sniperoftal

Hi sniperoftal – Coach’s feedback

What you are already doing well

• Tactical vision: you often notice loose pieces and aren’t afraid to grab material (e.g. 9…Qxc3+ against “WinWithWalsh26”).
• Active piece play: the way you doubled rooks on the f-file in your win vs “IfigeneiaNera” shows you like bringing pieces to the attack once lines open.
• Time-management: even in sharp positions you normally keep a healthy amount of time on the clock; that’s a good habit at any level.

Key patterns that are costing you points

1. Late or unsafe king safety
   • In the loss vs. “vdashkov” you castled after your queen left the kingside, allowing Qxf7#.
   • In several wins you survived uncastled only because your opponent missed checks. Don’t rely on that at higher levels.
2. Over-extended pawns in the opening
   Repeated early pushes with the f- and g-pawns (g4–g5, f3–f4) leave holes on e3/e4 and the dark squares around your king. A typical example is move 5.g4 in the March 29 game where Black later landed …Nxf3+ and …Qh4.
3. Piece development before queen adventures
   Both sides of your games feature early queen moves (Qb3, Qh5, …Qa5). Try to follow the rule: “Knights and bishops first; queen after move 10.” It will cut the number of times your queen becomes a target and costs you tempi.
4. Missing basic mating nets
   In the Alekhine’s Defence loss to challengecode0000 you resigned on move 11, but the position was still playable. Learning standard mating motifs (e.g. back-rank mate, smothered mate, Greek gift) will help you evaluate positions calmly.

Action plan

1. Solid, repeatable openings

• As White: Try the Italian Game (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4) or the London System (1.d4 d5 2.Bf4). Both give you quick development and safe kings.
• As Black vs 1.e4: Keep the Caro-Kann, but memorise the short line

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Your bishop stays on g6 until it is safe to trade, avoiding Qxf7 tactics.
• As Black vs 1.d4: A simple set-up is the Queen’s Gambit Declined: d5, e6, Nf6, Be7, O-O. Less theory, more structure.

2. Opening checklist (every game)

• Control the centre with pawns.
• Develop both knights and both bishops.
• Castle.
• Connect the rooks.
• Only then consider pawn storms or queen sorties.

3. Daily exercises

• 10 tactical puzzles/day focusing on forks, pins and mates in 2 – use the “Themes” filter for tactics.
• Spend 5 minutes replaying one of your own games without the engine, writing down one better move for each side; then compare with the engine.
• Play three 10|0 or 15|10 games per week and annotate them – slower time control reveals hidden mistakes that blitz hides.

4. Endgame basics

A few wins finish with extra material but could have been cleaner. Make sure you can mate with queen + king, rook + king, and convert a pawn majority. Study the “Lucena” and “Philidor” rook-endgame positions (search them with Lucena and Philidor).

Your progress at a glance

  
Current peak: 1007 (2024-07-16)

Final thought

Keep enjoying the game and embrace each loss as a lesson. If you follow the plan above for even two weeks you will notice fewer quick losses and more positions where your tactical eye can shine after your king is safe. Good luck, and have fun on the board!