Coach Chesswick
Hi Yahor!
Congratulations on maintaining a strong ~2550 blitz level (see 2632 (2021-07-26)). Below is a concise review of your recent games, followed by an action-plan to push the rating even higher.
What you already do well
- Smooth development & castling. In your win against Cumali Unver you reached a classic Giuoco Piano middlegame with every piece active by move 11.
- Dynamic pawn breaks. …f5 (vs NaciSAN, move 14) and …c6 (vs CuzImBetter) show you understand when to open lines for active pieces.
- Tactical alertness. The Nd6+ forks in your Sicilian wins and the Bxh6 sacrifice in the recent Caro-Kann loss (though unsound) reflect a keen eye for combinations.
Patterns holding you back
- Time-pressure collapses. Five of the last six losses were on time. You frequently enter “red-zone” (<20 s) as early as move 25, forcing blitzed moves like 30.b3?? vs Jumbo.
- Over-optimistic king-side pushes. In the loss to Leon Luke Mendonca the sequence 11.h4 13.h5 19.Bxh6 gave up two pawns and dark-square control. A single prophylactic move (e.g. 12.a3 or 15.h5 h6 16.c3 without Bxh6) would have kept the game balanced.
- Endgame conversion. Even in wins you sometimes need 60+ moves to finish a pawn-up ending (e.g. vs HZMC92). In losses vs Jumbo & bpm_90 you reached drawable rook endings but flagged.
Targeted training plan (4 weeks)
| Focus | Concrete tasks |
|---|---|
| Clock management |
• Use a soft limit: aim to have ≥1 min on move 20. • Play two 5 + 2 games daily; force yourself to spend ≥15 s on any critical decision (checks, captures, threats). • Review flagged games; identify moves where you “thought” but didn’t change the evaluation. |
| Endgame technique |
• Drill rook + 3 vs rook + 2 and rook + pawn vs rook on Lichess Trainer or your engine. • Solve 10 composed endings/week; annotate ideas such as zugzwang and lucena. |
| Opening hygiene |
• Add one solid system as White against …c6 (e.g. Panov or Advance) to avoid drifting into slow structures you later over-attack. • Refresh your anti-Sicilian lines; the 3.Bb5 systems score well for you—prepare short 0-0 plans against ...e6 set-ups. |
| Calculation discipline |
• Daily 15-minute tactical workout (>2400 theme puzzles). • During games apply the “SCAN” checklist: Safety of king, Captures, Attacks, Neat resources (checks/zwischenzug). |
Game snapshots
Most recent win (vs NaciSAN)
Critical sequence from loss to LionTheLeon_06
The Bxh6 gxh6 Nxh6+ idea fails tactically because …Bxd3! hits g6 and frees Black’s back rank pieces. Instead 19.Qf4! with Rc1-c2-e2 keeps pressure without material deficit.
When you win / when you slip
Next step
Schedule one weekly self-review session (30 min): pick a loss, hide the engine, and write 3 questions you could have asked during the game. This habit will hard-wire better practical decisions.
Keep up the fighting spirit, Yahor! Implement the time-management tweaks and sharpen your endings—you’re not far from the 2600 mark.