Coach Chesswick
Hi Michalina!
Great job keeping an ambitious, fighting style in your recent Chess960 games. Below is a quick review of the trends I see together with a concrete action-plan for the next few weeks.
What you already do well
- Practical fighting spirit – you willingly enter sharp positions and very often out-calculate your opponent in mutual time trouble.
- Pawn-storm instincts – well-timed pawn advances on the flanks (h- and a-files in particular) frequently give you dangerous passed pawns, as in your win vs Bella Khotenashvili.
- Piece activity awareness – you normally place your rooks on open files quickly (e.g. 17.Rfc1 and 28.Rb4 in your latest win).
Priority improvements
-
Clock Management
• 6 of the last 8 decisive results (both wins & losses) were determined by the clock.
• You occasionally invest ~40 seconds on non-critical decisions and then have to blitz out real tactical moments.
Training tip: play one 10 + 5 or 15 + 10 game per day for two weeks; write down ⏰ whenever you spend >30 seconds. Review “why” after the game. -
Center before wings
Flank pawn pushes are powerful, but in the loss to Ruslan Momunaliev the early 1.g3 2.f4 3.Ndc3 left the e4-d4 squares weak and Black’s …d5 strike hit hard.
Checklist before playing a wing pawn: “Are all my minor pieces developed & my king safe?” If not, consider a developing move instead. -
Tactical tidiness
In the loss vs Magdalena Kozak your 34.b5? overlooked an intermezzo and the position collapsed quickly:
Daily puzzle training (minimum 10-15 quality puzzles) will hard-wire the “blunder check” instinct. -
Converting advantages
When ahead (e.g. the exchange up vs Maurizio Brancaleoni) you sometimes continue complex pawn races instead of simplifying. Practice the mindset: “If a trade brings me closer to a technically winning ending, do it.”
Recommended study routine (4-week block)
- 🏋️ Tactics: 15-minute session of mixed-rating puzzles each day + 2 sessions per week of thematic tactics (forks, pins, zwischenzug).
- 📚 Opening repair: pick one classical line vs …f5 structures and one solid setup with early d- or e-pawn in Chess960 starts; play them in slow unrated games.
- 🎥 Game autopsy: after every game, mark three critical moments and note (a) what you calculated, (b) what you missed, (c) the clock time used. Ten honest autopsies > any opening book.
- ♟️ Model endgames: replay 5 master games that feature converting an extra pawn/ exchange; mimic the techniques.
Motivation corner
Your current peak ratings: Blitz 2473 (2024-09-12) Bullet 2438 (2024-05-11).
Keep an eye on your progress graphs:
Small, steady improvements in time management and tactical accuracy will push those curves upward quickly. Good luck, and enjoy the journey!