Alexandra, here is some tailored feedback based on your recent games.
Quick snapshot
- Peak blitz rating so far: 2636 (2024-04-30).
- Typical activity: •
What you are doing well
- Solid Black Repertoire. Your Queen’s Indian (…Ba6, …c5) and Caro-Kann structures show good strategic understanding. The win against MikeWizard illustrates how comfortably you handle minority-style pawn play and piece coordination.
- Practical Gambit Handling. As White you are happy to enter the Goring (vs. bssjdm) or grab space with the advanced French structures. You often obtain the initiative quickly.
- Nerve in Complicated Positions. You rarely shy away from unclear sacrificial lines (e.g. …Qxh3+ followed by …Qxg2# in the accelerated Panov). This courage wins you many miniatures.
Main improvement themes
1 Concrete calculation vs. “hope chess”
Several losses share a moment where a single tactic refutes an otherwise reasonable plan:
- Your piece activity looked promising, but pawns on both wings became loose. Missing
27.Ra7allowed White to seize the seventh rank and win by force. - Drill: 10 minutes/day of “Calculate till quiet” exercises. Force yourself to verbalize the candidate → forcing line → evaluation routine on every move that changes the position (captures, checks, threats).
2 Dark-square weaknesses after flank pawn pushes
In several Sicilians (loss to LittleCube) and the Modern defence game vs. Dodouo you advanced h– or g–pawns early, inviting …Qd7–h3 or …gxf5 ideas.
- Before pushing a wing pawn, run the “dark-square checklist”: Who controls g3/e3/c3/f3? What is the worst square my opponent’s queen or bishop can reach after the push?
- Study model games by Kramnik in the Catalan/Queen’s Indian where he contains dark-square holes with patient manoeuvres.
3 Time management
Even with a 1-second increment you often reach critical positions on 0 :05 – 0 :15 (e.g. the final conversion in your win vs. MikeWizard).
Rule of thumb: spend ≤ 20 % of your clock in the opening, 50 % in the middlegame crisis, reserve 30 % for the endgame.
4 White repertoire depth
The 1.e4 d3 / 1.e4 g3 setups keep you flexible but sometimes concede the centre without concrete pressure. Consider adding one mainstream weapon so you can “turn up the heat” against strong opposition:
- Open Sicilian with 3.d4 if you enjoy tactics.
- Italian Game (Giuoco Pianissimo) for a strategic fight with familiar structures.
Action plan for the next four weeks
| Day | Task |
|---|---|
| Mon / Wed / Fri | 30 tactics on Chess.com rated ≥ 2400, annotate 5 you miss. |
| Tue | Play two 10 | 5 games focusing on clock discipline. Review without engine first. |
| Thu | Study one annotated model game in your chosen new White opening. |
| Weekend | Analyse one of your losses in depth; upload for feedback or compare with engine only after your own notes. |
Players & resources worth revisiting
- Positional mastery in similar structures: Kramnik (Queen’s Indian), Ulf Andersson (Caro-Kann endgames).
- Tactical alertness: look at finishes by ShazilTheGOAT2006—the game you lost is a ready-made puzzle set.
- Concept glossary: review Zwischenzug and Deflection motifs; they appear in many of your critical moments.
Keep playing ambitious chess, but marry it with a bit more calculation discipline and time control, and your next rating jump will follow soon. Good luck, and enjoy the journey!