Ulviyya Fataliyeva WGM

Feedback for Ulviyya Fataliyeva (ulkaf961)

What you are already doing well

• Proactive, initiative-based opening play. Your Trompowsky (1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5) and French Advance lines show that you seek early imbalances and are comfortable taking space. In your recent win against simoberge you punished ...Nxd4 with the energetic 8.O-O! followed by 12.a4 and 17.b4, seizing the initiative and never letting go.
• Tactical alertness. You often spot forcing continuations. In the same game you finished with the elegant sequence
  
  , combining back-rank ideas and a deflection of the queen.
• Converting extra material. When up a rook in your win versus factchecker99 you simplified into a technically winning rook-and-pawn ending without allowing counterplay.
• Good practical sense in slower time controls. Your results in 10 + 5 games show a solid performance curve, especially during late evenings (
  ).

Opportunities for improvement

• Time management in very fast games. Three of the losses against LastGladiator1 were on the clock rather than the board. Try a strict “move-every-2-seconds” rule until the position stabilises, and consider playing more 5 + 3 to practise rapid evaluation.
• Pawn structure discipline. In the 60-second Owens Defence loss you pushed ...d5–d4 prematurely, creating holes on c4 & e4 that White exploited with 16.Ne4 and 22.Be5. Before launching pawn storms, ask “What squares am I giving up?”
• Defence against kingside pawn storms. Several opponents (e.g. Didici, move 14.g4! in the Slav Triangle) used pawn levers to open your king. Review model games by Petrosian to see how to meet advances with timely ...h6, ...g6 or piece regrouping.
• Endgame rook activity. In the D11 loss you allowed 29...Rxa5 to exchange an active rook for a passive one, after which Black’s passed b-pawn decided. Remember the principle “rooks belong behind passed pawns.”

Concrete next steps

1. Play two slow games per week (15 + 10 or longer) focusing on thinking routines. Log critical positions and review them the next day.
2. Solve 20 mixed tactics daily, emphasising intermediate moves (zwischenzug), to sharpen your calculation depth.
3. Rehearse the basic rook-and-pawn endings (Lucena & Philidor). They appear frequently in your games.
4. Prepare a lightweight backup vs. 1.e4 such as the Caro-Kann; it offers solid pawn structures and fewer early tactics than Owen’s Defence.
5. Track your progress each Sunday using
   and celebrate small improvements.

Quick reference

Your current peak blitz rating: 2532 (2020-01-22)

Key thematic position to remember: Black to move after 18...Bxe4 in the Didici game—spot the resource 19...Qh4! to maintain the initiative.

Keep up the fighting spirit, and good luck in your next event!