Coach Chesswick
Hi Sai Nirupama!
You have been playing energetic, resource-seeking chess and it clearly shows in your strong results and a current peak of 2525 (2025-05-08). Below is a concise performance snapshot:
What you’re already doing well
- Tactical alertness: Your 18…Ng4!! in the win against benyamin-1993 instantly revived a piece-down position and converted to a resignation. (See the critical phase in the PGN viewer.)
- Endgame patience: The queen + rook endgame versus shortcrustpiastri was converted with calm centralization and perpetual mating nets. Your coordination of queen + bishop vs. lone king in the final seconds is textbook.
- Flexible opening setups: As White you alternate between the Closed Sicilian structure (e4, Nf3, d3, g3) and the King’s Indian Attack versus …e5. This keeps opponents guessing while keeping theory light.
Targeted growth areas
- Handling dynamic imbalances as Black
Loss to Mahir Salkic (Slav Exchange) shows hesitation after 14…Ne4. You willingly entered a structure with an IQP & bishop pair for White without a concrete plan. Before committing to such structural concessions, ask: “What is my next forcing move?” If you can’t find one, consider a quieter option like …Qa5 or …Rc8 first. - King safety in the Pirc setups
In the game vs. Slow-Demon, the sequence 10.Qxb7 and 17.Rd6 exploited your loose dark squares. React faster to early queen sorties by meeting Qxb7 with …Qc8 (guarding b7 & h3) or simply delaying …c5 until castled. - Clock management
Your average time left at move 25 is ~25 s in wins but <15 s in losses. Try the “30-20-10” rule: aim to have ≥30 s on move 10, ≥20 s on move 20, ≥10 s entering the endgame. Even one extra second per move will cut the blunder rate drastically. - Scoring versus higher-rated players
Against 2600+ you often choose solid but slightly passive systems. Consider adding one ambitious line to surprise them, e.g. Open Sicilian with 3.d4 (you already showed good feel for the resulting structures as Black!).
Action plan for the next two weeks
- Replay the critical losses with the engine for 10 minutes each. Ask “Where was my first non-forcing decision?” Correcting one early inaccurate plan usually fixes the whole game.
- Daily exercise: 15 mixed tactics, theme defensive resources & zwischenzug. Track your score; aim for >80 % accuracy.
- Opening tune-up: prepare one new idea in the Sicilian as White (e.g. 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Ice-Cream Attack) and test it in five blitz games. Record the practical results.
- Time-control drill: play three 3|2 blitz games focusing solely on keeping ≥20 s after move 20. Ignore the result; train the habit.
Motivational nugget
“Improvement begins at the edge of your comfort zone. Push one boundary each session.”
Keep the energy high and the calculation clean—looking forward to your next rating jump!