Coach Chesswick
Hi Wei Xuan Timothy Chan!
You have had a very active period recently, mixing ultra-fast bullet (1|0) with 10-second games. Your tactical eye is sharp, and when you keep the initiative you score convincing wins, but several games were lost on time or to sudden tactics. Below is some targeted feedback to help you convert more of your good positions into points.
What’s already working
- Fast tactical calculation – The miniature against Johnnyyy_Bravo shows you spotting a Ndf5! hit and finishing with precise blows. ()
- Piece activity mindset – In several wins you accelerate development (e.g. Bb5⁺ Sicilian, Rc1-c3 “Rover” manoeuvre) and aim at the enemy king instead of material grabbing.
- End-game conversion under pressure – The 65-move win vs Vlad-Cristian Jianu shows determination and good rook-pawn technique.
Quick wins (fix in the next week)
- Time-management in 10-second games – Four straight losses vs LeBonBon Pookie ended on the clock while your positions were playable. Play increment-friendly openings you know by heart; premove only truly forced recaptures; and set a mental alert to move before dropping below 1.5 seconds.
- Early king safety vs flank openings – Twice you were mated on h7 after playing …b6/…Bb7 systems. Add the simple prophylactic …g6/…Bg7 or …h6 to your Owen’s set-up, and remember that castling is not enough if the h-file is half-open.
- Remove one habitual pawn push – Your bullet French (1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 dxe4) scores well, but in blitz you often insert an extra pawn thrust (…d5 in Owen’s, …c6 in Larsen) that becomes a target. When unsure, keep the pawn flexible.
Deeper study plan (2–4 weeks)
- Opening hygiene
- Review the critical line 1.d4 b6 2.Nc3 Bb7 3.e4 e6 4.d5. Build a forced drawing weapon or switch to 1…Nf6 move-order to avoid early space grabs.
- Against 1.b3, prepare a solid d5 & …Bf5/Nf6 reply so you play the same structures as with Black.
- Clock-handling drills
- Play 20 bullet games strictly using the “move every 1 second” rhythm, even in lost positions, to ingrain instinctive speed.
- Solve 25 easy tactics a day with a 10-second timer to blend pattern recognition and time pressure.
- Defensive alertness
- After every opponent move, ask the “mate-in-two” question. It would have saved you from 13.Qh5 Qxh7#.
- Study 15 puzzles tagged Zugzwang and Intermezzo; they improve your sense of hidden resources when you are on the back foot.
Your progress at a glance
Peak Bullet: 2846 (2024-10-18) | Peak Blitz: 2775 (2020-04-07) | Peak Rapid: 2386 (2019-08-31)
Motivational nugget
In the last 30 days you scored 79 % with White when you castled by move 10 – and only 52 % when you delayed it. Small habits, big yield!
Keep sharpening the tactics, respect the clock, and you’ll break through your next rating ceiling soon. Good luck and happy attacking!