Coach Chesswick
Quick summary
Nice mix of sharp wins and teachable losses. Your recent win from the Slav Defense: Exchange Variation shows excellent endgame conversion and pawn play. The loss in the Ruy Lopez game highlights recurring issues under time pressure and with coordination on the seventh rank. Overall your long-term rating slope is very positive — you’re trending up — so these are refinements, not fundamentals.
What you did well (concrete examples)
- Opening choice and familiarity: the Slav Exchange game was smooth — you obtained a clear structural edge early and converted it. Keep playing lines you know well (Slav Defense: Exchange Variation).
- Creating and advancing a passed pawn: in the win you won material and marched the b-pawn to a decisive advanced passed pawn. That kind of clear plan wins blitz games.
- Active piece play: you used rooks and queen actively to pressure weaknesses rather than passively defending.
- Conversion under reduced material: you didn’t panic after simplification — you turned material + pawn advantage into a resignation.
Recurring weaknesses to fix
- Time management in critical moments — multiple final-phase moves were played with only a handful of seconds left. Time trouble makes simple tactics and coordination errors more likely.
- Piece coordination on the 7th rank and around your king — in the loss vs dylanwz94 the opponent penetrated the 7th/8th ranks and you were short on counterplay.
- Allowing opponent with active rooks/queens too much initiative after trades — be careful choosing when to simplify; exchanged pieces can open lethal checks or back-rank ideas.
- Tactical oversight in complex middlegames — look for knight checks, skewers and back-rank threats before rushing forward.
Concrete, actionable improvements
- Fix your blitz clock habits: spend 5–10 seconds more per critical decision (moves that change the pawn structure, captures, checks). If you start losing time often, play ~10 rapid games with the same opening to increase speed in the resulting middlegames.
- Back-rank and 7th-rank checklist (before each move):
- Are my back rank squares covered or do I need luft?
- Can enemy rooks/queen target the 7th rank after a trade?
- Tactics routine: do 8–12 short puzzles daily focused on pins, forks, removal of defenders and back-rank mates. Blitz losses often stem from missing these motifs when low on time.
- Endgame basics: review simple rook-and-pawn vs rook technique and Lucena basics — your conversion in the win was good, but reinforce consistency so it becomes automatic under time pressure.
- Opening pruning: lean into your best opening results. Your Openings Performance shows very high success in Slav Defense: Exchange Variation and QGD lines — keep them as staples and prepare one sideline opponent ideas often use against you.
Sample 1-week blitz training plan
- Daily (30–45 minutes): 15 minutes tactics (puzzles), 15 minutes opening review (one line), 10 minutes rapid practice (15+10 or 10+5) applying ideas.
- 3× per week: review one loss in depth — replay vs an engine, find the critical moment (first mistake), and write down an alternative plan.
- Weekend session: 1 hour endgame study (Lucena, basic rook endgames, king/pawn endgames) and practice 10 short training games focusing on time control discipline.
Move-level notes (from your recent games)
- Win vs alainlop65 — smart capture on b7 and persistent b‑pawn push. You used the passed pawn as a decisive asset; continue converting passed pawns the same way: advance, support, and avoid unnecessary piece trades that lose tempo.
- Loss vs dylanwz94 (Ruy Lopez) — the opponent repeatedly used the 7th rank and rook infiltration. Watch for moves that allow doubling on the 7th or queenside penetration. When facing a strong rook on the 7th, consider an immediate exchange of rooks only if the resulting king safety and pawn structure are safe.
Practical checklist to use during blitz games
- Before you move: 1) any immediate checks, captures, threats? 2) are there back-rank weaknesses? 3) will a trade activate opponent pieces?
- Under 20 seconds: simplify plans — play solid moves that reduce tactics and improve piece coordination.
- When ahead materially: avoid unrealistic tactical skirmishes unless they increase your advantage or secure mate.
Next steps & resources
- Do daily tactics and flag the motifs you miss most (back-rank, forks, pins).
- Study 5–10 model games in the Slav Defense: Exchange Variation to widen your practical plans and common break ideas.
- Review 2 of your recent losses with an engine and write a short note on the single turning point for each.
Handy references / replays
- Replay your win (familiar positions & conversion):
- Loss review vs dylanwz94 — open the game and look at the 30–47 move stretch for coordination issues.
Motivational close
Your overall stats and multi-month slope show you're improving steadily. Focus on the small, high-impact fixes above (time management, back-rank checklist, targeted tactics) and your blitz conversion rate will rise quickly. If you want, I can: 1) annotate the loss move-by-move, or 2) create a 2-week tailored training plan. Which do you prefer?