Coach Chesswick
Hi Hans!
You are playing dynamic, ambitious chess and already possess a strong tactical feel. Let’s build on those strengths while ironing out the few patterns that are costing you half-points.
What’s working well
- Initiative-first mindset. In your win against Gaganjaani you seized the centre and never let go, finishing with the elegant tactic 18…Nxf3 19.Bxf3 Rxf3 .
- Opening variety. You comfortably switch between Queen’s-pawn systems and 1.e4 lines, keeping opponents guessing.
- Calculation. The exchange sac 26…Rxb3! in the Sicilian Dragon game was objectively risky but perfectly calculated and forced resignation.
Recurring issues
- Time-management. Three of your last five losses (e.g. vs Dominic Wisnet) were flagged positions that were still drawable. Even when winning (vs Doubtless_precision) your clock dipped below 5 s several times.
- Conversion technique. In the Caro-Kann loss to Emil Mehraliyev you were never worse until move 41, but drifted, missed simplifications, and got mated. After gaining an advantage you sometimes continue “all-out-attack” instead of consolidating.
- Endgame fundamentals. Two rook-and-pawn endings (vs sacov and DirtyKabab) slipped because basic setups like the Philidor and Lucena were not employed quickly.
Actionable plan
- Add increment. Play one daily 3 + 2 session this week. Train yourself to leave ≥20 s on the clock by move 30.
- 90-second “freeze” after winning material. Ask: “What’s their only counterplay?” Trade queens or return a pawn to kill all tactics.
- Endgame reps. 20 min/day on rook endings. Start with basic drawing methods, then practise winning Lucena vs engine defence.
- French & Caro clean-up. Revisit typical plans in the Advance French and Exchange Caro. Build a mini-repertoire file with 10 main tabiya positions and best plans for each.
- Blunder-check routine. Before releasing your hand, run the “CCT” scan (Checks, Captures, Threats) for both sides.
Micro-highlights to keep you motivated
- Precise dark-square domination in the Catalan vs Matthew Fishbein.
- Technically clean king walk & triangulation in the pawn ending vs Doubtless_precision.
Stats snapshot
Peak Blitz rating: 2732 (2025-03-18)
Hour-by-hour performance:
Win rate by day:
Goals for our next session
- Play 10 games of 3 + 2 with the clock goals above.
- Solve 50 endgame puzzles (rook vs rook + pawn).
- Annotate your two most recent losses, marking where the eval first crossed ±1.0.
- Bring one annotated game you won but felt “messy” for us to clean up together.
Keep the energy and creativity, Hans – with a little structure in the critical moments you’ll punch through the 2700 blitz barrier soon!