Coach Chesswick
Hi FictionalNoel — personalised post-match feedback
Your current progress
• Peak rapid rating: 887 (2025-05-14)
• Activity snapshots:
What you’re already doing well
- Tactical alertness – In several wins (e.g. 18…Re8 and 20…Rxc3 vs altbk) you spotted loose pieces and converted material quickly.
- Open-file usage – Good instinct to place rooks on half-open files (…Re8, Rxc3, Rg3+). Keep nurturing that.
- Space-gaining pawn pushes – The h-pawn storms in your Scandinavian win and the central breaks with f4/f5 show fighting spirit.
Priority fixes (biggest rating gains for least effort)
-
Do not resign in equal or unclear positions
Four of your recent losses ended before move 17 while Stockfish still evaluates ⩲ or even +=. Staying in the game gives your opponent a chance to blunder and gives you priceless end-game practice. -
Early king safety
Games you lost as Black often featured delayed castling and an exposed king (e.g. 6…Kf8? vs Jgarc91a). Aim to castle by move 10 in 90 %+ of your games. -
Stop giving away the a8 rook!
After Bxb7 c6 Bxa8 vs chessems5 you lost two rooks in 10 moves. Memorise the basic trap: if White’s bishop lands on b7, respond …Qe7/…Qd7 first, not …Rc6. -
Simplify your opening menu
Choose one main line as White and one as Black and stick to them for 30 games each. • White: simple Italian (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.c3)
• Black: solid Scandinavian (1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Qxd5 3.Nc3 Qa5) — you already play it, just cut out the early …Qe5 / Qf6.
Targeted mini-lessons
| Theme | Why it matters | How to drill it |
|---|---|---|
| fork & double attack | Many wins came from spotting forks; sharpening this converts more advantages. | 15 × daily puzzles focused on knight & queen forks. |
| pin on diagonals | You sometimes overlooked pins against your own king (e.g. …Bg4 pins knight, then …Bxf3). | Play “Pin” theme on puzzle rush; annotate every missed pin. |
| End-game rook technique | Winning vs Zvoncee took 60+ moves; cleaner technique saves time and nerves. | Play rook-and-pawn endings vs engine with 15 sec increment until you convert 5/5. |
Illustrative snapshot
Below is a key mid-game from your latest win. Black to move found the powerful 23…Rg3+!
Next-week action plan
- Play 10 rapid games sticking strictly to your chosen openings.
- After each game spend 5 min annotating one critical decision.
- Solve 25 tactics/day with a focus on intermediate moves (Zwischenzug).
- Review progress next weekend; aim for +50 rating, not perfection.
Keep it fun!
Remember: improvement = games played × lessons extracted. Stay on the board, keep your king safe early, and let the tactics you already see decide the game for you.