Coach Chesswick
Hi esapunov! đź‘‹
It’s great to see you mixing high-level blitz (peaking around 2832 (2020-11-24)) with more relaxed daily games where you try new openings. Below is some constructive feedback drawn from your latest win and loss, plus your overall playing patterns.
1. What you’re already doing well
- Sharp tactical vision. In your Scandinavian win you spotted 13.Nc7+!, a classic fork that picked up material and kept Black’s king in the centre.
- Active piece play. Even under time pressure you find ways to bring rooks to open files and deliver constant threats.
- Opening variety. English, Scandinavian, French-type structures… this flexibility makes you hard to prepare for and broadens your understanding.
2. Biggest improvement opportunities
- Clock management. Four of your last six losses ended on time. Try the “three-move rule” – if you haven’t calculated anything concrete in ~3 seconds, make a safe developing move.
- Pawn-push discipline. In the loss vs Murad_Ibrahimli you advanced five wing pawns before move 20, weakening dark squares and creating targets. Ask “what squares am I leaving?” before every pawn move.
- Converting won positions. After 17.Qxh7 in your win you’re up a rook and two pawns, yet the game dragged on. Train “technique positions” (e.g. up a rook vs pawn) until you can finish in <20 moves.
3. Game-specific takeaways
Most recent win (Scandinavian, 2023-06-27) – key moments
- 10.Nb5?! was thematic but you overlooked Black’s reply 10…Qxe5. Luckily 11.d4! regained the pawn. Double-check tactics before sacrificing.
- 13.Nc7+! exploited Black’s uncastled king – great instinct.
- After 20…d3 you correctly blockaded with 21.Bf4, but 22.Re1 instead of 22.Rac1 would have forced simplification faster.
Most recent loss (English, 2022-06-21) – key moments
- Moves 8…h6 & 9…g5 showed Black’s kingside intentions; consider 10.d4 (central break) instead of 10.b5 which fixed your structure.
- After 19…Bc8 you have a healthy extra pawn. A quiet move like 20.Qb3 would consolidate; instead 20.Bb2? lost time and let Black seize the h-file.
- Critical blunder: 37.Qxe4? overlooked 37…Rxf1+. In blitz, practice the “blunder-check” – scan every forcing move by the opponent before playing yours.
4. Action plan for the next 4 weeks
- Endgame drill (15 min/day) – Use a puzzle set with +R vs minor piece, +3 pawns, etc. Goal: convert with <30 seconds left.
- Time-pressure sparring (3+0) – Play 10 games a week, focusing on quick, safe development. Review only lost games and identify the final tactical miss.
- Opening tidy-up – For each side of English and Sicilian, prepare one simple anti-theoretical line you can play fast. Example: 1.c4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.Nf3 Nc6 4.g3 d5 → study the main trap with the early zwischenzug 5.d4!.
- Pawn-move audit – After every game, count how many pawn moves you made before move 15. If >5, annotate which were essential.
5. Track your progress
• Hour-by-hour performance:
• Day-of-week patterns:
Keep up the creative play, tighten the technique, and that next rating peak is around the corner. Good luck, and happy calculating!