Coach Chesswick
Post-game feedback for Mark Buckley
What you are doing well
- Dynamic openings: In both standard and Chess960 you reach active positions quickly, often with early ...f5 or ...g6 ideas. Your recent miniature against fmcondr shows how you punish slow development.
- Confidence in imbalanced pawn structures: You willingly accept doubled or isolated pawns if they grant piece activity—an asset in fast time-controls.
- Tactical alertness: Spotting 7…Nf2+! in the game below demonstrates good calculation of forcing lines.
Primary areas to improve
- Clock management (highest priority)
Seven of your last ten defeats were “won on time” in roughly equal or better positions. Try:- Using the increment every move—make a safe move in <2 s, then think on the opponent’s time.
- Setting a midway “time-par”: aim to have ≥1 min with 20 moves left.
- Practising bullet exclusively for one week to desensitise time pressure.
- Early pawn pushes around your king
Moves like ...g5 (loss vs kasugano-sora) or premature ...h6 weaken dark squares. Before advancing a wing pawn, ask “Can my opponent exploit the square I leave?”—classic Prophylaxis. - Converting advantages
In several wins you were still playing on after reaching +5 or more. Study technical endgames (e.g., rook & pawn vs rook) 15 min/day to close games faster and save clock time.
Opening snapshot
• With Black you favour Dutch/Modern setups. Add one classical line (e.g., the Queen’s Gambit Declined) so opponents cannot prepare solely for flank pawn storms.
• With White, consider a principled central approach in Chess960: occupy the centre with pawns and knights first; many early b- or g-pawn moves in your losses ceded the centre.
Targeted training plan
| Week | Theme | Daily task (≈20 min) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Time-pressure skills | Play 20 bullet games; review only moves made under 3 s. |
| 2 | King safety | Solve 30 “king-hunt” puzzles; annotate one of your own games focusing on pawn weaknesses. |
| 3 | Technical endgames | Interactive rook-endgame drills (L&L); finish by beating the engine from K+P vs K. |
| 4 | Alternative Black repertoire | Memorise main QGD moves to 8…Re8; play at least five games using it. |
Stats & visual aids
Peak blitz rating: 2285 (2025-02-06)
Activity graphs:
Next step
Upload one of your time-forfeit losses and mark the moment you first dipped under 15 seconds. We’ll craft a “must-move” repertoire for such situations.
Good luck in your next session, Mark! Focus on the clock, keep the king safe, and the rating gains will follow.