Coach Chesswick
Hi Dr Erik Zude — What you already do well
- Flexible openings. You handle English-type positions, Four Knights and Sicilians with equal confidence, giving you the element of surprise.
- Dynamic pawn breaks. The thrust 18.c5!! in your latest win unleashed pieces and cracked Black’s centre — a textbook illustration of exploiting space.
- Practical resourcefulness. Swindles such as 34.d6! Rf1+ 35.Kg2 show you rarely lose sight of counter-chances even in time trouble.
Growth opportunities
- Early-middlegame planning. After exchanges like 8…Bxf3 9.Bxf3 you often lose the dark-square grip. Before trading, ask “Does this help my long-term plan?” and compare piece values beyond raw material (see minor-piece imbalance).
- Material vs. King safety. Several losses began with a tempting pawn or piece grab — e.g. — that opened files toward your own king. Add a three-second blunder-check (“Are there forcing moves against me?”) before capturing.
- Endgame technique. Positions like slipped because the conversion plan wasn’t crystal clear. Ten minutes of rook- and knight-pawn endings per day will add steady rating points.
- Clock management. In 3-minute games you’re often below 20 seconds by move 30. Try the “40/20 rule”: keep ≥40 % of your starting time after move 20 and ≥20 % after move 30. This reduces the final-stretch blunders dramatically.
Suggested weekly training menu
- Openings – Build a one-page repertoire for both colours; rehearse key branches with flashcards until you can recite the first 8-10 moves blindfolded.
- Tactics – 20 quality puzzles daily, emphasising intermediate moves and deflection motifs — both appear frequently in your games.
- Endgames – Work through chapters 3-7 of Silman’s “Complete Endgame Course”, then drill them online for speed.
- Practical play – Schedule sessions during your performance peaks: and monitor streak trends with . Review each loss immediately while the ideas are fresh.
Motivational snapshot
Your current peak blitz rating: 2706 (2021-09-24). With the targeted tweaks above, cracking the next milestone is realistic this season.
Enjoy the process — every game adds a data point to your ever-improving chess model. Good luck, and see you at the board!