Coach Chesswick
Training Feedback for 1e41-O
Your Current Form
- Peak rating so far: 2577 (2019-11-13)
- Activity overview:
Key Strengths
- Opening depth. You routinely reach the middlegame with a space advantage or the bishop pair. In the recent Sicilian win against yakovshal you equalised by move 6 and were already playing for the initiative by move 11.
- Tactical awareness. Combinations such as 22…Ne3!! and 23…Nxc2! in that same game show excellent calculation and courage to sacrifice material for activity.
- Practical decision-making under time pressure. Even when the position is messy you keep the clock under control and force your opponents into difficult choices.
Growth Areas
- Endgame conversion. Several older losses stem from endings where you had sufficient material but slipped (e.g. the D11 Slav game that reached an equal rook ending). Regularly rehearse basic rook-endgame techniques.
- Prophylaxis. Try asking “What is my opponent’s next move?” every turn. In the 2021 QGA defeat you allowed …Qb3 and …Qb1#, an avoidable tactic that a single zwischenzug or back-rank luft would have stopped.
- Daily-game time management. Two tournament games were lost on time from playable positions. Set phone reminders or use the chess.com “move-clock” notification to avoid free rating losses.
Deep Dive: Last Win with Black
Click to review the annotated PGN
Critical moments:
- 12…Nd4! Punishes White’s premature central tactics. Memorise this theme: when the e5-knight hops in the Sicilian, …Nd4 is often available.
- 22…Ne3 → 23…Nxc2. Spotting the double attack earned you a pawn and the initiative. In similar positions evaluate forcing sequences two moves deeper – there was also a direct …Nf5 idea.
- 30…Rf5! Quiet improvement before striking with …Rh5. Good example of accumulating pressure rather than rushing.
Action Plan for the Next Two Weeks
- Spend 15 minutes/day on fundamental rook and queen + pawn endings (e.g. Lucena and Philidor positions).
- Solve 20 tactics daily, focussing on back-rank motifs to eliminate oversights like the QGA mate.
- Play three training games starting from the diagram after move 20 of your recent loss vs “semisem” and defend the inferior side; this will sharpen your defensive reflexes.
- Before every rapid game, write one concrete opening goal (e.g. “If White plays English I will reach a Hedgehog setup and avoid early …d5”). Review afterwards to measure success.
Suggested Study Resources
- “Silman’s Complete Endgame Course” – skim up to your rating band.
- “Gritty Endgames” playlist – accessible via chess.com video section (internal).
- Custom puzzle rush with only fork and back-rank mate tags.
Keep up the strong attacking play, tighten the screw in technical phases, and your rating graph will climb steadily.