Antonin LEPRINCE

Hi Antonin, here is some constructive feedback based on your recent Rapid games

1  What you already do well

• Tactical alertness. In several wins you spotted forks and mating nets quickly – e.g. the sparkling 22.Rxa7 & 32.Ra6# finish against babaauxrh.
• Practical fighting spirit. Even when material down you keep looking for counter-play (see the B07 win where you pushed the a-pawn all the way to promotion).
• Creative pawn breaks. The advance e6 (Scotch) and e5/f4 (King’s Indian : Attack set-ups) show that you try to open lines for your pieces.

2  Key improvement areas

1. Opening fundamentals first, creativity second.
   • Several early queen sorties (8.Qd5, 9.Qxb7) gained pawns but left you under-developed.
   • Try to follow the classic order: develop, castle, then look for tactics.
   • Suggested focus openings (easy structures, few lines to memorise): Scotch / Italian as White, Caro-Kann or Pirc as Black.
2. King safety and move economy.
   • Games you lost often feature an uncastled king or too many pawn pushes in front of it (…g5, …h6).
   • Ask yourself each move: “Does this improve my worst-placed piece or my king’s safety?” If not, reconsider.
   • Study the concept of tempo – every unnecessary pawn move gives the opponent a free attacking turn.
3. Calculation discipline.
   • In the loss 1.d4 d5 2.Nc3 e6 3.Bf4 Bd7 … you missed the skewer 24.Rxd5–25.Qxe6+, turning a solid position into mate-in-a-few.
   • Add 10-minute daily tactics; concentrate on motifs you blunder: forks, skewers, back-rank mates.
4. Time management.
   • Two recent games were lost on time while still playable. Aim to keep ≥50 % of the starting time by move 20.
   • Practical drill: play 5-minute games where the only goal is to reach move 20 with >3 minutes left – results don’t matter.
5. End-game technique.
   • You converted several extra-material endings nicely, but in the Caro-Kann loss you allowed a passer to queen.
   • Work on basic king-and-pawn vs. king endings and rook activity rules (the “rook behind passed pawn” principle).

3  Concrete study plan (4-week sample)

4  Illustrative moment

Try replaying this critical sequence from your Scotch win :

Notice how every move opened a line or developed a piece while the black king stayed in the centre. Replicate this flow in other openings.

5  Progress tracker

Keep an eye on your performance charts – they will reflect the new habits:

Hourly performance:   |   Activity by day:

Current best Rapid rating: – let’s aim to add +100 points by consolidating the basics above.

6  Next steps

• Review openings but don’t over-memorise; understand plans.
• Solve quality tactics daily – accuracy beats volume.
• Analyse each lost game for the first big mistake, not the last.
• Play slow games vs. slightly higher-rated opponents like hassanyoussof to practise defence.

Stay consistent, and your progress will accelerate. Enjoy the journey, and good luck in your next games, Antonin!