Kate WFM

Hi Kate, great to see your recent games!

Quick snapshot

• Current peak blitz rating: 2249 (2020-04-29)
• Activity patterns:

What you already do well

• Piece activity & initiative. In your win against ALex888852 you used Qxb7 and a series of discovered checks to keep Black tied up. Your pieces rarely sit idle.
• Tactical alertness. The French game finish (32.Qg6#) shows you spot mating nets quickly when the king is exposed.
• Courageous pawn breaks. Moves like 14.f4 in the Sicilian loss indicate that you are not afraid to seize space and imbalance the position.

Main improvement themes

1. Time management. Four of your last six losses were on time while the positions were still playable or even better for you. Adopt a simple rule:
   • Reach move 15 with at least 60 % of your starting clock.
   • Shift to “increment mode” (move/think quickly, play on intuition) as soon as you drop under 20 %.
   Try five 5 + 5 games a day and record how often you finish with 30 + seconds remaining. Track progress in your personal notebook.
2. End-game conversion. In the Closed Sicilian you were two pawns up but allowed counter-play and flagged. Practice basic rook + pawn and rook vs. rook endings 10 minutes daily. Lichess end-game trainer or a physical board works equally well.
3. Opening depth vs. breadth. You currently alternate between the Ruy, French, Caro-Kann, and several Sicilian lines. Pick one main defence as Black against 1.e4 (e.g. the Accelerated Dragon you already play) and take it two moves deeper so you are still in book at move 8–10.

Opening corner

• As White you score well with the Ruy López but sometimes drift after 6…Bd7. Consider the simple plan 7.Re1, 8.d4, 9.c3 that you employed in your win vs. Gishki23.
• As Black in the Closed Sicilian you reached the diagram below and missed 13…Bxd4!. Memorise this typical tactic.

Tactical micro-goals for the next two weeks

• 100 puzzles rated 1800–2200, Theme: “deflection” and “interference”.
• After each session, annotate one puzzle you missed in a notebook—write down the “trigger” you should have seen.

Model training schedule

Mindset tip

Think “clock, king, centre, material” in that order every three moves. It keeps you from slipping into time trouble while reminding you of the primary targets.

Keep up the attacking spirit, tighten the clock control, and you will see a sharp rating jump in the next month. Good luck and enjoy your games!