Coach Chesswick
Hi Devhour Deez – Performance Review & Road-Map
Your latest rapid/blitz batch shows both sparkling creativity and a few fixable leaks. Below is a structured summary so you know exactly what to keep, what to tweak and how to train.
What already works
- Central, initiative-oriented openings – 1.e4/1.d4 followed by quick piece activity keeps you in the driver’s seat from move 1.
- Tactical vision – Pins, forks and discovered attacks appear in nearly every victory. Your 22.exd6! finish versus gijoe2019 is textbook exploitation of an overloaded piece.
- Converting an edge – When you reach a plus-2 position you usually finish efficiently, without giving the opponent counter-chances.
The leaks that cost points
- Neglecting opponent threats
In the Bogo-Indian loss to chesskingmonkey you grabbed a2 & b2 and walked into 29.Qxe8#. One missed question – “What can they do to me next?” – turned a winning material race into instant defeat. - Time trouble
Four of the five losses ended on the clock while the position was still defensible. Fast, sharp openings demand clock discipline: leave yourself >20 s for the final tactics phase. - King safety while attacking
Dragon-style games with opposite-side castling are double-edged. A single prophylaxis move (Kb1 / …Kh8 / a4) would have neutralised two recent counter-sacrifices. - Rook-ending fundamentals
A passive rook and distant king allowed inferior pawn races to succeed. Remember: rook behind passed pawn, king active, rook active.
Immediate action plan (2 weeks)
- 15 min daily defensive tactics
Train puzzles labelled “find the refutation” to build the habit of spotting YOUR king’s problems. - Clock control drill
Play ten 3 + 2 games where the only goal is never to drop below 20 s. Accept “good enough” moves; perfection later. - Annotate two of your rook endings
No engine until after your notes. Add one takeaway sentence per game. - Opening hygiene check
Before launching g-/h-pawns or …c5-breaks, add the safety moves to your repertoire file.
Key position to revisit
Black is one tempo from disaster. Find the calm improvement for Black (hint: 18…Re7! defends):
Your progress at a glance
Peak blitz rating: 2442 (2025-03-29).
Summary
Your attacking flair is real; pairing it with a short “opponent-threats first” check and better clock management will push you beyond 2300 shortly. Keep balancing dynamic play with solid fundamentals, and we’ll review the gains in our next session. Good luck at the board!