Thandalam Shanmugam Ravi IM

Hi Ravi, here is some constructive feedback based on your recent games.

Your Competitive Profile

• 2595 (2020-04-12)   • 2382 (2022-09-27)
• Activity snapshots:

What You Are Doing Well

• Fearless initiative-seizing. In several wins (e.g. vs. biljanic) you launched early pawn storms with g4–g5–h4, creating practical problems right from move 2.
• Tactical awareness. The combination 22.Bg6 Kg8 23.Rxh6 (
  
  ) shows excellent pattern recognition and courage to finish the attack.
• Piece activity. Even in positions with material imbalance you fight for active squares (e.g. 24.Rd6! against Ramla2020, converting a dynamic rook endgame).

Main Areas to Improve

1. Clock Management
   Four of the last five losses were “won on time” by your opponent.
   • Adopt a simple move-making routine: Calculate ➞ Commit ➞ Check blunders ➞ Move, but set a hard limit (e.g. 5 seconds) before forcing yourself to decide.
   • Play a few longer rapid games each week to practise deeper calculation without the stress of bullet.
2. Opening Hygiene
   Early flank pawn pushes are fun but occasionally leave holes. In the loss vs. Rakshitta Ravi (08-Oct-2023) 13…Ng4 ?! followed by 15…f5 created weaknesses you could not cover in time trouble.
   • Add one solid backup line as Black against 1.Nf3/1.g3 to avoid improvising every game.
   • Review the concept of development tempo – see initiative.
3. Defensive Technique
   When the opponent gains the initiative you sometimes continue “playing for two results.” Example: after 24…Rxf1+ 25.Kxf1 Qf7+? in the same game, 26.Qf2! forced queens off and your attack evaporated. Train with defensive puzzles and practise “sit on your hands” moments to look for opponents’ threats first.
4. Endgame Conversion
   Good positions are occasionally lost because of basic rook-endgame slips (e.g. the time-forfeited but theoretically winning rook ending vs. Bacyanide).
   • Study Lucena and Philidor positions weekly until they feel trivial.
   • Play some engine-defended endgames starting from equal rook endings to build confidence.

Suggested Training Plan (4-week sample)

Quick Checklist Before Each Game

• Is my king safe?
• Are all pieces participating?
• What does my opponent want? (Prophylaxis)
• Am I spending time proportionally to the criticality of the position?

Keep sharpening your tactical edge, but balance it with solid structure and better time handling. With these adjustments you can push beyond your current peak and convert more promising positions into wins.
Good luck, Ravi!