Vera Juergens WGM

Vera, here is some personalized feedback based on your latest bullet session.

What you are already doing well

• Consistent opening set-ups. Whether with White (e4–d3–f4–g3) or Black (…d6/…g6 or …e6/…c5), you reach middlegame structures you know and usually steer the game into dynamic pawn-storms.
• Practical fighting spirit. You collected four straight wins even from slightly worse positions by keeping the board complicated and playing until the last tenth of a second.
• Endgame resourcefulness. In the win against kaviarna you converted a rook-and-pawns ending despite a narrow clock margin—good technique under pressure.

Key themes to focus on next

1. Clock management – turn time from enemy into ally
   • Five of your last six losses were on time. In each game you still had drawing or winning chances on the board.
   • Adopt a “30-20-10” rule: aim to have ≥30 s after move 10, ≥20 s after move 20, ≥10 s after move 30. If you drop below a band, blitz out three simple moves (king safety, central pawn, piece toward center) to catch up.
   • Use deliberate premoves only in forced recaptures; otherwise keep the hand off the premove key to avoid blunders such as 14…Qxa1? in the loss vs Federico Vargas García.
2. Tactical cleanliness in your pet structures
   • Your f- and g-pawn advances create winning chances but also tactical targets. In the loss vs rar123456 (Pirc) 18…Nd3! and 26.Ne6! from White stemmed from under-defended dark squares.
   • Add 10 minutes of daily puzzle rush focusing on double attacks on dark squares and queen forks on the 2nd/7th rank. You will notice immediate rating gains.
3. Broaden your early-move repertoire just a little
   • Opponents above 2400 have started to prepare against your e4–d3–f4 system, aiming at quick …Qb6 or …Qb4+ annoyances.
   • Keep your main line (it scores well!) but add one surprise weapon—e.g. 2.Nf3 & 3.Bb5 against the Sicilian—to make you less predictable.

Game-specific nuggets

Your progress at a glance

Peak bullet rating so far: . Keep an eye on how performance varies with time of day:

Next week’s mini-plan

• Mon-Fri: 15 min tactics (Puzzle Rush or rated puzzles).
• Every playing session: Warm-up with two 3-minute games to get your hand speed before jumping into 1|0.
• Saturday: Review one loss with the engine for 10 minutes—focus only on the first critical blunder and the time situation.

Stay sharp and have fun, Vera! A small tweak in time usage plus a dash of tactical drilling will push you well past 2300.