Last week my ELO continued to climb solidly. However, this is not unchartered territory. I’m still in the process of catching back up to my previous high of about 1850 which is where things will certainly become more challenging.
Unfortunately, I have had little time to actively improve my tactics of openings for the last week.
However, one change that does seem to make a difference is primarily playing the Italian Game in response to 1.e4 rather than my own messed up interpretation of the Steinitz Defense. I play the Slav Defense against 1.d4 which may need to be exchanged eventually as well.
I am also proud to say that over the last two days I had 4 games in a row which Chess.com’s analysis engine scored with a game rating of 2300, pointing at much fewer mistakes and blunders.
Overall I’m on track for my main objectives for weeks 1–4 of my challenge:
- Strengthen tactical sharpness.
- Create and learn basic opening repertoires that you’re comfortable with.
- Get into the habit of reviewing every game to learn from mistakes.