Coach Chesswick
Personalised Feedback for Vinicius Catozzo Jr. (Alucard2020)
What you already do well
- Tactical alertness. Your recent wins show sharp calculating skills—e.g. the Slav game where 23 Nc5! exploited an overloaded queen before 24 Qxf4 won material smoothly.
- Active piece play from the opening. Whether in the Caro-Kann, Slav or the spirited Englund Gambit, you fight for the initiative early and often secure strong central knights.
- Killer instinct when ahead. In several victories you converted material advantage quickly rather than drifting into long endgames—good practical chess in a 3-minute time-control.
Key areas to improve
- Time management. Four of your last six losses were on the clock. You reach promising positions but spend precious seconds in critical middlegame branches.
- King safety & pawn structure. Losses versus alemartinn and jezreel051993 featured premature pawn thrusts (g- and h-pawns) that opened your own king. Balance attack with defence.
- Endgame technique. In the King’s Indian loss you liquidated into a rook-and-pawn ending that was still playable, yet a single tempo slip allowed ...b2! and cost the game. Review basic rook endings and concepts like zugzwang.
- Conversion against stubborn resistance. When the opponent refuses to resign, you occasionally rush (e.g. 38…Qc3+? in the Caro-Kann win gave White counter-checks). Learn to maintain control, not just attack.
Action plan for the next two weeks
- Adopt a “time checkpoint” routine. Aim to have >90 s after move 10 and >30 s after move 25. If below, play two quick “safe” moves to rebuild your buffer.
- Daily 10-minute endgame drill. Use any endgame trainer to practise:
- Rook vs pawn on 3rd/6th rank
- Lucena & Philidor positions
- King, bishop & knight checkmate (speed!)
- Structure awareness exercise. After each blitz session, screenshot two games—one win, one loss. Ask: “Which pawn would I move back if I could?” You’ll start recognising unnecessary pawn weaknesses.
- Opening focus. Narrow your Black repertoire: temporarily shelve the Englund and study the classical Slav with …dxc4 lines for five games. Consistency will save clock time.
- Weekly “quiet game”. Play one 10|0 game concentrating on prophylaxis—no pawn storms unless fully prepared. This will improve your feel for tempo and king safety.
Progress tracker
Use these built-in tools to monitor improvement:
- Hourly performance swings:
- Day-to-day consistency:
- Your personal best so far: 2320 (2022-06-01)
Game to review in depth
The following loss is packed with instructive moments on time management and structural decisions:
Next coaching session
Bring three positions where you felt “I wasn’t sure what the plan was.” We’ll build strategic roadmaps so that your natural tactical talent is supported by solid plans.
Keep up the fighting spirit, Vinicius, and watch your results climb!