Coach Chesswick
Hi Davsur – summary of your recent games
- Current form: a solid +4 / –3 over the last 7 rapid games.
- Peak rating so far: 2114 (2025-01-07).
- Your best result in the sample: an energetic London win featuring the Rh7+ sacrifice against fliad.
What you’re doing well
- Initiative & Tactics. The Rh7+ idea in the London game, and the exchange-sac …Rxc3! in your Sveshnikov win, show sharp tactical vision.
- Practical End-game Technique. Converting the rook-and-pawn ending versus ustadjrr under time pressure was clean and confident.
- Opening variety. You handle the Sveshnikov, Kan, Grünfeld and London System comfortably, giving you flexible preparation.
Main improvement themes
-
King safety when launching pawn storms.
In your most recent loss you pushed g- and h-pawns too early, allowing Black’s counterplay to crash through the centre.- Consider delaying g4 until your king is castled short or long.
- Review classic London plans where the king stays solid and you break later with e4 or c4 instead.
-
Centralisation before wing play.
Several defeats (e.g. Grünfeld vs. WinterBlitz23) featured an early flank attack while the centre was loose. Adopt the checklist “centre, pieces, king, only then pawns”. -
Handling opposite-side castling in the Sicilian.
Your Sveshnikov win was great, but in blitz you sometimes rush …h5/…g5 with your own king still on g8. Study model games by Caruana & Giri on how Black times pawn storms behind a …Kh8, …Rg8 set-up. -
Time management.
Many winning positions were reached with <10 s left. Train with a strict “move +10 s glance” routine or play an occasional 10 + 5 game to practise deeper calculation without the flag risk.
Targeted drills for the next two weeks
- Daily 15 min on the Sveshnikov tabiya after 9…Bd7 / 11…Ng4 – build an index card of the five main ideas for each side.
- End-game flash cards: rook & 3-vs-rook & 2 same-side pawns; bishop + wrong-rook-pawn; Lucena.
- Play three slow practice games starting from the diagram position above, defending Black’s side – it will sharpen your sense of danger when you push the g-pawn as White.
Next milestone
With steadier king safety choices you should cross 2250 rapid again within a month. Keep the tactical edge, add patience in the centre, and your results will stabilise.
Good luck, and enjoy the climb! – Coach