Coach Chesswick
Hi Clint71682 – Your Personal Game Review
Quick Snapshot
- Active time control: 3 min + 2 s increment.
- Main openings: Alekhine’s Defence as Black & flexible Nf3 / d4 systems as White.
- Best recorded rating so far: 1041 (2023-02-16).
Your Consistent Strengths
- Piece Activity out of the Opening. In several wins you rapidly develop and hit the centre (…d5 in Alekhine’s, early e4-e5 as White).
- Rook Coordination. Good feel for doubling on open files (e.g. 28…Re4 & 32…Ree2 vs Pbarton969) once the middlegame simplifies.
- Converting Material. When up a rook or more you rarely blunder it back; the win against cornelius42 shows tidy technique.
- Endgame Motivation. You are willing to trade into won endings instead of hunting for flashy mates—an excellent habit at any level.
Key Growth Areas
- King Safety. Three recent losses feature the queen landing a decisive check on h6/h5 (see Days0fBlunder & ijmenk).
• Avoid early …gxf6 & …g5 in Alekhine lines; they weaken light squares around your king.
• Castle before pushing flank pawns unless you have a concrete reason. - Time Management. 5 of your last 8 decisive games ended on the clock (both wins and losses). • Adopt a simple rhythm: “Scan threats – pick candidate moves – quick blunder-check – play.” • Reserve the increment for tough positions rather than every single move.
- Critical Tactics. Missed forks/pins decided several games (e.g. 17.Qxh6#). Dedicate 10-15 min per day to a tactics trainer focusing on: double attacks, weak back rank, and queen-rook battery ideas.
Opening Toolkit – Concrete Tips
With Black – Alekhine’s Defence
The position after 1.e4 Nf6 2.e5 Nd5 3.d4 d6 4.Nf3 is critical.
- Aim for 4…g6 & 5…Bg7 (Modern Variation) or 4…dxe5 5.Nxe5 c6 (Exchange line) rather than the early …Bg4/…Bxf3 you used vs md1vv. Those trades give White bishops free play.
- Refrain from …f6 unless you are 100 % certain the centre is closed; it opens the long diagonal toward your king.
With White – 1.Nf3/1.d4 Systems
- After 1.Nf3 d5 2.d4 Nc6 you can grab space with 3.c4 instead of 3.Nc3; it discourages Black’s …Bf5 setup that hurt you vs lorlm75.
- Whenever you push g- or h-pawns early, make sure your queen can slide back for defence (a rule you followed vs hussain_223 – good job!).
Model Mini-Plan to Practise
Play this line vs the computer a few times; notice how your king remains safe while you still challenge the centre.
Next 7-Day Challenge
- Solve 50 intermediate tactics (rating 400-800) with a 3-minute timer.
- Play three unrated rapid games (10 + 5) focusing solely on not dropping below 1 min on your clock.
- Review each game for one missed tactic and one missed positional idea—write them down in a notebook.
When to Celebrate
Hit any of these milestones and treat yourself:
- Reach 1222 (2022-04-11) 800.
- Finish a game where you castle, connect rooks, and never allow a check on the back rank.
Visual Trends
Keep enjoying the journey, Clint—steady habits will take you far faster than flashy shortcuts. Good luck at the board!