Coach Chesswick
What you’re doing well
You show a versatile and practical approach in rapid games, which suits the fast pace well. Your opening choices demonstrate curiosity and a willingness to enter imbalanced positions where you can create chances. You’re comfortable handling a variety of structures across different openings, and you often steer the middlegame into positions where you can apply dynamic pressure. This flexibility is a strong foundation for rapid play, where practical chances often beat deep theoretical knowledge.
- Ability to select multiple opening ideas and adapt to the opponent’s setup.
- Comfort with imbalanced middlegame structures that create practical play and chances to outmaneuver opponents.
- Resilience in tactical or messy lines, where you maintain activity and keep options open.
Key areas to improve
- Endgame conversion: in several games, you end up in rook-and-pawn or minor-piece endgames where precise technique helps turn a game into a win rather than a draw or loss.
- Decision making under time pressure: practice clearer prioritization of moves in the middlegame to avoid over-ambitious exchanges that reduce your structural concessions.
- Consistency with plan after the opening: deepen the typical middlegame plans for your core openings so you can stay coordinated and avoid drifting into passive lines.
- Opening refinement: pick 1–2 openings to master more deeply and study the main ideas and typical tactics that arise against them, so you can recognise patterns quickly in rapid games.
Actionable plan (4 weeks)
- Week 1: Endgame fundamentals
- Study king activity basics, opposition, and straightforward pawn endings.
- Practice 20-minute endgame drills focusing on converting small advantages into a win.
- Week 2: Calculation and tactics
- Daily 15–20 minute tactic sessions with a mix of forced lines and calculation checks.
- After each rapid game, spend 5 minutes analyzing 1–2 critical decision moments and write a brief note.
- Week 3: Opening deep dive
- Choose 2 openings you use most (for example, a flexible system and a sharp defense) and study 3 model games for each.
- Note common middlegame plans and typical tactical motifs that arise in those lines.
- Week 4: Practice and reflection
- Play 3 rapid games per day, then review each with a focus on 1) opening plan, 2) middlegame coherence, 3) endgame technique.
- Keep a short improvement journal with 2–3 concrete adjustments to apply in the next week.
Opening-specific guidance
- London System (Poisoned Pawn Variation): keep a solid pawn structure and look for steady central breaks rather than risky topical lines. Practice recognizing typical middle-game plans from this setup and know when to switch to a calmer endgame transition.
- Sicilian Defense: continue building comfort with sharper, dynamic play. Focus on controlling key central squares and understanding common tactical motifs that arise in the main lines you face most often.
- Döry Defense and Blumenfeld-Hiva Gambit family: these can lead to complex, double-edged positions. Work on recognizing when to sharpen the game and when to secure piece activity without overextending.
- Simplify selectively: in rapid games, converting when you have a clear, safe simplification (exchange into a favorable endgame or a clear material balance) can be more reliable than chasing complications.
Drills and short-term resources
- Endgame drill: rook and pawn endings with realistic positions (practice winning and drawing techniques).
- Tactics set: 15–20 minutes, focusing on motifs that appear in your repertoire (forks, pins, skewers, and discovered attacks).
- Opening notes: create one-page summaries for 2 core openings you use most, including typical plans, key squares, and common tactical ideas.
- Post-game routine: after every rapid game, write 3 bullets: what went well, what was the critical mistake, and one adjustment for next time.
Notes and placeholders
For quick reference, you can review your profile and game history anytime here: Anton Frank. If you want to practice specific openings, look up your main lines with model games: Sicilian Defense and London System.