Coach Chesswick
Hi Viktor, here’s a tailored review of your recent blitz sessions
1. What you’re doing well
- Dynamic piece play: Your victories often feature energetic pawn breaks ( …g5 in the Pirc, …b5 in the French) that unbalance the position and create practical problems for the opponent.
- King-safety awareness in opposite-side castling: In your latest win you recognised that 11…g5 & 12…h6 would keep White’s king in the centre long enough to seize the initiative.
- Conversion in technical endings: The rook-and-knight coordination in the diagram below shows clean technique once you were a pawn up.
2. Recurring problems that cost you points
- Loose moves around move 15–20 (often in both colours). In your loss versus Houdinovic’s Sicilian you played 13.Qd2–14.♔O-O-O too mechanically and allowed …Ne4 followed by …Bxc5, surrendering the critical dark-squared bishop.
- Over-extension on the kingside in the French structures: the sequence 23.f4 24.Rad1 25.f5 left your own king short of defenders and Black’s counter-strike …c3/…Nd4 was decisive. When your pawn storm stalls you need a plan-B (switch wings, improve worst-placed piece).
- Time management: you routinely reach positions with <20 s and no increment, even when objectively winning. Blitz will always be fast, but burning 40 s on a single tactical line (e.g. 26…c3!? in the French loss) is too much.
3. Opening map
| With White | Observation | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Closed Sicilian / Anti-Sicilians | Score is solid, but you drift into passive structures vs …b5/…b4. | Insert the thematic c2–c3 break earlier & study model games by Giri. |
| Kings-Indian Attack vs French | You get attacking chances, yet miss tactical shots (see 22.Nxg6!) only half the time. | Add a short tactics warm-up (5 puzzles) before each session. |
| 1.e4 d6 Pirc (Black) | Excellent feel; scored 3-0 this week. | Keep repertoire – just update vs the Austrian Attack. |
4. Practical fixes for the next 10 days
- Blitz drills: play three 3-minute games daily focusing on moving with >10 s reserve after every move 15+. Track with .
- Critical moment routine: Each time the position first opens (pawn break, exchange sacrifice), stop for 5 seconds and ask “What is my opponent’s next threat?”. This single habit will cut the blunders found in your most recent loss.
- Endgame refresh: 20 minutes on king+rook vs king+rook-pawn endings. They arose twice this week and could have been cleaner.
5. Long-term growth suggestions
• Integrate engine review only after your own analysis – this keeps calculation muscles sharp.
• Add one classical game per week to maintain deep-thinking stamina.
• Study capstone themes such as zwischenzug and fortress-breaking to convert more advantages.
Snapshot
Current peak: 3033 (2025-03-16).
Most common opponent recently: Shiyam Thavandiran.
Tactical accuracy: trending upward, but consistency needed around moves 20–30.
Keep pushing!
You’re clearly in GM-form when the initiative is yours. By tightening up mid-game decision-making and clock usage you’ll convert more of these promising positions. Let’s aim for a +65 % win-rate in the next block – I’ll be watching the games and charts.