Coach Chesswick
Hi FloMaster111!
Great streak lately—your blitz peak is hovering around 2734 (2023-08-11) and you are legitimately out-calculating titled opposition. Below is some targeted feedback after reviewing your last batch of wins and losses.
What already shines
- Reti / KIA mastery. Against SinisterSnake you punished …f6–e5 with the d3-e4 break and the neat exf5! tactic, proving you understand the thematic pawn levers.
- Patience in long endings. The 70-move grind versus Marcus_Harvey showed textbook rook-endgame play—prophylaxis (31.a3!), fixed targets, only then the breakthrough.
- Sharp eye for loose pieces. Quick wins vs Kopylov_Alex & imaster20 came straight from spotting LPDOs and seizing open files before the opponent could regroup.
Five focus areas for the next rating jump
- Time management. Two recent losses (vs ayina29 & 0817chess) were flags in playable positions. Adopt a “<30 s = move within 5 s” rule and rehearse bullet pre-move drills in clearly winning positions.
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Dark-square control in your Reti setup. In the loss to ayina29, Black’s …f5 + …Nh5 hit every dark square. Consider either h3 & g4 earlier, or switching plans with cxd5/e4 to blunt the b7-bishop. Critical fragment:
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Black vs 1.e4. Three defeats began with side-line Sicilians where an early queen sortie lost tempo (tempo). Either:
- Commit to a main-line (Najdorf, Taimanov, or even 1…e5), or
- Tighten the French-variation move-orders—keep the queen on d8, play …a6/…Qc7 before adventures like …Qd3 or …Qa5.
- End-game speed patterns. Memorise Lucena, Philidor, Vancura & basic rook vs pawn technique so the first five moves come instantly rather than through live calculation.
- Strategic flexibility. You’re nearly always 1.Nf3 g3. Adding one surprise weapon (e.g. 1.c4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.Nf3 Nc6 4.e4!?) will keep opponents guessing and sharpen your tactical senses.
7-Day micro-plan
| Day | Theme | Practical task |
|---|---|---|
| Mon | Clock discipline | Play 3 blitz games, aim to keep >30 s after move 25. |
| Tue | Sicilian repair shop | Review 20 master games in the B40 French-variation structure. |
| Wed | Dark squares | Re-analyse the ayina29 loss & annotate 3 alternative plans. |
| Thu | Rook end-games | Solve 15 rook-vs-pawn studies; play them vs engine at 15 s/move. |
| Fri | New opening test | Try the English with early e4 in 5 rapid games. |
Track your progress
Use the dashboards below to confirm that the new habits are paying off:
Final word
You are already playing at an IM-level online; the next leap is about ironing out practical details rather than finding new brilliant moves. Stay curious, review each session, and enjoy the grind!
Good luck,
CoachBot