Coach Chesswick
Hi Alex (awb2001) – Personalised Post-Titled-Tuesday Debrief
Quick snapshot
• Peak blitz rating so far: 2637 (2023-11-22)
• Recent results: 5 wins – 5 losses (streaks of 3W/3L)
• Activity charts:
What you are already doing well
- Dynamic opening choices – your Kan/O’Kelly mix keeps opponents guessing and the Fantasy Caro with 3.f3 gives you early initiative.
- Tactical awareness – see the B42 win below; the 22.Nxd6! clearance sacrifice was precise.
- Fighting spirit – you often convert tough positions (two resignations in clearly drawn rook endings by your opponents).
Priority fixes (highest ROI)
- Time management – the root cause of 60 % of the losses
• In four defeats (e.g. vs Nick Raptis – see PGN below) you had <10 s from move 30 onward.
• Try the 15-second “touch-and-go” rule: if you haven’t moved in 15 s, make the safest non-losing move and bank the increment.
- Rook-endgame technique
• Game vs Xadrez_Logic reached an equal R+P ending but you repeated moves aimlessly and then collapsed.
• Recommendation: 30 min/day on the “Rook vs Pawns” and “Lucena/Philidor” drills; then play rook-only training games on a board to automate winning plans. - Excess pawn thrusts around your king
• g4/h4 vs Dragons and Sicilians are thematic, but against strong resistance they leave dark-square holes (loss vs karinachess1).
• Before pushing a wing pawn ask the double question “What changes for my king? What changes for his pieces?” – classic Prophylaxis.
Opening refinement suggestions
| Your Side | Current choice | Upgrade path |
|---|---|---|
| White vs French | Tarrasch 3.Nd2 | Add 3.Nc3 repertoire to reduce early …c5 tension & cut Black’s main prep. |
| Black vs e4 | Hyper-Dragon / Kan mix | Learn one solid anti-Maróczy back-up (…e6 & …d6 structures) for when the bind is uncomfortable. |
Middlegame training menu (next 2 weeks)
- Daily 10-min calculation sprint (CT-art or a personal puzzle set). Goal: 10/12 correct with visualisation only.
- “One game, two questions” habit: after each game review, write down (i) the best decision you made and why, (ii) the worst decision and which cue you missed.
Long-term growth checkpoints
• Blitz: Stabilise at +50 points above current 2637 (2023-11-22).
• Rapid/classical: play one 25 | 10 game per week to transfer the new end-game skills.
• Coaching call in 30 days – send me three rook endings you win confidently.
Keep the energy, tidy the clock, and the next Titled Tuesday top-20 finish is within reach!