Justin B Burgess NM

Coaching Feedback for Justin B Burgess

1. Big-picture assessment

Your overall results show an experienced attacking player with a solid theoretical base in the Sicilian and Scotch, and a peak strength around 2534 (2023-06-04). You routinely out-calculate opposition rated 200–400 elo lower, but run into trouble against peers because of recurring strategic and time-management issues. The balance of your games suggests that polishing a few specific areas could convert many of those “almost winning” positions into clean points.

2. What you are already doing well

• Opening preparation: Your Najdorf move-orders are up-to-date (…e5 / …Be6 setups and …h6 ideas), and with White you steer Scotch positions toward dynamic piece play. Both choices give you middlegames you understand.
• Tactical alertness: In every recent win you spotted intermediate moves (e.g. 15…Nxe4!! in the Scotch) that immediately increase the practical difficulty for your opponent.
• Pressure play with the g-pawn: Several games feature early g4/g5 thrusts that create mating nets or structural weaknesses; this is becoming a personal trademark.

3. Repeating trouble spots

• Time losses in won positions: Four of your last six defeats were “flagged” with a clearly winning or equal position on the board. This is low-hanging fruit: you are giving away 40-50 elo each time you lose on time.
• Over-extension on the queenside versus the English Attack: In the loss to CFalcons8 you advanced …b5–b4/a5–a4 too quickly, letting Nb4–c6 and f5/f6 rip open your king. The same pattern appears in two earlier games. Consider a more restrained plan with …h5 or …Rc8 before …b5.
• Endgame conversion: In multiple wins you reached easily won endgames but needed 20–30 extra moves to finish. Study a daily dose of technical endings to save clock time and energy later on.

4. Concrete opening tweaks

Sicilian Najdorf (Black)
• After 6.Be3/Be2 lines you often choose the flexible 6…e5  → …Be6. Add the waiting line 6…e6 7.f3 h6 to your repertoire; it discourages the quick g4 advance and keeps the structure intact.

Scotch/Italian (White)
• Your move order 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Nxd4 Bc5 is excellent, but when opponents sidestep with 4…Nf6 you sometimes drift. Spend an hour on the Mieses Variation clip to have a ready system there.

5. Middlegame themes to study next month

1. Exchange sacrifices on c3 / e3: They appear in your Najdorf games but you rarely pull the trigger. A targeted study will broaden your attacking options.
2. Minor-piece outposts: Several losses stem from letting an enemy knight settle on e5 or d6. Review model games on preventing and exploiting strong knights (see outpost).
3. Switching wings: Train exercises where the attack shifts rapidly from kingside to queenside; this will help you avoid pushing pawns too far on one side.

6. Endgame & time-management plan

• Add 15 min of endgame technique (rook vs. pawn endings, opposite-colour bishops) to each study session.
• Experiment with one slower daily game (10 + 5 or 15 + 10) to practise “finishing on the board instead of the clock.”
• During blitz, aim to be under 1:30 only after move 20. Consider a mental “play simple moves” alarm once your clock dips below one minute.

7. Progress tracking

Use the dashboards below to watch for measurable improvement:

• Hourly performance trend:
• Day-of-week consistency:

8. Action items for the next two weeks

1. Play three 15 + 10 games focusing exclusively on clock control.
2. Annotate (briefly) every endgame you enter—win or lose.
3. Prepare the “anti-English-Attack” Najdorf line and test it in at least five blitz games.

Good luck, and feel free to send your annotated games for further feedback!