Coach Chesswick
Hi Cemil Can Ali Marandi!
You are already a fierce tactical player with an impressive instinct for dynamic play. The following notes are based on your latest streak of blitz and bullet games and are intended to help you squeeze out a few extra rating points on busy days.
Your Competitive Profile
- Peak blitz rating so far: 2784 (2017-03-07)
- Typical activity graph:
What You Are Doing Especially Well
- Fast calculation in double-edged positions. In the win against Nihal Sarin (Black side of an Accelerated London) you spotted ...Nxe2+, ...Nc5 and ...Rxd2 in a flash. The whole sequence shows excellent alertness to loose pieces and forcing moves.
- Converting material. Once you obtain an extra pawn or exchange, you rarely let the advantage slip. Your endgame technique in the Alapin Sicilian vs. lu_shanglei—maneuvering the knight to d5, then doubling rooks on the d-file—was model textbook stuff.
- Opening flexibility. You comfortably switch between 1.e4 main lines, the Alapin, and off-beat choices such as the Englund Gambit with Black. This makes you hard to prepare for.
Key Areas to Tidy Up
- Early rook adventures in bullet. In several 60-second games versus Swapnil Dhopade you played Ra2–Ra1–Rb2–Ra2 and similar detours. Even for bullet this costs precious tempi and leaves your king in the centre. Try a “three-move rule”: if a piece moves more than twice in the first ten moves, ask yourself whether development elsewhere would score more points.
- Dark-square weaknesses after g-pawn thrusts. The losses in the King’s Indian Attack and Caro-Kann Breyer show a pattern:
g4 / g5followed by weakened squares on f4–h4. When your opponent keeps the queens on, that h-file pawn storm is strong. When queens come off early (…Qxd1+ in the Nimzo-Larsen, for example) the same structure becomes a liability. A simple heuristic: push the g-pawn only if (a) you keep attacking pieces on the board, or (b) you can castle the other way. - Handling early queen trades as Black. In two defeats against 1.b3 you entered endings with damaged pawn structure and no clear plan. Consider a more classical reply (…e6/…d5 or …e5/…Nc6) so you maintain central tension instead of an early …Qxd1.
- Clock management in won positions. You occasionally spend valuable seconds looking for the “cleanest” win when a safe conversion is enough. A practical tip: once you are +5 ▲ or more in the engine count, pre-move all obvious recaptures and checks unless you can see a direct tactical refutation.
Opening Micro-Adjustments to Test
| Situation | Idea | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Facing 1.b3 (as Black) | 1…d5 2.Bb2 Nf6 → …Bf5 / …e6 | Neutralises Larsen’s bishop, keeps queens, controls e4 before committing the light-square bishop. |
| Alapin Sicilian (as White) | After 3…Nf6 try 4.e5 Nd5 5.d4 cxd4 6.cxd4 | You score well here; adding the quiet 7.Nf3 instead of 7.Bc4 will avoid …Nb6 lines that slow your attack. |
| Caro-Kann Breyer line | Replace 4.g3 with 4.d4 or 4.Nf3 | Saves a tempo and keeps the option of an IQP structure where your tactical skill shines. |
Mid-Game Themes to Drill
- Attacking opposite-side castling: rehearse typical pawn storms vs. fianchetto.
Search terms: hook pawn, pawn lever - Minor-piece endgames with 4-vs-3 on one wing – many of your bullet endings reach this.
- Tactical motifs after
…Qxd1+: forcing queenless middlegames where initiative counts.
Suggested Weekly Routine (≈ 3 hours)
- 30 min: Solve high-rated puzzles where the engine eval is already +2 for the side to move; focus on quick clean conversions.
- 60 min: Play a training match (5|2 or 3|2) versus a sparring partner rated ±100 Elo. After each game, spend 3 min annotating critical moments before moving on.
- 30 min: Endgame drill – knight vs. pawn races and rook-plus-passer vs. rook.
- 60 min: Review one of your own bullet games in depth; enter the critical lines into your cloud repertoire so the fixes stick.
Replay Highlight
Your crisp tactical win vs. Nihal (Black, Accelerated London):
Final Take-Away
You already beat elite opponents when the position opens up. By tightening your early move order (especially in bullet) and respecting the dark-square weaknesses created by pawn thrusts, you will turn many of those razor-thin defeats into effortless victories.
Good luck at the board, and see you in the winner’s circle!