Julia Gokbulut WFM

Feedback for Julia Gokbulut (yuliagok)

1. What you are already doing well

• Sharp, fighting openings. Choosing the King’s Indian, Sveshnikov, and Traxler shows courage and an appetite for dynamic play. These openings suit a tactical style and give plenty of winning chances.
• Peak strength. Your Daily peak rating of 2152 (2021-06-27) demonstrates solid chess understanding that can be built upon.
• Consistent activity. Regular participation in thematic events indicates healthy study habits and a willingness to learn new structures.

2. Highest-impact area to fix now: Time management

Five of your last six defeats ended with “won on time.” Improving this single area will add points faster than any opening novelty.

1. Set micro-deadlines. Decide before the game starts how much real-world time you can allocate each day (e.g., “I must move in every game before 22:00”). Put a phone reminder 12 hours before each personal deadline.
2. Use conditional moves. In obvious reply lines, enter moves in advance so a forgotten login cannot forfeit a game.
3. Fewer simultaneous games. It is better to play 4 games actively than 12 passively; your tactics-rich openings require calculation time.
4. Shorter formats for practice. A couple of 15 | 10 rapid games each week will train you to make good decisions faster, which in turn speeds up your Daily play.

3. Opening refinement

4. Middlegame growth plan

• Candidate move routine. Force yourself to write down (or verbalise) at least three moves in every non-forced position – CandidateMoves.
• Prophylaxis training. When it is your move, spend 30 seconds asking, “What does my opponent want?” – Prophylaxis. This habit reduces blunders drastically.
• Tactics first. 15 minutes of puzzles before you start Daily games will sharpen calculation when you open the board.

5. Endgame fundamentals

Because your openings are sharp, many positions simplify suddenly. Invest one study session per week on:

• King and pawn basics (opposition, triangulation).
• Rook endgames: the “Lucena” and “Philidor” positions.

6. Post-game routine

1. Write a brief self-commentary before switching on an engine. What did you feel? Where were you unsure?
2. Run the engine only to check your own notes and discover invisible tactical turns.
3. Store one critical position per game in a personal flash-card deck for spaced-repetition review.

7. Suggested review list

Start with the following two games where you lost on time but the positions were still playable:

• Daily vs walsp (KID structure) – note how early c4–c5 changed the pawn tension.
• Daily vs tofupapaia – identify the first moment you spent more than 24 hours without moving.

8. Track your progress

Watch how your punctuality and results evolve:

Next steps summary

1. Fix time-outs this week (reminders + conditional moves).
2. One rapid session and one endgame session per week.
3. Analyse every finished game for 10 minutes before starting new ones.

Small, consistent habits will lift you past your current plateau. Enjoy the journey, Julia, and let me know when you soar past your next peak!