Coach Chesswick
Hi gmpacman, here are some tailored insights to help you climb even higher!
1. Opening observations
- English/Reti (1 c4 / 1 Nf3) – Your setups are sound, but a recurring theme is a slightly passive d-pawn. When Black commits …c5 early you can often seize the centre with an immediate d4 instead of d3. It converts your space edge into real pressure and cuts down Black’s freeing …d5 break.
- Closed Sicilian as Black – In the recent loss to r2d2c3a4 you mixed aggressive pawn thrusts (…a6-b5) with a long castle while the queenside was already half-open. Castling short and preparing a timely …d5 (with …Qc7/…Rd8 first) keeps the king safer and strikes in the centre before White’s pawn storm appears.
- Consider building a narrower, well-analysed backup against 1 e4 (e.g. a solid Classical Sicilian or 2…d6 Modern) so you can choose between dynamic and solid according to mood and opponent.
2. Middlegame & strategy
- King safety trade-off – You like initiative, but sometimes neglect your own king (e.g. 14…Qa5 & 17…O-O-O in the loss). Ask “can the pawn storm reach me first?” before committing. A single prophylactic move (prophylaxis) such as …h6 or castling the other side would have neutralised White’s attack completely.
- Piece activity vs. pawn structure – In several wins you willingly gave your opponent doubled isolated pawns and then blockaded them (see 26.Rxb5 in your win with the English). Keep looking for those chances; they fit your tactical style and leave you with simple endgames.
3. Endgame technique
- Your conversion in the K+R vs. K+R+minor piece ending (40.Rc8+ … 50.bxc5) was clean—good use of activity first, material second. Reinforce this strength by drilling rook & pawn vs. rook endings once a week; you will harvest even more half-points.
4. Clock management
You usually reach move 30 with 40–60 s, but a few losses were pure time scrambles. Aim to keep ≥75 s after move 20; trust your intuition in familiar structures and spend the saved time on critical moments (king safety, transitions to endgames).
5. Concrete homework
- Analyse this critical stretch from your last defeat and find at least two safer improvements for Black:
- Play five 10|0 games with the English where you force d4 in the first ten moves; compare the resulting positions to your usual setups.
- Run the “R&B vs R” practical endgame drill on a trainer until you score 90 % within 30 s per move.
6. Motivation corner
• Current peak blitz rating: 2526 (2017-06-26) • Keep an eye on when you perform best:
Stay curious, keep the king safe, and enjoy the journey!