Coach Chesswick
Hi Adán Rios Escobar!
Great work on pushing your blitz strength to 2514 (2023-10-03) and racking up several classy wins. Below is personalised, constructive feedback distilled from your latest games.
Your current performance at a glance
- – late-night sessions clearly cost you points.
- – Mondays & Fridays are hot; Tuesdays could use a break-day.
Strengths to keep nurturing
- Sharp tactical eye. In the miniature versus elmatarile you uncorked 11.Nd5+! and a rook lift, converting the Pirc in 21 moves.
- Opening versatility. Switching smoothly between 1.e4, 1.d4 and double-fianchetto systems keeps opponents guessing and is ideal for short time controls.
- Pragmatic conversions. You often simplify to won endings instead of hunting brilliancies—excellent practical chess in 60- and 180-second pools.
What is holding you back right now
- King safety in flank-pawn structures.
Both the losses to Jiner Zhu (London System) and friarnator (Benoni) started with early …g6/…h6 while your king sat in the centre. Delay the second pawn move (…h6 or …g6) until you are castled and have at least one minor piece guarding the back rank. - Over-adventurous queen.
In the London loss 18…Qxa2 grabbed a pawn but cost three tempi and the initiative. Before any pawn-snatch ask “How many moves to bring my queen home if things go wrong?”—a simple tempo check. - Time-management.
Four recent defeats occurred with < 5 s on the clock. Try a bullet budget:- Opening (moves 1-10): ≤ 15 s total.
- Middle-game pauses: two × 7 s.
- Finish: premove & increment.
Opening lab
- Versus the London. Replace the immediate …c5 with the Jobava-Prié setup (…d5, …c5, …Nc6, …Bg4). It neutralises the dreaded h-pawn launch.
- Caro-Kann Two-Knights (as White). Your 6.h4 line is fun but unreliable. Add the classical 6.Bc4 system to your toolkit. Quick reference: .
- Modern/Pirc (as White). Keep the Geller system, but study the quieter Be2, 0-0, Re1 plan so you can switch gears when tactics aren’t flowing.
Tactical pattern focus
This week drill between-moves (the Zwischenzug). They won you games, but also bit back when missed—10 minutes of motif-filtered puzzles daily will fix that.
Two-week training menu
- 30 Puzzle Rush tries (aim ≥ 38).
- After every loss, spend 5 minutes finding your first big mistake before turning on the engine.
- Play ten 15 | 10 rapid games to rehearse the time-budget plan. Self-annotate first, then verify with the computer.
Closing thoughts
You are roughly 40 Elo from the next title norm band. Clean up king safety and clock handling and you’ll cross it before the next Titled Tuesday. Stay curious, enjoy the grind, and good luck!
— Your coach