Coach Chesswick
Hi Shiqun Ni!
Great effort in your recent games. Below is some targeted feedback to help you climb to the next level.
What you’re already doing well
- Initiative-seeking play: Your win against shae11 shows how quickly you seize space and activity. After 9.c4! you never let Black consolidate.
- Dynamic piece play: Tactics such as 30.Rd7!! in the same game highlight excellent calculation skills when pieces get active.
- Opening variety: You are comfortable in Caro-Kann Advance, French Tarrasch and several Sicilian lines. This makes you harder to prepare for.
- Peak performance: 2741 (2021-05-20) – keep this in mind as a motivational benchmark!
Primary growth areas
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King safety once the queens stay on:
In the loss vs themind1hunter your king remained in the centre while Black opened files with …e5–e4 and …f5. Before pushing central pawns, ask “Can I castle or block the e-file first?”
Illustrative sequence: -
Pawn-storm discipline:
The early h-pawn thrusts (h4/h5) often give you space, but in several blitz losses they created holes (e.g. dark squares around your own king). Follow the “two-out-of-three” rule: launch the pawn only when (a) you’re already castled to the opposite side, (b) the centre is closed, or (c) you have a clear attacking majority. -
Time management:
Five of your last ten losses came by flagging in technically winning or drawable positions. Try these habits:- Let the clock decide your move complexity – in blitz, favour moves that keep the initiative without requiring deep calculation.
- Use opponent’s time to plan your next reply; avoid first seeing the position only once the clock starts ticking for you.
- Practise “increment endgames” where you convert a pawn up with 5 s per move. Your muscle memory will save tons of seconds.
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Conversion technique in rook endings:
Several time-pressure losses entered rook-and-pawn endgames where you were better or equal but drifted. Study the standard positions (Lucena, Philidor, the Vancura) and rehearse them until they’re as automatic as mating with queen+king.
Action plan for the next two weeks
- Play one 15 | 10 game daily and annotate it right after. Focus on king safety decisions.
- Solve 20 timed puzzles with a 30 s limit to mimic blitz calculation speed.
- Finish one chapter on rook endings from your favourite end-game book or video series.
- Track your playing hours and win-rates with these dashboards:
Quick glossary refresh
Review these ideas when analysing your games: Prophylaxis, WeakSquare, Zugzwang.
Keep up the hard work, and may your next peak rating come soon. Good luck!