Chess Coaching Advice for FM Sérgio Miguel

Coach Chesswick

Feedback for Sérgio Miguel

Sharp tactical eye. Your recent win against grandviktory ended with the elegant 28.Qxg7#, showcasing alertness to mating nets even with only seconds on the clock.
Flexible opening choice. You comfortably switch between 1.e4 and 1.d4, and as Black you handle both the Sicilian and Semi-Slav structures. This keeps opponents guessing.
Confidence in dynamic positions. Many victories arise from imbalanced middlegames where you willingly accept structural weaknesses (e.g. doubled pawns in the Sveshnikov) in return for piece activity.

Time management 🕒
• Five of your last six losses were due to flagging or early resignation in winning/drawn positions.
• Aim to reach move 20 with ≥50 % of your initial time. Use premoves only in forced recaptures and practice “easy-move mode”: invest 0-3 s on obvious replies, bank the rest for critical moments.
• Drill 3 | 2 games focusing solely on clock control; stop analysing after the result, just note whether you kept ≥30 s for the final phase.
Slav / Queen’s Gambit structures with g3.
In three recent losses you played 4.g3 against …dxc4 and were punished after …c6 & …e5. Study model games by Grischuk and Carlsen; the critical plan is Bg2, 0-0, a4, Na3 or Qa4, delaying e4.
• Build a mini-repertoire file with 10 model lines and rehearse them in Lichess Opening Trainer or equivalent.
End-game conversion.
Your Sveshnikov win on 01 Jun featured a pawn-up rook endgame that lasted 25 moves because you let the passer reach c4. Revisit the “four-step method”: activate king → create passer → cut off king → push pawn. Practise with table-base drills (KR vs K, KRP vs KP, etc.).
Prophylaxis.
Several losses stemmed from ignoring opponent chances (e.g. 18…Nd4 in the Alapin game). Before every move ask: “What is the opponent’s next threat if I pass?” Writing this on a sticky note beside your monitor helps build the habit.

As White – 1.e4 (French: +67 % win-rate), 1.d4 (Slav systems: –46 %); consider specialising in one main system each month to deepen understanding.
As Black – Sicilian Sveshnikov and Semi-Slav score well. The Queen’s Indian (E12) line vs. 1.d4 currently underperforms (time pressure & queenside weaknesses).

Quick visual check:

Review the full PGN and annotate why 15…f5? gave you the initiative.

Reach 2509 (2023-09-29) + 50 in the next 30 days by focusing on the time-management drills above.
Annotate every game longer than 3 | 2 for one week; identify one move you’d change and note the reason.
Complete 500 spaced-repetition puzzles featuring defensive motifs: zwischenzug, perpetual check, stalemate tricks.

“Good moves flow from good questions. Ask what they want, then decide what you want.”

Keep up the energetic play, Sérgio, and refine these specific areas—you’re on track to break the next rating barrier soon!