Ticia Gara WGM

Hi Ticia, here is some focused feedback based on your recent games

What you are doing very well

• Dynamic Sicilian play. Your handling of the ...d5 and ...d4 breaks (see move 13…d4 in the latest win) shows excellent timing and a good feel for pawn lever tactics.
• Tactical alertness. Sequences such as 16…e5! 18…Rfe8! and 24…dxc2! demonstrate that you detect tactical resources quickly, often converting them into decisive material gains.
• Practical end-game conversion. In the same game you smoothly converted the R + pawns vs. minor pieces ending by pushing connected passed pawns and activating your king.
• Opening repertoire coherence. You repeatedly reach familiar Sicilian and Petroff structures, indicating a well-organised repertoire that avoids early surprises.
• Peak results. 2432 (2020-04-06) and 2508 (2024-05-01) numbers show that your level is already high; the suggestions below aim to squeeze out a few extra points.

High-impact improvements

1. Transition from advantage to kill: In several wins the opponent was flagged rather than checkmated. While this is fine in online play, practice choosing the cleanest finishing lines so that you cultivate the habit for OTB events where the clock increments are larger.
2. Space vs. structure decisions with Black. A few losses in the Petroff and Caro-Kann stemmed from giving White too much central space (e.g. 3…d6?! in the Petroff, or early …g6 in the Caro). Consider switching to the mainline 3…Nc6 Petroff and the classical …Bf5 Caro-Kann to contest the centre earlier.
3. Time-management under 3 min. In the rapid wins you kept a healthy clock, but blitz losses (e.g. on 24 Nov 2020) show time pressure blunders. Commit to a “red-zone” rule: with ~20 sec left, make a move every 2 sec even if it is only ≈0.2 pawn worse.
4. End-game rook technique. Study R vs. R + pawn and R + rook-pawn endings. In your 2020 loss vs. MachineGunPhilipp you allowed an outside passed a-pawn to queen. Drilling the Philidor and Vancura positions fixes this.

Opening lab corner

Suggested weekly training routine

• Monday – Calculation sprint: 30 tactical puzzles (difficulty 2600-2900) at 3 min each.
• Wednesday – End-game drill: 15 studies with only rooks & pawns; repeat positions until solved in under 60 sec.
• Friday – Thematic blitz: 10-game set starting from the Petroff main line after 3…Nc6. Review only the first 15 moves for each game.
• Weekend – Annotate one of your own games. Aim for 3 critical positions with concrete variations rather than a full narrative.

Progress tracker

Use the charts below to monitor form swings. If win-rate dips below 55 % on any given day, schedule a rest and review session.

Keep it up!

You have the tactical vision and opening knowledge to compete with anyone in your rating band. Sharpen the technical endings and clock handling, and the next jump (2500+ online rapid) is well within reach.