Coach Chesswick
Hi Greter! đź‘‹ Here is some tailored feedback to help you keep climbing.
1. What you’re already doing well
- Dynamic piece play. Your recent Ruy Lopez miniature against samuelgonzalezc shows excellent tactical awareness:
[Pgn|e4 e5 Nf3 Nc6 Bb5 Nb4 O-O c6 Bc4 d5 exd5 cxd5 Bb5+ Ke7 Nxe5 a6 Ba4 Qd6 Re1 f6 Ng6+ Kf7 Nxh8#].
You combined activity (7.Bb5+) with concrete calculation to reach a picturesque check-mate. - Comfort on both colors of the French Defense. As Black you handled structural themes (…c5, …f6 breaks) convincingly; as White you aren’t afraid to vary with Exchange / sideline setups, keeping opponents out of theory.
- Good nose for imbalances. In several wins you willingly give material (e.g., 31.e6!! vs “the_black_queen2”) for long-term attacking chances. This is a 2200-level skill—keep cultivating it.
2. Recurring issues that cost you points
- Time management. Four of the five listed losses are timeouts. Even when you are strategically winning (see the Scandinavian game vs “CnapmakM”) the clock kills you.
➜ Tip: adopt a “touch-test” routine—commit to a candidate in ≤30 seconds, then verify; if nothing tactical appears, move. Blitzing a few increment games will train this. - King safety in unorthodox positions. In the odds game against christopher19d you castled long without pawns in front of your king and followed with pawn storms (g4–h4) before completing development. The a2–g8 diagonal and back-rank were never secure.
➜ Tip: When playing with material imbalance or odds, apply the “90-% rule”: 90 % of your moves until move 15 should develop or defend, not attack. - Handling the French as White. Losses in the 60 + 1 pool (vs “Redshark99” & “Danutaking”) show trouble against …c5 and piece pressure on c- and d-files.
➜ Homework: study the French Tarrasch (3.Nd2) model game “Korchnoi–Korchmar” and practise the typical plan dxe5 / c4 undermining. - End-game conversion. Some wins required opponent’s flag rather than clear technique (e.g., B72 Dragon time-win). Strengthen your fundamentals so you can convert faster and save clock.
3. Concrete study plan for the next 30 days
| Focus | Action | Goal |
|---|---|---|
| Clock discipline | Play 25 games of 3 + 2 and review only the positions where you spent >20 s. | Reduce average think-time per move to <7 s. |
| Opening repair: French vs White | Build a mini-repertoire file (8–10 lines) with Chessable or your database, focusing on 3.Nd2 & 3.Nc3 sidelines. | Be inside your prep by move 10 in 80 % of games. |
| End-game technique | Solve 50 basic rook-and-pawn studies; then play 10 engine-sparring end-games starting with +2 eval. | Convert >70 % vs engine at depth 12. |
| Tactics maintenance | Daily 15-minute puzzle rush or Woodpecker method burst. | Keep tactical sharpness >50 score in Puzzle Rush Survival. |
4. Quick reference stats & trends
Peak Rapid rating: 2221 (2025-02-02)
Activity graphs:
5. Motivation corner
“Tactics flow from a position that is better prepared.” — Botvinnik.
You already create tactics; pair them with solid preparation and the next rating band (2300+) will follow.