Christian Jordan CM

Hi Christian!

You have climbed past 2000 Blitz by playing ambitious, fighting chess. Below is targeted feedback drawn from your last dozen games.

What you are doing well

• Caro-Kann Advance (as White) – the sequence 3.e5 Bf5 4.Nf3 5.Be2 7.b3 8.c4 gives you a pleasant space advantage and frequent kingside play. Your win against solmyr75 is an excellent model.
• Piece activity & tactical vision – knights hopped to d6/c5, rooks invaded the seventh, and you handled open king positions confidently (see the Dragon win vs kisgazsi10).
• Fighting spirit – even in inferior positions you keep looking for counter-chances; several opponents flagged or resigned under pressure.

Main growth areas

1. Time management
   Five of your last seven defeats were on the clock. In several French games you still had a playable position when flagged.
   Action plan:
   • Adopt a simple rule: never drop below 1 minute before move 15.
   • Think on the opponent’s turn; make your move in ≤ 3 seconds 50 % of the time.
   • Play a daily set of 3-minute puzzle rushes to train fast calculation.
2. French Defence problems (as Black)
   Losses vs Orly1986, impossible06, and kenntnisreichspieler featured the same pattern: passive light-squared bishop, king stuck in the centre, and a lethal Nxe6/Qg4 idea.
   Action plan:
   • Temporarily replace 3…Bb4 with the solid Classical French 3…Nf6 until you feel comfortable.
   • Memorise the critical tactic 13.Nxe6! in the Winawer – after 6.bxc3 play …b6, …Ba6 and castle queenside.
   • In every French you lost, …c5 or …f6 was played too late. Set a mental alarm: by move 10 one of those breaks must be ready or played.
3. Converting winning positions faster
   Against Solmyr75 you were +10 yet needed 48 moves and the opponent’s flag. Practise technical endings (rook + pawn, Q vs minor piece) so you can “switch to autopilot” and save clock time.

One-month homework

1. Watch a 10-minute recap of the Classical French and build a 15-line personal file.
2. Play five blitz games starting from the Poisoned-Pawn Winawer (after 6.Qg4 Qc7) vs the computer.
3. Play ten games of the Caro-Kann as Black – you already know the structures from the White side; this will round out your repertoire.

Puzzle corner – the tactic that beat you

Try to find why 13.Nxe6! works for White in the Winawer:

Stats snapshot

• Peak Blitz rating: 2312 (2024-02-28)
• Peak Rapid rating:

Implement the clock rule in your very next session and test the French tweaks in casual games first. Small, focused adjustments will lift you beyond 2100.