Uthra Pakkiriswamy WFM

Feedback for Uthra Pakkiriswamy (uthra18)

What you are already doing well

• Active and well–prepared openings as Black. Your victories with the Sicilian Kan show good familiarity with typical plans such as …a6/…b5 and rapid development toward …Rac8 and …Rfd8. In the
  
  game you punished White’s 21. Qa4? instantly with 21…Qxe5!, converting efficiently.
• Tactical alertness. You spot intermediate moves (e.g. 22…Qxe2! and 23…Bxc5+ in the same game) and are not afraid to sacrifice material for initiative.
• Handling of open positions. In several wins you kept pieces active and seized files with …Rac8/…Rfd8 or doubled rooks on the f-file, a practical strength in 60 + 1 time controls.

Recurring issues to address

• Time management. Four of your last seven losses were on the clock. You often reach promising middlegames (e.g. vs Ranjan) but fall below 20 s with complex decisions still ahead.
• Over-extension with the English as White. Games vs Yeroha and Yuraj96 show early pawn storms (g4/g5 or f4/f5) that loosened your king and left weak squares on e4/e3. A quieter build-up is usually safer until pieces are fully developed.
• Endgame conversion and defense. In the loss to Yeroha you reached an opposite-colored-bishop ending only one pawn down yet misplaced the king and knight, allowing a passed h-pawn to decide. Technique drills will pay quick dividends.
• Ignoring opponents’ counter-play. Several defeats feature one-move tactical shots (…Nf3+, …Rxd1) that could be avoided with a brief prophylaxis scan before committing to your move.

Action plan (next 4-6 weeks)

1. Adopt the “40-20-40” time rule. Spend roughly 40 % of your time on the first 15 moves, 20 % on moves 16-25, and reserve 40 % for move 26-end. This prevents late-game blitzing.
2. Weekly end-game workout.
   • Monday/Wednesday – rook versus minor-piece endings (especially R+P vs B or N).
   • Friday – “Technique ladder”: convert an extra pawn in 10 randomly generated positions using an engine for post-game check.
   • Weekend – review one annotated master game that reaches an endgame similar to your openings (e.g. Kan Sicilians by Karpov).
3. Opening fine-tuning.
   • Against 1.c4/1.Nf3 as Black: prepare a simple equalizing system to avoid time spend in the early moves (e.g. symmetrical English with …c5/…Nc6/…g6).
   • As White in the English: delay g-pawn advances until pieces coordinate; study games by Kramnik where he plays c4, g3 without early g4.
4. Daily 15-minute calculation ritual. Choose three tactics rated >2300 on any puzzle set; write down candidate moves before moving pieces to train conscious checking of forcing replies.
5. Post-game self-review template. After each session answer: “What small signal warned me of my eventual problem?” – this cultivates the habit of prophylaxis.

Progress tracker

• Hour-by-hour performance:

Encouragement

Your current strengths already place you near the 2000 barrier. By tightening time usage and polishing endgame skills you should realistically gain 80-120 rating points in the next quarter. Keep the tactics sharp, trust your intuition in the Sicilian, and remember: a single calm prophylactic move can save minutes on the clock and points on the table. Good luck, and enjoy the journey!