Matvei Shcherbin IM

Hi Matvei!

Great streak of high-paced games lately. I looked at your most recent results (both wins and losses) and distilled a few strengths, as well as concrete improvement ideas you can apply right away.

What you’re already doing well

• Consistent opening repertoire. 1.e4 as White with the Scotch/Petrov family and the Paulsen-style Sicilian as Black give you positions you understand. You often reach playable middlegames with a small lead on the clock.
• Tactical alertness. Your two March 19th wins show sharp tactics: the Bxc6 / c7 push vs. LaBougieEteinte and the exchange sac Rxf5!! vs. LaBougieEteinte in the first game. When the board explodes, you usually find the right shot.
• Fighting spirit in time scrambles. You frequently keep playing accurate premoves in positions with <5 s. It converts some completely lost endgames into wins on time.

Recurring issues & quick fixes

1. Early …Bc5 in the Paulsen (games vs. MaskOfEmotions2 & Borodianka).
   The move wins a tempo on e4, but it makes your kingside dark squares fragile and puts the bishop on a file that White will soon open with b4 or Nxc5.
   Quick fix: After …c5 e6 Nf6 Bb4 stick to the main line …d6/…Nc6 before revealing the bishop. Review 10-min surge of master games in the Paulsen with an engine to internalise better squares.
2. Over-extension of the g- and h-pawns when you are Black.
   In several losses you pushed …g5/…h5 while undeveloped (moves 14-20). It scared White, but also gave him the g-file for open lines against your king.
   Drill: Play three 15-min training games vs. the engine where you forbid yourself to push either flank pawn until move 15. It installs a “seat-belt” habit.
3. Time-trouble conversions.
   Your average remaining time at move 40 is often below 5 s, even in won positions (see the 78-move endgame vs. xiaotong2008).
   Plan: Every day run five 1-min “clock-only” drills (play the opening until move 15 with premoves only, resign, restart). It trains the muscle memory ⟶ spare seconds you’ll need later.
   Also read about Zeitnot if you haven’t already.
4. End-game conversion.
   You frequently reach rook-plus-pawns endings a pawn up, then slip (e.g. Borodianka & MergenKakabaev games).
   Immediate task: Solve 20 positions from “100 Endgames You Must Know” chapter 3 (rook vs. rook). Do three/day; annotate key squares in a notebook.

Strategic upgrades for April

• Pick one secondary defence to 1.e4 (Petrov or French Tarrasch) so you’re not forced into the Paulsen when opponents prep.
• Add one positional structure to your White arsenal (e.g. Italian Giuoco Pianissimo) to polish maneuvering skills and limit early exchanges—good antidote to bullet “tactics only” habits.
• Weekly self-review session: import three losses into an engine, annotate “Why did I choose this?” for every move that changes eval > 0.5. This builds disciplined decision-making.

Key performance snapshots

One puzzle from your own game

Try to spot the winning idea you missed in the loss to MaskOfEmotions2 (position after 15…Bxh2+):

Answer (hover to reveal): 16.Kxh3? was played, but 16.Qe2! gives White no attack and keeps material parity.

Final encouragement

You’re already performing at titled-player level in bullet—excellent! Shoring up the structural mistakes and time-management will push you beyond 2800 in no-increment and stabilise your rapid rating too. Keep the enthusiasm, and see you at the next training session!