Steven Yap

Quick summary

Nice patch of results recently — your long‑term trend is upward and your win rate vs similar strength opponents is solid (~51% strength adjusted). You’re winning by actively hunting tactics and grabbing material, but a few recurring issues are costing you losses (mate threats, passed pawns and coordination). Below I’ve pulled practical, game‑specific feedback and a short study plan you can start this week.

Recent game highlights (one example)

From your most recent win (vs nitinsharma66), you converted a tactical opportunity by grabbing pawns with the queen and then converting after your pieces coordinated. That aggression paid off.

• Key moment: you won material by entering with the queen on the kingside and then on the seventh rank — strong tactical recognition.
• Good play: you completed development, kept the initiative and used threats rather than passive defense.

Replay the sequence (quick viewer):

[[Pgn|e4|e5|Nf3|Nc6|d4|exd4|Nxd4|Nxd4|Qxd4|b6|Nc3|Bc5|Qxg7|Qf6|Qg3|Bb7|Qxc7|Bxe4|Nxe4|Qf5|Nd6+|Bxd6|Qxd6|Ne7|Bd3|Qg5|Bxg5|fen|r3k2r/p2pnp1p/1p1Q4/6B1/8/3B4/PPP2PPP/R3K2R|orientation|white|autoplay|false]

What you’re doing well

• Active tactics and pattern recognition — you spot queen/rook infiltration and seventh‑rank targets quickly.
• Opening familiarity — you play the Scotch Game often and know common attacking ideas there.
• Good long‑term progress — your 6‑month gains show real improvement; fundamentals are getting stronger.

Main areas to improve (based on your recent games)

• King safety & back‑rank awareness — several losses ended in mating nets or decisive checks. Always check for back‑rank weaknesses before trades or pawn pushes (see back rank).
• Rook coordination vs passed pawns — in some losses you allowed pawns to promote or let rooks get trapped while the enemy advanced. Practice blocking and simplifying when a pawn is close to queening.
• Endgame technique — convert advantages reliably. When ahead of material, exchange into a winning endgame rather than letting complications continue.
• Time management in critical moments — you have enough time overall but sometimes spend too much on safe moves and then rush the critical ones. Make quicker routine moves and reserve time for calculation‑heavy positions.

Concrete next‑week plan (doable & focused)

• Daily: 15–20 minutes tactics (focus on forks, pins, discovered attacks and back‑rank mates). Aim for 10 good solves not speed alone.
• 3 sessions: short endgame drills — king & pawn vs king, basic rook endgames (Lucena, Philidor ideas), and defending blocked passers. Spend 20–30 minutes per session.
• 2 games: play four 10‑minute rapid games where your goal is “no blunders” — resign only on forced loss, practice converting up material and stopping passed pawns.
• Opening tune‑up: pick 2 typical Scotch Game lines you met and learn one reliable reply for Black. Use your strong openings (Caro‑Kann and Australian Defense) for variety when you want safer games — your stats show good results there.

Practical in‑game checklist (use every game)

• Before every move: 1) Are any of my pieces hanging? 2) Does opponent have a check, mate or fork next move? 3) Can I trade to remove their passer or simplify into a winning endgame?
• When ahead in material: exchange queens and rooks if it reduces counterplay and simplifies to an easy win.
• When defending a passed pawn: occupy/block the promotion square, exchange pieces, or pin the pawn‑carrier if possible.

Short study resources & drills

• Tactics sets: focus on pins, skewers, discovered attacks and back‑rank mates.
• Endgames: read or watch short lessons on Lucena and basic rook endgames — these pay off quickly when pawns promote in your games.
• Opening: study a clear plan for the Scotch Game main ideas and one safe transposition into the Caro-Kann Defense or Australian Defense when you need a less tactical game.

Mental / rating notes

Your 6‑month trend (+152) shows strong improvement. Minor drops in the last month are normal — focus on process (tactics + endgames + disciplined time use) and the rating will follow. Keep a short session log: what tactic cost you a game, and one concrete fix you practiced.

One concrete drill to start now

• Play a 10‑minute game and immediately after: annotate 3 critical moves you made (why you chose them), then solve 5 tactics that resemble the motifs you missed in that game. Repeat 3 times this week.

If you want, I can…

• Review a loss or win move‑by‑move with short comments (paste a PGN or tell me which game).
• Create a 4‑week training schedule tuned to your openings and time availability.
• Generate targeted tactics puzzles (back‑rank, rook vs pawn promotion) based on what cost you games.

Useful links (quick)

• Replay your last win vs nitinsharma66 above.
• If you want me to annotate the loss vs tieuy77000 or T0m0rr0wl4nd, paste that PGN and I’ll mark the turning points.