Coach Chesswick
Hi Bodhana – great to see your recent games!
You continue to punch well above your rating, taking down 2400-2500 opposition with confident play. Below is a quick snapshot followed by concrete suggestions.
What you’re already doing well
- Opening versatility as Black: Your French (C10/C02) and Caro-Kann (B12/B10) score very solidly. In the win vs Andrew Jing you neutralised 1.e4 effortlessly and converted a long queen-plus-knight ending without a slip.
- Practical defence under pressure: In several losses you reached technically lost positions but prolonged the fight for 80+ moves. That grit often flips games in faster time controls.
- Tactical alertness: The …Qxa2 followed by …a4/a3 break in your French win showed nice board-vision, catching a 2495 GM off guard.
Biggest improvement levers
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Time management in winning positions
Many losses feature healthy positions that drift once your clock drops under 20 s. Adopt a “chunk the clock” rule: aim to keep ≥40 s until move 25 and ≥15 s until move 40 in 3 + 1. Train this with increment-sprint drills (play 1 + 1 games and force yourself to move before 1 s per move). -
Endgame conversion vs strong defenders
In the loss vs linlin1812 you were up the exchange on move 35 yet allowed …Ra4 and lost all queenside pawns. The main culprit was pushing pawns before activating the king. Spend one week on rook-vs-minor-piece endgames: start with Dvoretsky’s Ch. 9 or the free “Rook vs Knight/Pawn” section on Chessable. -
White repertoire clarity
Your results with 1.d4 & early Bf4/Bg5 are strong, but 1.e4 games vs higher-rated opponents look shaky: the Caro-Kann Two Knights (…dxe4 Nxe4 Nf6 5.Qe2) and Anti-Sicilian lines often leave you with uneven pawn structures. Choose one main line you believe in and learn 10 moves deep.
• Against the Caro-Kann consider the Advance 3.e5 followed by 4.Nf3 and 5.Be2 to avoid early forcing trades.
• Against 2…d6 Sicilians, the Moscow (3.Bb5+) you already play is fine – just review the critical 5.c4/6.Nc3 plans. -
Kingside dark-square safety in the French
When you meet 5.Nxf6+ Qxf6 6.Nf3, your reflex …Qd8 is solid but passive; the modern antidote is …c5 and …Nc6 hitting d4 before retreating the queen. This keeps the initiative and prevents White’s quick 0-0-0 + h4/h5 push (see your loss to 2290 where …h6 created a hook). Add the following line to your file:
Micro-habits for the next two weeks
- Play one 30-minute classical game every two days to practise deep calculation without clock pressure.
- Finish each session by annotating one decisive moment – no engine until you’ve written your thoughts.
- Do 20 minutes of rook-endgame puzzles daily; use the tag “rook vs pawn” in Puzzle Rush.
Motivation corner
Your peak rating in rapid already stands at 1838 (2025-03-03). Keep chiselling at these small edges and you’ll cross the next milestone soon.
Your activity at a glance
Feel free to send me any positions you’re unsure about. Keep enjoying the game and pushing your limits!