Coach Chesswick
Hi Jan (fm_magua)!
You have an impressive tactical style and a healthy 2700+ blitz rating (2745 (2025-06-01)). Below is targeted feedback based on your latest games.
1. Strengths to keep nurturing
- Fearless attacking play – your recent win against crazychess2800 shows excellent feel for dynamic sacrifices (16.Rxf8+, 17.Nxe6!).
- Tactical alertness – you rarely miss direct shots; positions with opposite-side castling suit you well.
- Wide Sicilian repertoire – Sozin/Attacks as White and Kalashnikov/Sveshnikov setups as Black give you practical chances in 3-minute time controls.
2. Recurrent issues
- King safety in low-theory sidelines
• In the loss to Bella Khotenashvili (KIA vs. Sicilian) your king stayed in the centre after 8…Be6, 10…Kd8–c7–b7. A single pawn break (16.Nd5+) cracked the position.
• Similar central‐king exposure occurred in the Alapin loss to Piotr Dudzinski. - Playing “automatic” moves in hyper-fast mode
• Both 9…Rd8? and 19…Qf8? were made instantly and let the opponent seize the initiative.
• Median move-time drops under one second in several critical positions (see for late-night sessions). Consider breathing before forcing moves. - Conversion technique vs. stubborn defence
• Versus Crazychess2800 you were winning materially but only claimed the point on time. In classical play you would need a cleaner plan, so practise “end-gameing” those positions instead of relying on the clock.
3. Opening pointers
- Against 1.Nf3 / g3 systems – The early queen trade (…Qxd1) in the KIA game left your structure brittle. Study Carlsen–Radjabov (2019) for a safer plan: …e5, …d6, only capture on d1 after …Be7 & …Nf6 complete.
- Four Knights Cobra line as White
• 7.Nd6+?! Ke7 8.Nxc8+ allowed Black rapid activity.
• Explore 7.Ndb5 (main line) or the calmer 7.Be2 to keep pieces coordinated. - Side-step the h-file pawn roller
• In several White wins you push h-pawn with great effect; be equally alert when opponents do the same (your loss to vagpatre). Adopt an early …h6/…h5 or …g6 to restrict them.
4. Critical moment to revisit
The diagram below shows how quickly central king exposure turned sour:
5. Training plan for the next two weeks
- Daily 15-minute “anti-blunder” drill: choose three tactics that you missed (use your own PGNs). Explain the missed zwischenzug Zwischenzug idea to yourself aloud.
- End-game mini-matches: play 10 positions with a two-pawn edge vs. an engine at depth-12, 5 min + 5 s. Goal: convert ≥70 % (track in ).
- Opening tidy-up: create flash cards for six key Sicilian sidelines you struggle with (KIA, Alapin, Rossolimo, etc.). Review until recall is under 10 seconds.
6. Practical time-management tips
- Allocate a 3-2-1 rule: 30 s for first 10 moves, 20 s for moves 11-20, and keep ≥60 s for the final phase.
- When ahead on the board but behind on the clock, simplify by forcing trades rather than hunting for the prettiest line.
Keep sharpening your tactical blade, but let your king enjoy that same safety you deny your opponents! Feel free to send me any annotated games for further feedback.