Coach Chesswick
Hi Anahita!
These notes are based on your last dozen blitz games (wins and losses). Overall you play sharp, initiative–oriented chess and have already reached a peak blitz rating of 2587 (2025-05-27). Below is an honest balance-sheet of your strengths and the most urgent improvement points.
What’s working well
- Opening initiative with c4 + g3 set-ups. You steer the game into Fianchetto English / King’s Indian Attack positions where you understand typical plans (e.g. early ...d5 breaks as Black or d4/e4 pushes as White).
- Spotting tactical motifs. In several wins you converted the initiative quickly by combining piece activity with direct king attacks, e.g. the Ne6+ / Rxf8+ / Qg8# sequence:
- Time management in winning games. When things are going your way you keep 15–20 s on the clock, enough to finish cleanly.
Recurring problems in recent losses
- Over-extension without a concrete follow-up. Moves like 22.h3 vs dawid498 left weak dark squares and cost tempi just before the critical phase.
- Handling of counter-sacrifices. The exchange sac …Rxe2! caught you off guard: Result: you lost two tempi reorganising, and Black’s pieces flooded in.
- End-game technique under 10 s. Three recent games slipped from equal/plus to lost in queen- or rook-endings. Typical symptoms: pushing pawns too early, ignoring checking distance, not activating the king.
Training priorities (next 4–6 weeks)
- Practical end-games – daily 10-minute drill on simplified positions: 4-pawn rook endings, queen vs rook/pawn, and opposition king endings. (Use the ⏲️ to stay under 30 s per move.)
- Anti-sacrifice vigilance. Add “search for opponent’s forcing moves” to every move checklist, especially before pushing side pawns. When you see a rook on an open file ask: “Can exchange sacrifice work against me right now?”
- Central tension management. In the English Four Knights you often release the tension with dxc4 / Nxd5 too soon. Try holding the tension 1–2 extra moves; review the model game Carlsen–So, Wijk 2024 (same structure).
14-day action plan
| Day | Task (≈30 min) |
|---|---|
| 1–2 | Review your own losses; annotate the exact move where evaluation swings ≥ 1.5. |
| 3–5 | End-game drill: 20 rook-vs-rook+pawn studies. |
| 6–7 | Solve 30 tactical puzzles featuring …Rxe2, …Bxh3, etc. |
| 8–10 | Play 10 practice games starting from move 10 of your typical English positions; analyse without engine first. |
| 11–12 | Flash-card the critical pawn structures you reach most (English vs …e5, KIA vs …d5). |
| 13–14 | One themed tournament focusing on queen end-games (Chess.com End-game bots or sparring partner). |
Performance rhythm
Your win-rate peaks between 18:00–20:00 local time and dips sharply after midnight:
Weekend sessions show a steadier performance curve:Quick reminders before each blitz session
- 90-second warm-up puzzle.
- First opening branch that deviates ⇒ pause 2 seconds.
- Under 15 s: play safe moves (king safety, no hanging pieces) rather than the prettiest line.
Keep the momentum going, Anahita – small, focused tweaks will push you well past the 2700 blitz mark. Enjoy the process and good luck at the board!