Coach Chesswick
Hi Hunter Whisenant!
Great job keeping an active schedule and notching up some sharp tactical wins. Below is personalised feedback to help you push past the 1150-1200 plateau.
Your current picture
- Activity:
- Peak so far: 1327 (2025-07-18)
What you already do well
- Fast development & central control – your Reti / Caro-Kann structures usually get pieces out quickly.
- Tactical alertness – the miniature against GuiGuiGerrard showed good calculation of the Bxa7 idea and follow-up.
- Fighting spirit – you often recover from early inaccuracies and convert dynamically.
Recurring issues to address
- Time management
Six of the last ten losses were on time. Even games you win include long thinks early and bullet-style moves later. Work on spending a steady average of ~5-7 seconds per move in 3|0. - King safety
• In the loss to aramachk you played …Ke7 on move 11 and never castled.
• Against maplexo you allowed Qh4/Qh5 ideas to linger.
Basic rule of thumb: castle by move 10 unless there is a concrete tactic. - Loose pawns and pieces – “LPDO” ([Link|term|LoosePiecesDropOff]). Examples:
• 12.Refe1? in your win vs. GuiGui dropped the d4-pawn.
• 18…hxg5 in the SergioBlasko game removed your last defender and opened dark-square weaknesses.
Train a quick blunder-check routine before committing: “What is hanging? What changed?” - Endgame conversion
Several timeouts occur in clearly winning positions. Technique drills on king-and-pawn and rook endings will let you finish without eating the clock.
Targeted training plan
| Focus | How | Weekly time |
|---|---|---|
| Blunder check & tactics | 30 puzzles @ 10-15 sec each; verbalise the motif (pin, fork, discovered attack). | 1 hr |
| King-safety habits | Play 10 games where you must castle by move 10; analyse exceptions. | 1 hr |
| Endgame technique | Practice basic rook endings on an engine trainer or vs. FriendsBot. | 1 hr |
| Clock discipline | Use a visible timer bar; make a move every 7 seconds during opening/middlegame. | –– |
Illustrative position
Try to find the safest continuation for Black after 10.b4 in your recent loss:
During review ask: “Is my king safe? Are pieces coordinated? What forcing replies does White have?”
Next steps
- Analyse each game right after playing while memories are fresh.
- Once a week, pick one opponent you struggled against and invite a rematch: guiguigerrard.
- Set a milestone: reach 1250 Blitz with no time-forfeit losses in a 30-game span.
Keep the energy and enthusiasm – with small adjustments you’ll notice rapid rating gains. Good luck and enjoy the climb!