Coach Chesswick
Hi Al Kvas – Personal Chess Review
Your current peaks stand at 1770 (2025-07-23) in Daily and 1182 (2023-05-21) in Rapid play. For an at-a-glance view of when you score best, explore:
.What’s already working
- Confident open-game play – Consistent …e5 responses give you central space and easy development.
- Piece coordination – The win vs lh2007 shows smooth manoeuvres (…Bg4, …Re8, …f5) that increased tension without over-committing.
- Kingside initiative instincts – Well-timed pawn storms such as …g5/…h5 frequently convert space to concrete threats.
- Technique once ahead – Several daily games finished with neat conversions of extra material; your end-game sense is solid when not in time pressure.
Main improvement priorities
- Early-queen expeditions in blitz
Live losses (e.g. vs afaan21) began with …Qh4/…Qh3 raids that stalled development.
Goal: In your next 20 blitz/rapid games, keep the queen behind the 6th rank until move 10 unless a forced tactic appears. - Pawn storms before king safety
Against utmankhil you weakened dark squares with premature pawn pushes.
Checklist: (1) king castled, (2) minors developed, (3) rooks connected before launching flank pawns. - Time-management gap
Daily ≫ Blitz results suggest decision-speed, not skill, is the bottleneck.
Exercise: Play 10–15 min rapid and force yourself to spend ≥10 s on every non-forcing move; review immediately. - Classical rook-and-pawn endings
A winnable rook endgame vs Robbie Gray slipped away. Refresh Lucena, Philidor and “cut-the-king” techniques.
Opening maintenance plan
| Colour | Keep | Add / Refine |
|---|---|---|
| White | 1.e4 systems with Bc4/Nf3 – fits your attacking DNA. | Prepare vs …c6 (Caro-Kann) & …e6 (French) to avoid improvisation. |
| Black | Open Games (…e5) vs 1.e4 and symmetrical setups vs 1.c4. | Add a sound reply to 1.d4, e.g. Queen’s Gambit Declined or Slav Defense. |
Weekly training routine
- 3 × 20 min tactics (focus on double-attack & back-rank motifs).
- Self-annotate one of your own games, then engine-check. Start with this win:
- One end-game video / chapter per week (rook endings first).
- Five rapid games applying the “queen-behind-6th-rank” rule, reviewed the same day.
Quick reference checklist
- Is my king safe?
- Are all pieces active?
- Tactics for both sides?
- Identify opponent’s best piece – can I limit it?
- Do I have a plan before pushing a pawn?
Keep the adventurous spirit, Al Kvas, but anchor it with a touch more discipline and clock control. Your next milestone – a new – is well within reach. Good luck and enjoy the journey!