Maria Isabel Varona WFM

Hi Maria Isabel (Voltos67)!

You have an energetic, initiative-seeking style that makes your games fun to watch. Below is some feedback drawn from your latest games, plus a few training ideas to help you push past your current 1499 (2022-03-28).

What you’re already doing well

• Active piece play. In many openings (e.g. your win vs. arbexmb) you bring the pieces forward quickly and keep the opponent under pressure.
• Flexible repertoire. As White you alternate between the Italian/Four Knights and the Ruy Lopez; as Black you handle both Sicilian structures and the King’s Indian set-up. This versatility will pay off when opponents try to steer you out of book.
• Tactical alertness. Your victories often feature nice shots such as 12.Nxf7!! in the Ruy or the …Nf4+ fork in the English. Keep sharpening that eye! Solving a few puzzles each day will reinforce this strength.

Key themes to address next

1. Early knight adventures

You sometimes hop a knight to b5/f7/a3 without completing development (e.g. 6.Ndb5 → 7.Na3 in the win, or 8.Na3 vs. GmRaj11). If the jump does not create a concrete threat, you can lose tempo and fall behind in the centre. Ask yourself:

“If my knight lands there, what is my follow-up? Am I trading it for something valuable, or will it have to retreat?”

2. Soundness of sacrifices

Lovely attacks start with 12.Nxf7, but compare it with the Four Knights loss where 12.Ng5 Nxe4 left you a pawn down with no kill. Train by analysing your speculative sacs with an engine after the game. Over time you will build an internal evaluation gauge.

3. King safety & pawn storms

In several Sicilians you fianchetto the bishop yet push queenside pawns very early (…a6, …b5, …c5) before confirming that the king is safe. Review the concept of pawn shield integrity. A good rule of thumb is:

• Castle first;
• Connect rooks;
• Then start pawn expansion.

4. Endgame & clock management

Two recent losses came from timeouts in won or drawable endings (vs. MITWE). Practical tips:

1. When the queens leave the board, switch to “increment mode”: make a safe move quickly to harvest time.
2. Memorise a few key king-pawn endings so you can play them almost instantly.

5. Game completion discipline

Several “game abandoned” results cost easy rating points. If possible, adopt a short post-game routine (deep breath, quick stretch) instead of aborting the session after a blunder. Emotional control is a skill, just like calculating a 3-move skewer.

Targeted study plan (4 weeks)

Progress tracking

Use the built-in charts to monitor form:

Mini-checklist before each move

1. What are the forcing moves (checks, captures, threats) for both sides?
2. Is my king safe? Opponent’s?
3. Which piece is not participating? Can I improve it?

Answering those three questions consistently will eliminate many tactical oversights and help you convert more of your promising positions.

Good luck!

Your aggressive style has already produced some sparkling victories. Polish the decision-making behind the attacks, and a surge above 1600 rapid is very achievable. Enjoy the journey, and let me know how the next set of games goes!