’re already doing well

• Sharp tactical vision. Many of your wins come from quick blows such as 8…Nd4  (
  
  ) that punish loose enemy moves.
• Confidence in the Scandinavian Defence. You score well with 1…d5 and are comfortable grabbing the pawn back and developing the queen to a5/d8.
• Fast, practical play. Your average clock usage is low, helping you beat opponents on time in complicated positions. The
  shows a healthy score in the late-evening sessions where others flag.

2. Main growth areas

• Over-moving the queen in the opening
  In several losses you spent four or more tempi with the queen (e.g.
  
  ). Every extra queen move lets the opponent develop. ► Rule of thumb: bring the queen out once, then don’t touch her again until you have castled.
• King safety
  Three of your last five defeats ended with your king stuck in the centre or on e8/e1. Make it a habit to castle by move 10 unless there is a concrete reason not to.
• Ignoring the opponent’s threats
  After 18…Rd8 in your win vs Jackeee_D you asked, “What can White do to me?” and found the mating idea …Qe1#. Apply the same question after every move you play: “What can I be hit by next?” This single check will stop most cheap tactics against you.
• End-game technique
  The resignation against ConnorD99 arose in a rook-and-pawns race that was saveable. A little work on king & pawn endings will convert many of these half-points into wins.

3. Opening suggestions

• As Black in the Scandinavian, try the solid 3…Qa5 line rather than the time-consuming checks with Qe6+.
• As White, replace the early queen lunge 2.Qh5 with classical development: Nf3, Bc4, O-O. Your attacking skill will be even stronger once your pieces are out.

4. Training plan

1. Tactics – 20 puzzles a day, focusing on forks & pins. Use the tag filter for zwischenzug to sharpen calculation.
2. Model games – play through one annotated Scandinavian and one classical e4-e5 game each week.
3. End-games – master King & Pawn vs King, then rook endings. 15 min twice a week is enough to start.
4. Time management – adopt the 20/20 rule: spend at least 20 s on each of your first 10 moves to spot cheap tactics against you.

5. Quick reference checklist

• Develop two minor pieces before moving the queen twice.
• Ask “What does my opponent threaten?” every move.
• Castle by move 10.
  
• When ahead in material, simplify; when behind, complicate.

6. Motivation corner

Your current peak is 730 (2024-05-21). With the fixes above, 800+ is realistic within the next two months. Keep the fighting spirit, play a consistent opening set, and your tactical flair will shine without backfiring.

Good luck and good chess!