Coach Chesswick
Hi BariqueLaPipe! 👋
Your recent progress
Peak Rapid so far: 1240 (2025-07-31)
Activity snapshots:
What already works
- Consistent repertoire. With White you reach London-/Zukertort-type setups; with Black you rely on the Caro-Kann or Modern. Familiar structures = faster decisions.
- Tactical alertness. Wins vs abwswy and Leopardgreco show you spot forks (Nxd5!), loose-piece picks (Bxc7!) and mating nets efficiently.
- Piece activity. You routinely centralise rooks and queens early—excellent at this rating range.
Largest improvement opportunities
- King safety first. Losses to dhewo01 and Yangonthar234 started with pawn storms while your own king was still exposed. Develop → castle → then attack.
- Respect the counter-punch. After every forcing move, ask: “If I were my opponent, how would I hurt me?” (Classic pre-move blunder check, often a missed zwischenzug.)
- Endgame technique. A R+P ending vs HappyBat99 went from winning to lost. Review king-and-pawn basics plus rook endgames like the Lucena and Philidor setups.
- Use your clock. You usually finish with 6-8 minutes unused. Invest part of that time to calculate one extra move or find a quiet improving move (a useful concept is tempo).
Opening checkpoints for the next 50 games
London / Zukertort (White)
- Versus …g6 systems keep the bishop on f4, castle before playing an h-pawn or g-pawn advance.
- Memorise the break 7.c4! against …e6 & …d5 (it created all the play in your win vs abwswy).
Caro-Kann (Black)
- In the Advance 3.e5 line, meet 4.Bd3 with …Bxd3 and …e6. Avoid early …f6—it weakened dark squares in two recent defeats.
- Study the classical main line: 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 Bf5 4.Nf3 e6 5.Be2 c5. Play three unrated games using only this plan.
Two-week training plan
| Day | Theme | Task |
|---|---|---|
| Mon / Thu | Tactics | 20 Puzzle Rush / Survival, aim ≥ 80 % accuracy. |
| Tue / Fri | Endgames | Watch one short lesson & set up 5 basic rook-pawn studies on a board. |
| Wed / Sat | Opening review | Play 3 unrated games focusing on new Caro ideas, then self-analyse. |
Illustrative moment
The critical sequence from your loss to dhewo01:
Before playing 17.Rg3, one extra blunder-check would have revealed Black’s fork on d4 and the back-rank mating ideas.
Next step
Arrange a mini-match (5–10 games, 10|0 time control) against an 1150–1200 opponent who plays the Pirc/Modern—e.g. happybat99. Analyse each game together afterwards.