Hayk Vardanyan CM

Quick summary

Nice stretch — you’re converting advantages and finishing cleanly. Your recent win (Alapin/Sicilian structure) shows good tactical vision and finishing technique. At the same time a small number of tactical misses (especially around f7 / knight forks) cost you an important game — an easy fix with focused training.

Game viewers (pick one to review)

Tap a game to replay it and step through the critical moments.

• Most recent win vs armchess03:
• Recent loss vs hilmang2002:

What you’re doing well

• Finishing tactics and mating patterns — your recent wins end cleanly instead of letting chances slip.
• Opening selection looks well-chosen: excellent results in Sicilian Defense: Alapin Variation and the Ruy Lopez: Exchange Variation, and high win rates in some practical systems (French Advance, Philidor).
• Good time management in rapid: clocks show you keep comfortable time on long sequences, which helps calculation.
• Position sense — you convert small advantages into concrete threats rather than only pressing for long-term positional play.

Where to focus (high impact)

Based on the loss and recurring patterns, work on the following:

• Watch for knight forks and tactical themes around f7 / the king side — many decisive tactics in your losses exploit a weak square or an undefended back-rank/file.
• When you give up a defender (trade a bishop/queen that was guarding a key square), pause and ask: “Which checks, forks or discovered attacks appear?”
• Improve calculation depth in critical moments: rerun the lines where you allowed Nxf7-type shots and force yourself to enumerate opponent candidate moves.
• Prune the less-successful lines in practice (e.g., your Caro‑Kann results are lagging) — focus study time on your best weapon lines instead of maintaining many half-prepared variations.

Concrete 4-week plan

• Daily (20–30 minutes): Tactics puzzles — emphasis on forks, deflections, removal-of-the-guard and mating nets. Use mixed difficulty, but force 1–2 “hard” puzzles each session.
• Three times a week (20 minutes): Opening review — pick two critical lines you play (e.g., Sicilian Defense: Alapin Variation and Modern) and review model games + one novelty or move order trap.
• Twice a week (15–20 minutes): Endgame drills — basic rook endings, king+pawn vs king, and simple minor piece conversions. Convert technical wins quickly to avoid swindles.
• Weekly (1 game): Play one slow rapid/longer time control game and annotate it afterward. Focus on “what did my opponent threaten after my last two moves?”

Short checklist to use mid-game

• After each move, ask: “What is my opponent threatening now?”
• Count checks, captures and threats before committing to a quiet move.
• If you win material, check for counterplay — open files, back-rank mates, and incoming forks.
• Before exchanges, verify the square left behind (outposts / weak squares) and whether it helps your opponent’s pieces.

Opening & repertoire notes

• Your opening win rates: Alapin (~71%) and Ruy Lopez Exchange (~62.5%) are real strengths — double down on them.
• Systems with lower win rates (Caro‑Kann ~33%) should be reviewed — either improve the line with one focused study session or replace it with a more familiar system.
• Keep short, practical plans against common replies: memorized plans are more useful in rapid than endless theory.

Practical next steps (this week)

• Do 30 tactical puzzles (mix) and mark the themes you miss most.
• Replay the loss vs hilmang2002 and write down exactly when f7 became vulnerable — identify the earlier move that allowed it.
• Pick one model game in the Alapin and put three strategic ideas in your pocket to use next four games.

Motivation & long-term

Your strength-adjusted win rate (~0.595) and steady rating trend show you’re above-average at rapid. Small, targeted work on tactics and a tighter opening focus will yield measurable gains quickly. Keep the momentum — small daily habits beat large, irregular efforts.

Placeholders & extra links

• Opponent profile (win): armchess03
• Opponent profile (loss): hilmang2002
• Opening references to review: Sicilian Defense: Alapin Variation, Ruy Lopez: Exchange Variation, Modern