Coach Chesswick
Performance Feedback for Fabian Reyes Zavaleta (fly_21)
Snapshot
- Peak Blitz Rating: 2694 (2024-04-09)
- Typical Style: Dynamic, initiative-oriented, enjoys pawn storms with
f- andh-pawns. - Recent Results: Strong conversion rate when ahead, but several games lost on the clock despite playable positions.
What You’re Doing Well
- Active opening choices. The constant 1.d4 systems and occasional English/Sicilian show a good grasp of piece activity. Your win vs Dan Shapiro (September 17) displayed textbook development and central control.
- Tactical alertness. Sequences such as 26.f6! and 36.Rh8# against Yurii Khodko illustrate quick calculation in sharp positions.
- Endgame technique when focused. In several wins you transitioned smoothly into favorable rook endings, keeping pawns mobile and rooks active.
Growth Opportunities
- Clock Management – three of the last six losses were on time in roughly equal or better positions. Practise the “safe-move” habit: when under 10 seconds, play an obviously safe move every 1–2 seconds before looking for the best continuation.
• Try one-minute “move-on-beep” exercises.
• Use pre-move for forced recaptures. - Handling Early Exchanges – In the French Exchange loss you traded queens on move 12 without a concrete plan, leading to a dry position where White squeezed you. Before exchanging, ask “does this trade improve my worst piece?” If not, keep tension.
- Budapest/Benoni-type pawn structures. Both recent defeats (Budapest vs Vadim Bobkov and A41 vs Alexandre Pinto De Miranda) featured …e5 gambit ideas where you fell behind in development. Spend a session reviewing:
- Critical line: 4…Ng4 5.e3 in the Budapest.
- Typical plans after …c5 in Queen’s-Pawn sidelines (…e6/…c5 vs g3 systems).
- Prophylaxis & king safety. Several losses featured slow moves (e.g., 17…Kh8? in the French) that conceded dark-square weaknesses. Add a “candidate check”: before playing, scan for opponent threats on forcing moves and weak squares. Study games by Karpov to internalise prophylaxis.
Suggested Training Plan (4-Week Micro-Cycle)
| Focus | Weekly Tasks |
|---|---|
| Clock Skills | • 50 bullet games with auto-analysis off. • After each game, replay final 30 seconds and note missed “safe” moves. |
| Opening Repair | • Build a mini-file vs Budapest: 20 key moves, 5 traps. • Review one Benoni model game per day. |
| Tactics & Calculation | • 25 intermediate puzzles daily (rating 2400–2700). • Use “blindfold board” once per session to visualise 4-move sequences. |
| Endgame Technique | • Play 30 rook-and-pawn studies against engine on “easy”. • Annotate key theoretical positions (Lucena, Philidor). |
Progress Tracker
Monitor your improvement with:
- Hourly Win Rate:
- Win Rate by Day of Week:
- Re-evaluate the four metrics (clock losses, early queen exchanges, Budapest results, endgame conversion) every Sunday.
Motivational Note
Your tactical vision already competes with titled players – tightening a few structural and time-management screws could easily push you to the next rating bracket. Stay disciplined, keep analysing your own games, and remember: every click of the clock is a chess move too.