Coach Chesswick
Performance Snapshot
Current form is solid around the low-2200s with a personal best of . Your score distribution shows typical “late-night tilt” symptoms – the red blocks cluster after midnight while the green blocks appear earlier in the session:
, .Your Competitive Edges
- Opening depth. A versatile repertoire: Sicilian-Kan/Paulsen, Scandinavian, Grunfeld as Black; Catalan-style d4 or Fianchetto QID lines as White. The move order knowledge is good – opponents 2113 and 2231 resigned straight from the opening.
- Initiative-seeking mindset. The win vs theking02ec shows crisp central breaks 19…Ndxe5! and a smooth switch to the kingside attack.
- Tactical alertness under pressure. Critical shot from the Torre game: . You calculated three forcing moves deeper than your opponent while low on clock.
Recurring Pain Points
- Time management. Five of the last six losses were on time – often in better or equal positions (e.g. vs ronaldberdera, loko1407). You regularly drop below 20 s by move 18-20.
- Converting advantages. After obtaining a plus you keep searching for “the knockout” instead of choosing a simpler technical line. In the Queen’s Indian loss to jibarito2024, 23.Na4? consumed >10 s and let the counterplay b4–Rd5 appear; 23.Rc1 or 23.Qb3 keeps full control.
- Loose king safety in pawn storms. Games vs Yoyo6257 and sl2p featured g- and h-pawn thrusts while your own king stayed in the centre or was short of defenders. Guard against self-inflicted weaknesses.
- Under-utilised endgame technique. In the Budapest Gambit marathon you needed 70+ moves to convert Q + passers vs rook – the technique eventually worked, but earlier opposition/shouldering ideas would have finished by move 55.
Action Plan for the Next Two Weeks
| Theme | Exercise | Goal |
|---|---|---|
| Clock control | Play 25 games of 3|2 using a hard rule: never drop below 1:30 before move 15. Abort if you do – treat it as a lost game. | Build pacing habit and sense of “good enough” moves. |
| Advantage conversion | Analyse three wins and three time-losses; stop the engine when you reach +2.0 and write down two safe conversion plans for each position. | Train the “simplify when satisfied” reflex. |
| Endgame drill | Use a study set of Q vs R, R+P vs R and opposite-colour bishops. 15 minutes daily with a timer. | Reduce conversion time by 30 % |
| Defensive technique | Replay the loss to Yoyo6257 from move 14 as Black; defend vs engine set to 2400 strength five times. | Solidify awareness of weak squares/dark-square strategy. |
Quick Reference Reminders
- Before every pawn break ask “what squares am I leaving?” – a mini-prophylaxis check.
- When up material, trade one pair of minor pieces or queens immediately – whichever is easier.
- 30-second drill: if nothing forces a win, improve worst-placed piece instead of pushing another pawn.
- Watch for zugzwang motifs in queen vs rook endgames – often two tempi faster than queening.
Next Milestone
Aim for a stable 2250-level performance by cutting the average “time-loss” games from 40 % down to 15 %. With your opening knowledge and tactical eye, that alone should push you to 2300+ within a month.
Good luck, Antonio – looking forward to your next streak!