Coach Chesswick
Hi Julien, here’s your personalised chess feedback
Snapshot
- Peak rapid rating: 2013 (2025-04-06)
- Peak blitz rating: 2494 (2020-03-03)
- Main opening family with White: Queen’s Gambit / Colle-type structures (1 d4 ✚ 2 c4 / 2 e3)
- Main opening family with Black: Queen’s Gambit Declined & …e5 set-ups against 1 e4
When & how you score best
You convert a noticeably higher share of games played in the late evening. If you have the choice, scheduling important games in that slot could boost results.
Consistency over the week
Week-end sessions show bigger swings—good for experimentation, but tighten discipline if rating is the priority.
Your current strengths
- Tactical alertness – Your recent win against Simone A featured a neat clearance sacrifice:
- Piece activity over material – In multiple Queen’s Gambit games you give back pawns to keep rooks on the 7th or pressure f-files. That dynamic style is difficult for opponents if backed by accuracy.
- Opening knowledge vs 1 d4 – You reach comfortable QGD positions quickly and rarely fall for early traps.
Key areas to improve
- Early resignations & tilt management
Three of your last five losses ended before move 10, often in roughly equal positions (e.g. Barkind0, YeA52Light). Make a rule: never resign before move 25 or while material is equal. Use the game as calculation practice instead. - Time-management in fast games
Two time-forfeit losses occurred in equal or better positions. Practical tips:- Play the first 10 moves of your repertoire instantly; they should be fully memorised.
- Adopt the “55-35-10” rule in 3 + 2: keep ≥ 55 s by move 10, ≥ 35 s by move 20, ≥ 10 s for the finish.
- Handling early sidelines from opponents
In the loss to alexandreatlas (accelerated London) you reacted with 3…Bd7?! and drifted. Prepare a simple, robust set-up vs. offbeat lines:- Against the London: 1…d5 2…Nf6 3…c5 4…Nc6 followed by …Qb6 discourages Bf4-ideas.
- Against early Nc3 & f4 gambits: favour a King’s Indian set-up (…g6, …Bg7) to avoid sharp theoretical traps.
Opening homework (next fortnight)
| Theme | Goal | Resource |
|---|---|---|
| London-system antidote | Memorise move-order through move 8 | Analyse 5 games from GM Rapport’s repertoire |
| English 1 c4 e5 sidelines | Prepare a single equalising line (…Nc6, …Bb4) | Use Opening Explorer & engine for 1 hour |
| Queen’s Gambit middlegames | Endgame transition after minority attack | Study 2 annotated Carlsen games |
Skill-building plan
- Daily – 10 mins of mixed tactics at 5-minute puzzle rush; aim for a streak of 35.
- Every other day – Play one 10 + 5 rapid game and perform a “3-question” self-review:
- Where was the critical moment?
- Was my time usage sensible?
- Did I follow a concrete plan?
- Weekly – Annotate one of your own games in depth, then compare to engine evals.
Mindset tip
“A lost game is only a failure if nothing is learned from it.” Stay at the board, fight on, and harvest end-game practice even in tough positions.
Enjoy the journey, Julien! I’ll be eager to see how these adjustments raise your next 2494 (2020-03-03).