Sana Tan WFM

Hi Sana (sanatan9999) – Personalized Post-Game Review

1. What’s already working

• Tactical alertness. Your wins against crazyjax and king_rororo both featured double-attack ideas (e.g. 15.Ne5! and the Ng5–Ne6 “fork carousel”).
• Converting initiative. Once you own the open file you rarely let go – the finish 
  
  shows clean technique.
• Wide opening repertoire. You handle French, Scandinavian, Nimzo-Indian and several Sicilian sidelines from both colours, giving you flexibility against most opponents.

2. Growth opportunities

• King safety vs pawn storms. Losses to notowen01 and MarcosLujan started with early pawn thrusts (h-/g-pawns) that weakened your own king. Learn the concept of prophylaxis  prophylaxis.
• Handling backward/isolated pawns in the Scandinavian. The …c6 structure is solid only if you keep the d-pawn guarded. In the loss to NotOwen you let …Nb4 & …Nxa2 happen. Study model games where White plays c4–c5 before Black finishes development.
• Time management. Four of the last seven defeats were on the clock. You spend 35-40 sec on “easy” recaptures, then blitz later and blunder. Adopt a 3-step scan (checks-captures-threats) that takes no more than 10 sec each move.
• Endgame technique vs knights. In the K+B+N endings (e.g. vs Rootje59) you did well, but in the loss to NotOwen the knight out-posted you (…Nb4-c6-e5-g4). Review knight-outpost themes and the idea of limiting a knight with pawns on the same-colour squares.

3. Action plan – next 4 weeks

1. Opening tune-up (15 min/day). Build a mini-file with 10 key Scandinavian positions: initial tabia, …Qa5 line, and common White plans. Rehearse against the engine until you can play the first 10 moves in < 2 minutes.
2. Tactics ladder (20 min/day). Puzzle rush or custom set at 1600–2000 rating; stop after 3 strikes, annotate why the tactic worked (pin, fork, overload, etc.).
3. Clock discipline drill (every blitz session). Force yourself to move before your time dips below 2:20 in the opening, even if the move is only 90 % sure. This trains practical decision-making.
4. Endgame study (2 games/week). Pick one knight vs bishop endgame from MasterBase; play it vs engine from both sides until you hold/draw/win consistently.

4. Stats & tracking

Peak blitz so far: 1874 (2019-01-02) – aim +50 in the next quarter.
Use to spot your strongest focus hours and queue your serious games then.

5. Quick reference checklist (pin to your desk!)

• Castle before move 10 in open games unless you have a forced tactic.
• After every pawn move around your king, ask: “What diagonal/file opened?”
• Scan for opponent counter-threats immediately after your candidate move (mini-zwischenzug check).
• If a knight reaches your 5th rank, challenge it within two moves or change the game (counter-attack elsewhere).

6. Final word

Your aggressive style is exciting and rating-friendly once the basics are watertight. A bit more structure (openings), safety (king), and rhythm (clock) will push you past 1800 quickly. See you over the board – and good luck in your next session!