Dharma Tjiam IM

Hi Dharma (T-Jam)!

Great work keeping your blitz rating around 2454 (2019-01-11) and scoring tactical wins such as your recent French Exchange victory. Below are some targeted pointers to help you climb to the next level.

1. Opening refinement

• French Exchange (Winawer-delayed)
  Your 4.exd5 line is solid but can be a little tame. Consider adding 4.e5 or 4.Bd2 to keep more tension and create winning chances without simplifying too early.
• Sicilian attack setups
  Repeated early pawn thrusts (f-pawn & h-pawn) yielded mixed results. In the loss vs Noor323 the sequence 11.Ne4 … gxh5 led to a weak king. Try delaying pawn storms until you complete development and have the initiative initiative.
• Have a “plan B” vs flexible defences such as the French/Carlsbad where opponents avoid your prepared lines. Building a small repertoire tree (two replies per opponent’s main choice) will keep you versatile.

2. Middlegame decisions

• Model example: In the win against Chessgmalready, the manoeuvre 22.Re5! 24.Rae1! showed fine coordination. Keep looking for force multipliers – pieces that simultaneously hit several targets.
• Over-extension alerts: Loss vs BeautifulmindMD – after 20.a5 b5 21.cxb5 Nd5! the queenside pawn rush created backward targets. Before advancing a pawn past the 5th rank, ask “Can it be supported in two moves?” If not, reconsider.
• Make prophylactic moves when you already have an edge. In multiple games you skipped luft for your king and were hit by back-rank tricks.

3. Endgame technique

• In several losses (e.g. vs PARINOV56) winning chances evaporated after material imbalance. Practise converting R+P vs R rook endings; this crops up often after your tactical middlegames.
• Adopt a simple method: activate king > improve worst piece > create passed pawn – in that order.

4. Time management

Your average clock on move 15 in winning games is 2:12, but only 1:24 in lost games. The correlation is clear – protect your think-time. Two habits help:

1. Use the opponent’s time to map candidate moves (at least two).
2. Set an internal alarm at 1:00; switch to safe moves instead of hunting the perfect continuation.

5. Tactical workout routine

Daily puzzle rush, but focus on defensive motifs (interposition, perpetual, drawing tactics). Your attacking sense is strong; shoring up defence will balance your style.

6. Suggested study plan

• Opening: build a 10-line “emergency kit” you can play on autopilot when low on time.
• Middlegame: annotate your own critical decisions each week; mark whether they were forcing, prophylactic, or neutral.
• Endgame: play King-and-Pawn vs King races against an engine from random positions for 10 minutes a day.
• Review performance trends with
  and
  to spot your best playing windows.

7. Inspiration corner

Replay the miniature below whenever you need a confidence boost:

Keep up the fighting spirit, Dharma. Aim to convert just one extra advantageous position per session and you’ll break the next rating ceiling soon. Good luck!