Coach Chesswick
Hi Floris (“Flotsie”) 👋
You have reached 2692 (2020-11-17) in bullet and regularly compete with 2500-level opponents—great job! Below is some tailored, constructive feedback based on your latest streak of 1-minute games.
What’s already working
- Fearless initiative: You consistently seize space with early pawn storms (h-, g- and f-pawns) and aren’t afraid to sacrifice material for activity. This often pays off, as seen in your win vs. NeonNinja73 where the g- and h-pawns cracked open the king position.
- Resourcefulness in complications: When positions get messy you keep finding counter-shots (e.g. 20…Qd1+! and the ensuing queen race in your Alekhine’s Defence win).
- Bullet instincts: You convert small time edges smoothly; several opponents flagged while you still had 5–10 s on the clock.
Biggest improvement levers
- Piece economy in the opening
In the recent loss against NeonNinja73 you spent five moves on the same knight (…Nb4–d3–b5–b4–d5). Re-deploy pieces only when it adds concrete value—otherwise develop something new. - Light-square weaknesses after …g6 & …b5
Your fianchetto setups sometimes lose dark-square control because …d6 & …e5 are delayed. After 11.Bxg7 you had no good defender left for e6/f7. Consider earlier …e5 or …Nc6-e5 to contest those squares. - Queen entanglement
Repeated queen shuffles (…Qf6-g6-f6-g6 in the Owen’s Defence game) cost you three tempi and invited 23.Bxd5+. Ask, “Does my queen threaten something new?” If not, improve a different piece. - Converting endgames
Even in bullet, clean technique matters. In several games you were two pawns up but allowed counterplay. A quick rule set—centralise king, push connected passers together, keep rooks active—will save precious seconds.
Illustrative clip
The following snippet shows how moving the same piece back and forth surrendered the initiative:
Count the tempi you spent on the c3-b5-c4-b6-d2-b1-c3 knight while White improved everything else.
Action plan for the next two weeks
- Opening discipline drill (10 min/day)
Play 5 bullet games where you are forbidden to move the same minor piece twice in the first 10 moves unless it captures. Review instantly. - Dark-square sparring (15 min)
Set up positions with a fianchettoed king and practice defending vs. Bxh6/Bxg7 sacrifices against the engine; aim to hold with …Kh7, …f6, …e5. - Queen sanity checklist
Before each queen move ask: “(1) Creates mate/ wins material? (2) Defends a critical square? (3) Improves piece coordination?”—if none apply, pick another move. - Mini-endgame workout (5 positions/night)
Solve simple rook-and-pawn endgames until you can convert in ≤ 15 seconds. This boosts both technique and bullet speed.
Recommended study bites
- Review model games in the Alekhine Defence and Modern Defence where Black successfully meets early space grabs.
- Watch out for typical tactics in the Owen’s Defence (…Bb4 ideas) to avoid the Qd4/Qd3 queen shuffle trap.
Progress trackers
Keep an eye on when you perform best:
Final thought
Your tactical eye and fighting spirit are already top-tier; tightening the screws on piece efficiency and queen safety will push you toward 2600 + bullet. Enjoy the grind and good luck in your next session!