Coach Chesswick
Hi Aleksa, here’s an objective look at your recent games and a roadmap for climbing to the next level.
What you’re already doing well
- Opening variety & flexibility. In blitz you comfortably switch between the Slav, French, Dutch and Modern setups. Opponents rarely catch you out in the first 10 moves.
- Dynamic intuition. Your win vs. HansOnTwitch (2555 vs 3252) shows you recognise when to sacrifice structure for activity. The 29.f5 breakthrough followed by the rook lift was model textbook play.
- Converting initiative. In the Slav win against JaroslavSobek you kept the squeeze on with …Ne4, avoiding premature trades and forcing resignation in an equal-material position—excellent technique.
- Peak strength. Your current ceiling in blitz is 2557 (2025-01-28), proving you can already compete with 2600-level opposition on a good day.
Clear growth areas
-
King safety decisions under fire.
• French Exchange loss vs. Norbi2323: 11…gxh6 invited a direct attack that your pieces never neutralised.
• Modern-Larsen loss vs. Khanna-Aman: pawn thrust …h5-h4 opened files while your king remained on g8.
Training task: Whenever a capture opens your own g- or h-file, spend an extra 10 seconds on a blunder check (king exposure, loose back-rank, forcing checks).
Re-play the critical sequence: -
Time management in critical endings.
You flagged from a winning rook ending vs. JDPAchess and spent >35 seconds on three moves during the loss to Kobalia. Try the “30-20-10” rule: aim to have 30 sec by move 20, 20 sec by move 30, 10 sec by move 40 in 60 sec bullet; in 3 + 1 blitz keep >60 sec in reserve until move 25.
Training task: play three 1-minute games per session focusing on only premove/intuition—no calculation—then analyse the blunders offline. This conditions faster decision loops. -
Handling opposite-wing pawn races.
In the Dutch game you pushed a4-a5 and b3 without securing your second rank; …Rc3 and …Qxb3+ /Qb1+ became unstoppable.
Checklist before launching a flank pawn:
• Can opponent create a passed c- or b-pawn in ≤3 moves?
• Is my back rank loose?
• Do I control at least one of the two open files that will appear?
Study classic opposite-wing races (Karpov – Unzicker 1974) to sharpen your sense of urgency.
Micro-drills for the next 4 weeks
| Theme | Daily reps | Goal |
|---|---|---|
| Defensive tactics | 20 puzzles filtered for “…? King exposure” | Score ≥80 % |
| Endgame technique | 5 rook-pawn endings from Nunn’s 100 Endgames | Convert in <60 sec each |
| Bullet sparring (1 | 0) | 10 games vs. 2300-2400 | Follow 30-20-10 rule |
| Opening file refresh | Review one line/night | Add two novelties to PGN |
Useful concepts to deepen
• zwischenzug timing in tactical exchanges• Minor-piece endgames with 4 vs 3 on one wing
• “Petrosian exchange” (trade attack-prone rook for minor piece to shut files)
Progress trackers
• Overall performance trend:• Hour-by-hour sharpness (to schedule training):
Next coaching call
In our next session we’ll:- Analyse the full Norbi2323 game move-by-move.
- Set up a defensive technique sparring drill starting from move 14.
- Choose one new low-theory opening to add (suggestion: Catalan Closed as White).
Keep the curiosity high and the king safer—small fixes will unlock another 50-rating-point jump!