Patrick Gong IM

Hi Patrick!

You’ve put together an impressive body of rapid-play games lately. Below is a concise review of recurring patterns I saw in your most recent results, along with targeted suggestions you can apply right away.

What’s already working

• Opening breadth: You’re comfortable with both 1.e4 and 1.d4 structures, and you frequently steer the game into less-theoretical sidelines where opponents must think on their own.
• Dynamic pawn play: Many of your wins arise from well-timed pawn breaks such as …c6 / …d5 in the Pirc or early queenside pushes with b4–b5. This willingness to grab space is a major practical weapon.
• Tactical alertness in reduced material: In the win vs. NormWeinstein you converted an equal rook-and-knight ending by spotting a tactic (41.Rc6! 42.Rxa6) that converted a small edge into a winning passer.

Main areas to tighten

1. Loose king safety in the early middlegame
   In several losses (e.g. vs. MITerryble and Harsha_Bharathakoti) you castled, then drifted into piece manoeuvres without asking “What is my opponent’s blunt plan against my king?” Moves like 14…Be6 and 19…c6 left dark-square holes that White exploited.
   Action drill: After your 8th–10th move, freeze for two seconds and verbalise: “Where are the pawn storms? Which colour-complex is weak?” This mental speed-bump will catch 80 % of these oversights.
2. Over-extension of minor pieces
   Games vs. alexrustemov and GaryOldmaninYaFace featured early knight hops to e5 / g4 / b4 without enough backup, leading to tempo-gaining pawn kicks.
   Rule of thumb: If the piece can be chased by one pawn, make sure you gain a concrete concession. Otherwise, keep it on a flexible square.
3. Time-management plateau
   Nearly every defeat shows you under 20 seconds by move 35 while the opponent still has 40-60 s. You’re playing “classical” calculations in a 3-minute framework.
   Try the 10-20-70 clock split:
   • First 10 moves: spend ≤ 40 % of your clock.
   • Next 10 moves: ≤ 30 %.
   • Final 20 moves: keep ≥ 30 % in reserve for bullet-mode conversion.
   Use the incremental sound cue from Chess.com to remind you when you dip under these thresholds.

Opening snapshot

You’ve scored well with the Alapin (c3 Sicilian) and Modern/Pirc setups. Your toughest outings came from French Rubinstein and Old Benoni lines where you accepted passive structures too quickly. One quick repertoire tweak:

• With White vs. French: Consider the Tarrasch line 3.Nd2 c5 4.exd5 exd5 5.Nf3. Fewer forcing tactics, easier to blitz out.
• With Black vs. d4 c4: Replace the immediate …c5 Old Benoni with a flexible …e6/…d6 Benko-move-order; you’ll avoid early Nb5 ideas that hurt you vs. Harsha.

Endgame focus

Positive: your rook-ending technique is steadily improving.
Next step: invest 15 minutes/day on rook + two pawns vs. rook studies—exactly the sort of positions where you flag or win on time.

Stats & tracking

• Peak blitz rating: 2823 (2024-11-05)
• Hour-by-hour performance:

Short homework plan (7 days)

1. Day 1-2: Review all losses with the Chess.com computer, but only first 15 moves. Note recurring tactical threats missed.
2. Day 3-4: Drill 50 puzzles rated 2600-2800 on “advanced” themes (skewers, deflections). Time cap = 45 s/puzzle.
3. Day 5: Play a 15 | 10 game and annotate it fully. Focus on move-explanations, not engine lines.
4. Day 6-7: Re-visit two critical endings from this week and set them up against the engine—play each side twice.

Keep the momentum!

You’re hovering at a rating ceiling that requires tightening move-to-move discipline rather than adding new flashy ideas. Implement the simple time-management hack and review king-safety checkpoints—your conversion rate vs. 2600-plus opponents should climb quickly.

See you over the board,
Your Chess Coach