Coach Chesswick
Hi Matt Zavortink, great to see you continuously pushing the 2500-plus blitz barrier (current peak: 2602 (2024-10-22))!
The sample of games you shared highlights both clear strengths and some growth opportunities. Below is a concise performance review followed by an action-oriented improvement plan.
What’s already working
- Wide, theoretically sound repertoire. You switch comfortably between Najdorf, Taimanov, Berlin, Caro-Kann and King’s Indian setups. Your win over 2475 “NigiriSushies” shows confident handling of the Berlin: .
- Tactical alertness. In several Sicilians you spotted engine-worthy blows (e.g. 13.Qg7!! in your latest Najdorf win).
- End-game conversion skills. When you have a time buffer you generally convert cleanly, often using the outside passed pawn motif (see 28.Rxf8+ against AntonioD96).
- High fighting spirit. Even in inferior positions you create practical chances, forcing opponents to earn the point.
Recurring problems & quick fixes
- Time-management. Four of the five recent losses were on the clock while your position was playable or even better (e.g. versus David Howell, move 39).
Fix: Adopt a “time bank” rule: never let your main time dip below the increment × 20 (≈20 s in 3 + 1). Use the opponent’s think-time for quick blunder-checks rather than analysing new branches. - King safety in sharp Sicilians. Games vs “Dont_be_a_C0unt” and “Zhuu96” show pawn storms hitting an exposed king after early …g6/…h5.
Fix: Review modern Dragon/Accelerated Dragon model games emphasising …h5 timing and the …Rc8/…Rh7 defensive shuffle. Build a flashcard with typical defensive resources (…Kg7-Rh8-Rh5, exchange sac on c3, etc.). - Handling extreme pawn pushes (h- & g-pawns) from White. Loss to “NightOfzero_on_fire” featured h5-h6 and g-pawn rolls.
Fix: Practise prophylaxis drills: identify the square an opponent’s pawn wants to reach and ask “can I stop/deflect it this move?” Use Zugzwang awareness to avoid passive waiting. - Piece coordination after early queen adventures. In a few Trompowsky/Alapin positions your queen chased pawns (…Qa5, …Qb4) and fell behind development.
Fix: Set a guideline: if the queen crosses the 4th rank before move 10, calculate a safe retreat plan first.
Four-week training blueprint
| Week | Main theme | Daily micro-task (≤30 min) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Clock discipline | Play 15 bullet games with a hard rule: move < 3 s each turn; review only lost games. |
| 2 | Sicilian king safety | Watch one GM Dragon game + set up the critical middlegame vs computer at depth 20 and defend. |
| 3 | Pawn-storm defence | Chessable “Defend the h-file” mini-chapter or create 10 Lichess studies from your own games. |
| 4 | End-game speed | Solve 20 end-game tablebase “blitz mode” puzzles (≤30 s each). |
Progress-tracking dashboards
Bookmark these to see if the plan is working:
- Hourly performance:
- Day-to-day consistency:
Final encouragement
You’re already competing toe-to-toe with titled players. Tightening up the clock discipline and shoring up defensive techniques against flank pawn storms will likely push you past 2600 blitz very soon. Keep the creative spark alive, and good luck in the next Titled Tuesday!