Coach Chesswick
Hi Admiral E, here is some targeted feedback based on your latest bullet games.
What you already do well
- Initiative-oriented play: Your wins against Richard Mladek and Fedor_Dvenyatin consistently show early space-gaining moves such as h4, g4, c5, forcing practical problems while the clock is ticking.
- Piece activity in the middlegame: In the Mieses-type win you reached positions with doubled rooks on open files and active bishops (e.g. 24.h5!, 31.Bxg5). This is exactly what you want in bullet—pieces that play themselves.
- Practical endgame skills: Several wins convert R+P vs minor pieces or long queen endings with accurate flag-hunting. Your board vision under time pressure is clearly above average for the pool.
Key improvement areas
1. Early-move tactical hygiene
You occasionally enter “auto-pilot” mode in the opening and miss one-move shots. The most painful example was the Albin Counter-Gambit miniature: Action points:- For the next 20 games, force yourself to spend at least one full second on every move until move 10, even if the reply looks obvious.
- Between sessions, solve 10–15 30-second tactics puzzles focusing on familiar Albin/Marshall/New-Indians motifs. This keeps the pattern-recognition layer active before the bullet grind.
2. Opening streamlining
A compact, “memorisation-light” repertoire will lower the blunder rate.- With White: Your 1.d4 systems work; cut the experimental 1.d3 game and fold its best ideas into a single London-style setup (d4, Nf3, Bf4/Bg5, e3, c3). Fewer branches ➜ faster moves.
- With Black vs 1.e4: The Marshall-esque Ruy line is high-theory and risky in bullet. Consider switching to the Berlin 3…Nf6 or even 1…e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 g6 (“Smyslov”) where early moves are largely forced.
- With Black vs 1.d4: Your Grunfeld/Indian mix is fine, but the quick …dxc4 line gave you an awkward queen chase. Practice a bullet-friendly set-up like the KID with …Nbd7 & …e5.
3. Clock management
Despite many flag wins, both timeouts and mates after move 50 suggest the clock sometimes dictates your evaluation.- Benchmark: Aim to have ≥ 15 s remaining by move 20. Use the tool: your win-rate jumps whenever you hit this benchmark.
- Replay one of your time-trouble losses at ½ speed and mark moments where you spent >3 s on a single move without changing the computer eval by ±0.3. Train yourself to trust instinct in such positions.
4. Endgame conversion vs strong defence
In the lost K+B+P vs K+R ending (East-Indian game) you missed drawing chances with active king & passed pawn blocking. Spend a short session on “lone passer vs rook” theoretical positions; knowing the drawing zones will save both rating and clock.Suggested weekly routine
- 15 min tactics sprint (30-45 puzzles, < 30 s each).
- 5 bullet games with the new streamlined openings; annotate only the first 15 moves.
- 10 min endgame drill (R vs P, Q vs R, opposite-colored bishop endings).
- Review performance in every Sunday; if a line scores <55 %, patch it or replace it.
Motivation checkpoint
You are already flirting with 2546 (2018-03-25) territory around 2500. Tightening the four areas above should comfortably push you past that milestone.Good luck, have fun, and keep the pieces—and the clock—moving!