Coach Chesswick
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
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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.
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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.
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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
- Watch a 10-minute recap of the Classical French and build a 15-line personal file.
- Play five blitz games starting from the Poisoned-Pawn Winawer (after 6.Qg4 Qc7) vs the computer.
- 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.