Alexey Chos IM

Quick summary

Nice block of rapid games — solid growth and some clean wins. You show good piece coordination in the middlegame and you've been comfortable pressing small advantages. Below I highlight concrete patterns you repeat, where you can improve fastest, and a short practice plan you can start this week.

Example game (key win)

Replay the decisive game vs Michael Fernandez to follow the ideas I reference below:

• Game viewer:

What you’re doing well

• Timing and initiative: you convert small space or development leads into concrete tactics rather than waiting. That showed up in the English Opening win where you opened a file and used it decisively (English Opening).
• Piece coordination: your rooks and bishops often work together to create threats on the kingside and central files.
• Practical play under time control: you handle typical rapid complications confidently and are willing to simplify into favorable endgames.
• Opening variety: you get playable positions from many systems (Queen’s Indian, Sicilian, Caro‑Kann). Keep that adaptability — it’s a strength.

Recurring problems & specific areas to fix

• Pawn-structure concessions: in the loss to gerodot71 you accepted isolated/weak pawns and they became targets. Focus on when to accept structural damage for activity vs when to avoid it.
• Tactical oversights in exchanges: you sometimes capture material without checking opponent counterplay (examples in a couple of wins where a recapture opened lines against you). Slow down for 5–10 seconds on any capture that changes the pawn structure or opens a file.
• Endgame technique under reduced material: several games ended with you letting small advantages slip. Practice basic rook and minor‑piece endgames so you convert cleanly.
• Opening trap vulnerability in some Queen’s Pawn positions — early knights and queens can be traded awkwardly (review the lines you played in the Queen’s Indian and Grünfeld exchange games).

Concrete training plan (4 weeks)

• Daily 20–30 minutes: tactics trainer (focus on forks, pins, and discovered attacks). Aim for accuracy, not speed — 15 solved puzzles correctly in a row.
• 3× week, 30 minutes: endgame drills — king+rook vs king, Lucena/Raymond positions, key bishop vs knight endings. Use short positions and practice converting under the clock.
• 2× week, 30 minutes: targeted opening review. For openings with weaker results (e.g., Gruenfeld and Scandinavian), review 5 typical plans and one mistake you made in each losing game. For your strong lines (English Opening and Queen's Indian Defense), add one concrete improvement — a new move order or a sample plan against common replies.
• Weekly game review: pick one rapid game you won and one you lost. Annotate 3 moments in each game where you could have improved the decision (candidate moves, exchange decisions, pawn breaks).
• Practical: play two 15|10 rapid games per day or 4 classical training games per week and immediately annotate critical mistakes while fresh.

Quick decision checklist (use during games)

• Before any capture: ask “Does this open a file/diagonal toward my king or leave a back rank weakness?”
• Before exchanging pieces: check if you increase opponent’s pawn majority, strengthen a passed pawn, or relieve a cramped position.
• When ahead by small material: simplify if it reduces opponent counterplay; avoid automatic trades when your pieces are more active.
• If low on time: prioritize safe moves that keep the position simple and reduce tactics for the opponent.

Opening-specific notes

• English/Symmetrical: your one game here converted nicely — continue practicing central breaks and timely pawn lever (d4/d5). (English Opening)
• Queen’s Indian: you get comfortable fianchetto positions — study typical exchange sacrifices and the plan of expanding on the queenside. (Queen's Indian Defense)
• Grünfeld Exchange & Scandinavian: these show lower win rates. Review typical pawn‑break timing and how to avoid passive piece placement; often the tactical reply to a central push is decisive. (Gruenfeld)

Time management tips for rapid

• Use the first 6–8 moves to get a comfortable setup — don’t burn time on move 2–4 unless it’s critical to the opening.
• On complex tactical sequences, pause for one extra key calculation (count candidate moves). In rapid that single extra calculation often prevents a blunder.
• If you reach move 20 with 6+ minutes left, switch to “safety mode”: avoid speculative sacrifices unless you calculated them fully.

Small checklist to start next session

• Warm up: 10-minute tactics to get pattern recognition working.
• Study: one short endgame (rook vs rook or pawn endgame) for 20 minutes.
• Play: 3 rapid games, then annotate one key mistake from each immediately.

Closing encouragement

You’ve shown fast progress recently — keep the focused practice (tactics + specific endgames + opening trimming). The +310 trend indicates you’re doing the right things; narrowing the mistakes I listed will convert more of those close games into wins. If you want, I can prepare a 2‑week drill set tailored to the top three openings you play most.

Would you like that opening drill set (Yes/No)?