Coach Chesswick
Hi 84yormphaplau18!
Well played on maintaining a solid mid-2100 blitz rating (2336 (2024-12-30)). Your recent score-sheet shows confident wins against 2100-2230 opposition and a clear personal style. Below is some focused feedback to help squeeze out the next few dozen rating points.
1. Opening overview
- Black vs 1.e4 – Pirc (B09)
You handle the main plans well: …c5, …Nfd7 and flexible knight jumps. The win against mayorgajuan1976 showed good end-game technique after an early queen trade.
Tip: After 7.Bc4 Nb6 8.Bb3 you often play 8…c5 allowing Qxd8. Consider 8…dxe5 or 8…Nc6 to keep more pieces and preserve attacking chances. - Black vs 1.d4 – Grünfeld / Benko ideas
In the games with 777pokemon and gdie1975 you entered sharp pawn-sac lines but missed a few tactical resources. Spend a short study block on typical motifs: …c5-dxc4 in the Réti, and piece activity after the Benko pawn sacrifices. - White repertoire
Your d4/English setups are positionally sound, yet the loss to permanent_brain showed the danger of pushing f- and g-pawns before completing development. If the dark-squared bishop is still on c1, pause before launching a pawn storm.
2. Middlegame themes to polish
- Dark-square tactics. Both the defeat (…Qxg5) and the win versus InDeepFunk hinged on dark-square blows. Add a daily 10-minute shot of puzzles featuring pins and over-loads.
- Piece coordination after pawn breaks. Your trademark pawn thrusts (…c5, f4/f5) create imbalances, but sometimes the army lags behind. Before every pawn push ask, “Are all my pieces helping?”
- Conversion technique. The marathon against magaiden was won, yet took 70 moves. Refresh basic rook-and-pawn endings so that future conversions use less clock and energy.
3. Time management
Your clock often dips under 30 s before move 25, leading to slips like 19…Qd2?? against martanko99. Two simple rules:
- Glance at the clock on moves 10 and 20; if under 2:00, slow down for three moves.
- Use the increment to think before the next branch rather than immediately blitzing the reply.
4. Two-week mini study plan
| Day | 30-minute task |
|---|---|
| Mon / Wed / Fri | 10 tactical puzzles + annotate one of your Pirc games |
| Tue / Thu | Watch 15 min of a high-level Pirc or Grünfeld lesson |
| Weekend | Play five rapid (10 + 5) games; review for missed tactics & end-game technique |
5. Activity snapshot
Explore your performance trends:
6. Keep the momentum!
Tidy up the tactical loose ends, tighten your conversion, and that 2200+ blitz milestone is well within reach. Good luck in your next games!