Coach Chesswick
Hello Carlos!
You play enterprising, tactical chess and clearly enjoy launching early threats. That sharp style scores you many quick wins, but it also explains several recent losses. Below is personalised feedback to help you convert more of those promising positions into consistent results.
1. Openings ‑ build before you boom
- Early queen sorties. In multiple games you bring the queen out on move 2–4 (e.g. 2.Qh5 vs Mentor_Inc, 5.Qxf7+ vs koz-iky). Against weaker opposition this wins pawns, but stronger players will chase the queen and gain development. Train yourself to ask “What pieces haven’t moved yet?” before moving the queen.
- Knights to the rim. Jumps such as ...Nb4 / ...Nc2+ are thematic, yet you often play them while other pieces are stuck on the back rank. Strive for the classical trio: centre pawn, minor piece, minor piece before hunting tactics.
- A starter repertoire. Pick one solid line with White (e.g. the Italian: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4) and one with Black (e.g. the Scandinavian you already like) and study the first 10 moves deeply. Consistency breeds confidence.
2. Tactical vision – keep the good, cut the bad
- You excel at tactical patterns such as skewers on the e-file and back-rank mates. Great!
- Missed tactics often arise from undefended pieces. In the loss to kapsy1 your queen captured on a1 (15…Qxa1) but the rook on f1 later skewered your king. Do a “loose piece count” every move: name all of your unprotected units.
- Daily puzzle training (5–10 per day) will improve both spotting and rejecting unsound lines.
3. King safety & time management
- Many of your defeats come with your king in the centre (see moves 11–18 vs kapsy1). Make castling an automatic priority unless you have a concrete reason not to.
- You often reach winning positions but lose on the clock (e.g. vs Gaebun). Practise playing 10-minute rapid games and spend the first minute each move on blunder-check: “What are all checks, captures, threats?”
4. Endgame basics
Your style rarely reaches deep endgames, but when it does you look unsure. Add these essentials to your toolkit:
- King & pawn vs king technique (the square, opposition).
- Lucena and Philidor rook endings.
5. Concrete examples
Review these critical moments with a board to reinforce the lessons:
- Missed resource 26…Bb4+ in your last loss – the final skewer.
- Excellent conversion of an initiative in your win vs ian-n-n-n – note how you kept pieces active.
6. Target for the next month
- Reach 466 (2025-03-06) +50 points by playing slower games twice a week and analysing each with an engine after your own notes.
- Finish the “Opening Principles” module on Chess.com’s lessons (≈45 min total).
Progress trackers
Monitor when you win and spot fatigue patterns:
Final encouragement
Your creativity is your super-power. Blend it with a little more discipline in development and king safety, and you will blast through the 300-rating-point ceiling quickly. Enjoy the journey, and keep the pieces flying!