Coach Chesswick
Hi Leandro Fabricio Campelo!
Congratulations on maintaining a strong 2300+ live-rapid level. Your recent score-sheet shows an impressive +70 % score over the last 30 games, including victories against several 2300–2400 opponents. Below is a performance snapshot, followed by concrete, practical advice.
Quick performance snapshot
- Peak rapid rating: 2298 (2022-03-27)
- Typical session start time: 14-16 UTC | Best win-rate hour: see
- Opening choices as White: 1.e4 → Ruy Lopez / Anti-Caro-Kann pawn storms.
- Opening choices as Black: Taimanov & Alapin-Sicilians, Classical & Advance Caro-Kann, occasional French Winawer.
What you already do well
- Initiative & piece activity. In the win against britttas you sacrificed a pawn in the Berlin Rio to seize open lines, eventually taking over the endgame.
- Tactical alertness. You often spot intermediate moves such as 25.Re7! in the same game, forcing inflexibility in Black’s knight.
- Practical clock handling. Even when positions get sharp (e.g. the g-pawn storms in your Caro-Kann wins) you keep ~40-50 s reserve, essential for 3 + 2.
Key areas to improve
-
King safety when launching pawn storms
The losses to DioPorco666 (Najdorf Freak Attack) and Taabling (Alapin) share a pattern: early g/h-pawns left your king in the centre while the opponent counter-punched on dark squares. Before pushing a wing pawn ask, “If the centre opens next move, who benefits?” A single tempo (…e6-e5 or …d6-d5) can punish premature aggression. -
Over-reliance on tactics to solve strategic problems
In the Ruy Lopez loss versus Gaddamer you played 12.Nxb5? chasing a pawn but walked into …Bg4 & …Nxe4. Critical fragment: Instead, 12.d5! fills the centre and keeps Black pieces passive. Try to verbalise a strategic goal (space, minority attack, etc.) before calculating a forcing pawn grab. -
Conversion technique in winning technical endings
Games vs aleksander555 (French Winawer) and senorpetrosian (QPO) reached +3 but slipped. Practise rook + pawn endings: set up winning positions against engines starting with 5-minute time odds. The drill will ingrain concepts like the bridge technique and Lucena construction. -
Opening depth vs strong theoreticians
a) In the Taimanov you spent 30 s on 13…Nxd4 (game vs Muhammad-Waqar). Well-prepared opponents will blitz 15.g5 Nh5 16.exd5 and be on move 25 while you’re below 2 min.
• Refresh main lines with 12.g4, 12.Be2 and 12.f3.
b) Against the Ruy Lopez as White you alternate between main-line Closed and early a4/Re1 plans. Consider a fixed repertoire (e.g. 6.d3 Italian-style or Anti-Berlin 4.d3) to reduce prep workload.
Action plan for the next 4 weeks
| Week | Focus | Practical task |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Defensive training | Solve 50 puzzles tagged “Defence” & “Mixed tactics”, 10 min each. |
| 2 | Endgames | Play 20 rook-and-pawn vs Stockfish-5 at depth 12, starting +2 pawns. |
| 3 | Taimanov update | Review recent GM games after 12.g4; store 3 model lines in your notebook. |
| 4 | Self-analysis | Pick 5 of your own losses, add engine notes, and write one preventive rule each. |
Micro-tips you can apply today
- After a forcing tactical sequence, spend one extra tempo on consolidation (king luft, rook to open file) before hunting more material.
- When ahead in material in the endgame, trade active enemy pieces first, not automatically queens.
- Use the increment: even with 5 s on the clock you can calculate 2-3 ply calmly—flagging losses are almost nil with good technique.
Motivation corner
Your current trend line on
is firmly upward—even the tough Ruy Lopez loss ended in a learning position rather than a blunderfest. Keep sharpening your decision-making process and a 2400 peak is realistic before mid-year.Good luck, keep enjoying the game, and feel free to send me your next annotated game for review!