Coach Chesswick
Hi Alice!
Great job keeping your blitz rating above 2251 (2021-02-27) and finishing most games with plenty of time on the clock. Your recent streak—especially the energetic wins against howardroark47 and wcachess—shows you’re tactically sharp and fearless in sharp Sicilian and Ruy-Lopez positions.
What’s working well
- Opening variety & initiative. With both colours you reach rich, dynamic structures (Najdorf, Accelerated Dragon, Ruy López). You rarely shy away from early pawn breaks (
f4,g4,c4) and often seize the initiative. - Tactical alertness. Tactics like 15.Nf7+!! (vs KnightFork288) or 37.Ne7+! (vs Madsweber) show you spot forcing sequences quickly.
- Practical time management. In 3 + 2 you maintain 40–60 s more than many opponents, which lets you outplay them in technical endings (see the rook–pawn endgame conversion vs HowardRoark47).
Growth opportunities
- Anti-Sicilian repertoire. Both recent losses started with quieter lines (
c3-Sicilian, 2.c3 & the Alapin). You entered murky positions with an exposed king (…Bxd1 8…9) or a cramped French-like bind. A compact reply (…Nf6 & …d5 lines, or the immediate …e6 & …d5 setups) will give you safer middlegames. - King safety over material. In the Alapin loss you grabbed on d1 and left your king on d7/c6; in the Najdorf loss you allowed a6/a7 passed pawns while your king stayed on d6. Before winning material, run a “king-check”: “Where is my monarch in the next 3 moves?”
- Handling of opposite-side pawn storms. You attack well, but when you’re attacked (e.g., 29.gxh5 in the Najdorf) you sometimes accept structural damage that becomes decisive. Study typical defensive set-ups: anchor a knight on d5/f5 vs g-pawn storms, trade dark-squared bishops, and use counter-play (…b5/b4 or …d5).
- Conversion technique. In the long win vs HowardRoark47 you were completely winning by move 40 yet needed 39 more moves. Practise technical endings (rook + outside passer vs rook) so that in rated events you save energy and clock.
Targeted exercises for the next week
- Drill 25 puzzles a day filtered for “Defensive” and “Intermediate Endgame” themes.
- Play three 15 + 10 games focusing only on c3-Sicilian as Black; annotate them immediately afterwards.
- Review two classic model games where Black meets the Alapin with …Nf6 & …d5 (e.g., Kramnik–Topalov, Dortmund 2001) and extract a personal move-order you like.
- From the diagram after 23…Rfd7 in your win vs HowardRoark47, find the fastest forced win and compare with your in-game line (.)
Progress trackers
Check these visuals each weekend:
Quick mindset reminder
“In blitz, the player who guards her king as diligently as she attacks the enemy king wins the lion’s share of games.”
Keep the energy and creativity, polish the defensive technique, and your next rating jump will come soon. Enjoy the journey—good luck in your upcoming games!