Coach Chesswick
Personalised Feedback for Craig Jones
1. What you are doing well
- Active, initiative-based style. In several French Defence & Pirc games you willingly seize space with pawn breaks such as …c5 or …f5. This keeps opponents on the back foot and often leads to them flagging. makes it clear that when you get rolling you score heavily.
- Pressure on the clock. Four of your last five wins were decided by your opponent’s time-out. This shows you play quickly and confidently once you like the position.
- Recognising tactical shots. The exchange sac 23…Nc4! followed by 28…Be8 in your win against I_Will_be_FM (see mini-PGN below) is an example of spotting an intermezzo to keep the initiative.
2. Priority improvement areas
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Early-middle-game king safety.
In the loss to khangphat1220 (Göring Gambit) your kingside pawn storm (13.h3 g4 g5) left g3 and e3 weak. Opponents exploited the dark squares and you resigned down material.
→ Rule of thumb: whenever you advance two pawns in front of your king, ask “How many defenders are left?” -
Handling counter-punches in the French.
In several Classical French positions you allow White’s e4-e5 push without preparation. The resulting space disadvantage explains the lower score on games started between 0-2 UTC in .
→ Add concrete theory to your repertoire: study the main line after 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e5 Nfd7 5.f4 (15-minute drill: play it for both sides vs the engine). -
Conversion technique.
You often reach won endgames but give pieces counter-play (e.g. 38…Ra1? vs OzzyAndrade51).
→ One practical exercise per day: play a bot from a rook-and-pawn up position and force yourself to win with <60 seconds.
3. Concrete training plan (next 14 days)
| Day | Focus | Exercise |
|---|---|---|
| 1-3 | King-safety checks | Pause every rapid game on move 10 and verbalise threats to your king. |
| 4-7 | French main-line drill | Blitz vs engine from 3…Nf6 positions; annotate critical moments. |
| 8-10 | Endgame conversion | Play 10 rook-and-pawn up endgames vs 2200 bot. |
| 11-14 | Review & reinforce | Go through losses with a friend or coach, write 3 “next time I will …” notes each. |
4. Quick reference
• Peak rating so far: 2315 (2020-12-16)
• Glossary links: zwischenzug, opposite-coloured bishops
• Notable opponents: khangphat1220, i_will_be_fm
5. One last tip
Many of your games finish because the opponent’s clock runs out. That’s useful, but if you slow down slightly at critical positions you’ll avoid the early blunders that cause your own occasional resignations. Aim for a balanced tempo: fast when the moves are forced, patient when the position is rich.
Good luck on the climb, Craig!