Coach Chesswick
Hi Sheerie Joy Beltran!
You play dynamic, fighting chess and have already reached an impressive 2111 (2020-11-19). Below is personalised feedback based on your most recent games.
What you are doing well
- Calculated aggression. Your win against kostyn1964 shows excellent tactical awareness – 10.Bxf7+! exploited a pinned knight and uncastled king, leading to a quick resignation.
- Opening versatility. With White you successfully alternate between the Italian, Ruy-Lopez and anti-Pirc setups; with Black you handle both 1…e5 and Pirc/KID structures.
- Piece activity. Many of your victories begin with rapid development and centralisation (e.g. …Rc4 & …Rd4 battery in the win versus dreamingjackal).
Opportunities for improvement
- Time management. Two recent losses were simply timeouts. Even in blitz you often reach critical positions with <15 s. Adopt a pace-plan: opening (30 %), middlegame (50 %), endgame (20 %).
- Pawn-storm discipline. Gambits like g4–g5 can over-expose your king (loss vs. unforgivenundertaker). Ask “What happens if the attack fizzles?” before pushing wing pawns.
- Endgame conversion. Against bodosk you reached a pleasant rook-and-pawn ending yet the game slipped away. Study basic rook endings (Lucena, Philidor) and bishop-vs-pawns techniques.
- Prophylaxis. Several defeats stem from overlooking your opponent’s counter-play (…d5 breaks, knight hops). Adding one or two safety moves (h3/h6, a4/a5) will curb tactical shots and reinforce your structure. See the concept of a zwischenzug.
Targeted action plan (next 4 weeks)
- Daily tactics. 20 intermediate-level puzzles a day; write down all candidate moves before committing.
- Endgame focus. Work through 30 key rook endings and 20 minor-piece endings from Silman or Dvoretsky; replicate the final position on a board and play it vs. engine set to 2000.
- Opening pruning. Keep current white repertoire but pick one line versus the Pirc and drill 10-move depth to reduce clock usage; with Black versus 1.e4 decide between a single main line (e.g. classical 1…e5 Italian) or the Pirc – not both.
- Clock drills. Play 10 games of 5 + 5 focusing only on spending at least 30 seconds on every critical decision. Separately, play 10 bullet games aiming to keep >20 s in hand at move 30 – this builds premove discipline.
Progress tracker
Use these visuals to monitor consistency and avoid burnout:
Final thought
You already possess the hardest ingredient – a sharp eye for tactics. Round that out with tighter clock control and endgame technique and you’ll be knocking on the 2200+ door soon. Good luck, and enjoy the journey!