Pui Yin Brandon Chan CM

Hi Brandon!

I reviewed your latest blitz sessions as Eggcomesbeforechicken (≈2236 (2025-04-15)). Below is a concise assessment of your current form, followed by an action-oriented study plan.

1. What you are already doing well

• Initiative & Tactical Eye – Many wins start with active piece play (e.g. 1…Bxa1! in the TypKingsley game). You often sense when material grabs are safe and punish loose opponents.
• Clock Management under Pressure – You survive complicated positions and then out-flag rivals. This is a competitive skill worth preserving.
• Resourcefulness – In several lost positions you fought back with swindles or perpetual-check ideas. That fighting spirit is crucial above 2300.

2. Patterns that are costing you points

• Early Wing Pawns = King Exposure – In four of the five recent losses the moves b4, g4 or h4 came before full development, inviting counter-punches (see eldruridinho & ygemara games). Think “Six-Piece Rule”: launch pawn storms only after at least six pieces are mobilised.
• Reti Gambit (3.b4) & Pseudo-Saragossa Lines – These give you interesting play but also leave a backward d-pawn and a loose king. Consider a more solid core repertoire against …d5 systems.
• Conversion Technique – Several wins relied on flagging rather than clean endings. Example: vs AStadium you were a queen up but let the clock settle it. Stronger opposition will hold.
• Missed Defensive Resources – In the fantagonist loss 26.Rc7+! was foreseeable; and against Dat_Rosa_Mel_Apibus a single …h6 created long-term dark-square issues. A ten-second “blunder check” would have avoided both.

3. Training Priorities (next 4–6 weeks)

1. Opening Repairs – White
   • Add a mainstream option: Catalan/English without early b-pawn thrusts.
   • Reserve 3.b4 for rapid games only after a quick engine sanity-check on critical lines.
2. Opening Repairs – Black
   • Versus 1.e4 tighten your Sicilian/Alapin setup: memorise the first 12 moves of the main line you faced vs fantagonist.
   • Versus 1.d4 adopt a Nimzo/Queen’s Indian move order to avoid Chigorin-style positions that left you with weak dark squares.
3. King Safety Drill – After every own pawn move in front of your king ask “What diagonal opened? Which square became weak?” Annotate at least one of your blitz games daily with this specific question.
4. Endgame Technique
   • Finish 100 basic rook endgame exercises (Lucena, Philidor, Vancura) on a trainer app.
   • Play 10 10+5 games per week focused solely on clean conversion; resign or agree draws early if the middlegame is unclear, so you reach endings.
5. Tactical Calculation Routine
   • Daily: 15 puzzles untimed; write down three candidate moves and your final evaluation before checking the solution. This combats autopilot sacrifices.
6. Critical Moment Pause – In every blitz game identify three positions to spend at least 10 seconds. A short “STOP” label on your screen or board helps create the habit.

4. Tracking Progress

Use the built-in Chess.com insights and the following custom charts to watch improvement:

5. Mini-Glossary

If any terms feel fuzzy, click for quick refreshers: Zugzwang, Lucena Position, Candidate Moves.

6. Next Coaching Session

Bring two annotated games: one clean win and one messy loss where you felt out of control. We’ll deep-dive into decision-making and see how the new habits are taking root.

Good luck, and remember: quality moves first, flagging second!