Michelle Fisher WFM

Coach’s Feedback for Michelle Fisher

What you already do well

• Creative King Play in King-of-the-Hill. You consistently march the king forward at the right moment and scored several quick wins (e.g. the miniature ending 12.Ke4#). This shows excellent board-vision for the variant’s win condition.
• Tactical Alertness. In both standard and Crazyhouse you spot tactical resources such as Nxe5, piece drops on key squares, and “windmill” mating nets. The conversion 19.Qe2# in your latest win is a good illustration (see reference PGN below).
• Confidence to enter sharp positions. You are not afraid of material imbalances and often seize the initiative rather than playing passively.

Biggest improvement opportunities

1. Opening structure & king safety.
   Moving the king early (Ke2-Ke3-Ke4) works in King-of-the-Hill, but you copy the habit in other formats and get punished (see most recent Crazyhouse losses). Stick to classical development rules outside the variant. A simple checklist helps:
   – Develop minor pieces first.
   – Castle (or keep the king behind a wall of pawns).
   – Only move the king when you have a concrete reason.
2. Handling opponent counter-play.
   Several losses came after grabbing pawns/pieces without neutralising threats (e.g. allowing @g2+ sacrifices in Crazyhouse). Train with the “consider opponent’s checks, captures & threats” mantra every move.
3. Time management.
   You flagged in winning or equal positions. Allocate time using the 40-40-20 rule (40 % opening + early middlegame, 40 % critical middlegame, 20 % conversion). Blitz out book moves to save seconds for tactical complications.
4. Endgame technique.
   Your games rarely reach pure endgames, but when they do you sometimes rush. Add 10 minutes of endgame puzzles per session (rook vs. pawns, basic king-and-pawn). It will pay off as your opponents blunder in reduced material positions.

Action plan for the next two weeks

• Solve 10 tactics/day rated 1300-1600 on the theme “king attacks & defensive resources.”
• Play five 10 | 5 rapid games focusing on orthodox king safety. Review each game and write down one thing you would play differently.
• Study one classical opening line for White (e.g. Scotch or Italian). Aim to reach the position after move 8 from memory without spending more than 15 seconds. Use the principle-of-the-center and development guidelines.
• Add a 5-minute daily drill of king-and-pawn endgames on a mobile trainer or board.
• Track progress with
  and
  . Your goal is a +5 % win rate in games started between 18:00-22:00, where time-pressure losses are highest.
• Current personal bests: 1700 (2020-07-23) & 1905 (2020-05-15). Note them today and try to exceed at least one by the end of the fortnight.

Reference game to revisit

Notice how you coordinated pieces and finished the attack swiftly. While analysing, ask: “Where could I have simplified even sooner?”

Final encouragement

You have a natural flair for dynamic positions, Michelle. By tightening defensive fundamentals and budgeting the clock, you will convert more of your attacks and climb quickly. Keep the curiosity alive and enjoy the journey!