Jan Kokoszczynski FM

Hi Jan!

Great work reaching 2778 (2024-08-11) and keeping a solid win-rate (

What you already do well

• Opening repertoire is flexible. You play both 1.e4 and 1.d4 comfortably and handle typical set-ups such as the Italian, Caro-Kann and Kings Indian. In the win against Yerkin Kozganbay you steered the game into a pleasant Italian middlegame and converted confidently.
• Tactical alertness. In several wins you spotted in-between moves (e.g. 24. Qf5+!! in the Yerkinio game) that changed the evaluation immediately.
• Piece activity in the middlegame. You often seize open files with rooks (…Rd8 vs. Chessontrack, …Rc8/Rc6 vs. Kytan), showing good understanding of coordinating heavy pieces.

Primary improvement themes

1. Time-management & conversion technique
   Five of your last seven losses were on time in technically winning or drawable positions. Try:
   • Adopting a critical-moment routine: when you feel the position stabilise, spend one extra second deciding whether the position requires deep calculation or simple improving moves.
   • Practising increment drills: play 1 | 1 games focusing only on finishing with 10–15 seconds to spare.
2. King safety when pushing pawns on one wing
   In your loss to ნაზი თებიძე and ixcii, advancing g/h-pawns without a concrete follow-up weakened squares (g4/h4) that your opponent exploited. Before pushing wing pawns ask:

   “Can my opponent occupy the square I just weakened with tempo?”

   If yes, consider strengthening first (e.g. 0-0-0 before g-pawn storms in KID structures).
3. Endgame simplification choices
   A few time-losses started earlier: trading into slightly worse endings under time pressure (e.g. queen exchange vs. JSlaby on move 23). Insert the question “Who benefits from this trade?” before exchanging queens or rooks, especially when structural weaknesses remain.
4. Handling opposite-side castling races
   In two recent defeats you castled long and began a pawn storm, yet didn’t open lines quickly enough. Remember:
   • Open files before launching pawn storms (sacrifice if needed).
   • Central pawn breaks often trump flank pawn pushes; look for …e5/e4 or …d5/d4 first.

Action plan for the next 2 weeks

1. Daily 10-minute tactics sprint (aim ≥70 % accuracy). Use motifs you missed recently: knight forks on e6/f7, queen deflections.
2. Play five 5 | 5 games focusing exclusively on clock discipline. Annotate where you dropped below 30 s.
3. Review two master games in the Italian C55 and King’s Indian Fianchetto. Notice how they time pawn breaks.
4. End every session with one rook-and-pawn endgame drill (e.g. Lucena or Philidor). Your loss vs. LivetoFight shows this will convert directly into rating points.

Illustrative win to emulate

Keep up the hard work and enjoy the process. You’re very close to the next milestone—tightening these few areas will get you there. Good luck!

— Coach