Chess Coaching Advice for GM Levan Pantsulaia

Coach Chesswick

Hi Levan, here is your personalised feedback

Tactical alertness: You spot loose pawns & pieces quickly (e.g. 4.Qxb7 against Zbigniew Pakleza and 3.Qxg7 against Konavets) and are not afraid to cash in material.
Conversion technique: When you reach a winning endgame you usually keep things simple and force resignations (see the clean rook endgame versus LogicBaba).
Opening variety: You test your opponents with flank openings (b3, g3, Larsen-like setups) and that clearly takes many of them out of book in Chess960 as well as “normal” Blitz.
Competitive stamina: Your score against higher-rated opposition is respectable – your win as Black versus 2826 luckyswitchback is an excellent example.

Early queen adventures. Moving the queen before development repeatedly backfires. In the loss versus Frederik Svane you played 7.Qg5 and immediately faced tempo-gaining checks (…Qe6+). In Chess960, where king positions are often unclear, this hurts even more.
Pawn-storm overextension. Games against Faustino Oro and Konavets feature g- and h-pawn pushes that weakened your own king much more than the opponent’s. Consider holding those pawns until you are at least castled (or pseudo-castled in 960).
Time management. Virtually every defeat reached single-digit seconds for you while your opponent still had a buffer. Even wins (e.g. vs Byniolus) relied on flagging. You are good at finding resources under time pressure, but bullet-style play in a 3 + 1 game gives away quality.
Central control in Chess960. A few quick queen‐side pawn grabs neglected the centre and cost you the initiative. In 960 the side that seizes the d- and e-files early often dictates the game.

Adopt a “three-move rule” for the queen. Promise yourself not to move the queen before move 6 unless you win two full pawns or force mate. Track how often you break the rule.
Replace g-/h-pawn storms with piece play drills. Use a training board versus the engine: start from move 10 in the position below and try to beat stockfish without pushing a flank pawn past the 4th rank.
Clock discipline exercise. Play five unrated 3 + 2 games a day and aim to keep at least 45 seconds after move 20 – even if it means playing simpler lines. The increment forces you to build a buffer that will transfer to 3 + 1.
Centralisation warm-up: Before every Chess960 session, play one engine sparring game starting with the goal “occupy d4/e4 (or d5/e5) by move 6”. This habit will curb the temptation to go pawn-hunting on the wings.

Against 1.e4 (classical): Your Caro-Kann Tal/Stockholm set-up works – keep it, but prepare the Capablanca line (…c6, …d5, …g6) so you stay flexible.
As White: Mix your Larsen/Réti repertoire with one mainstream e4 or d4 line to avoid becoming predictable. The English Four Knights is a solid low-maintenance choice.
Chess960 heuristic: Develop the least mobile minor piece first, castle the king to the safer flank, then consider pawn breaks.

Your current peak blitz rating: 2986 (2024-03-10). Re-evaluate progress after 50 games or when you add +50 rating points, whichever comes first.

Quick visual checks:

Hourly performance:

| Win rate by day:

“Take the free pawn after you control the centre; the board is a battlefield, not a supermarket.”

Good luck with your training – I look forward to seeing a steadier clock and fewer lonely queens next session!