Elliott Goodrich NM

Session summary — Elliott Goodrich

Nice energy in your recent bullet session. You scored clean tactical wins and used clock pressure effectively (two wins were on time). You also keep returning to familiar opening ideas — that consistency is a real asset in 1‑minute chess.

• Recent opponents: Dr. Joerg Teumer, Benjamin Walmer, Alexander Jasinski, Arsal Gardezi.
• Openings seen: Queens and Scandinavian themes, plus Sicilian structures in other games.
• Result patterns: clean wins by pressure/flagging and a few losses coming after simplification or passive defence.

What you’re doing well

Focus on the concrete strengths you already show — keep emphasizing these.

• Clock pressure / Flagging — you use the clock as a weapon and force opponents to make mistakes under time pressure.
• Opening familiarity — you play lines you know well instead of guessing; that gives you quick, useful moves early on.
• Tactical awareness — you find combinations and exploit loose pieces quickly, which is perfect for bullet.
• Endgame instincts when ahead — you simplify into winning endgames instead of overcomplicating.

Key areas to improve (fast wins in bullet)

Small adjustments will raise your conversion rate and reduce sudden losses.

• Time distribution — don’t spend almost all your time early or leave critical positions with 1–2 seconds. Save 5–10 seconds for one or two key moments (exchanges, pushing a passed pawn, or avoiding forks).
• Pre‑move discipline — pre‑moves are great, but avoid automatic pre‑moves in sharp positions (they cost you material against checks, captures and promotions).
• Pawn pushes / overextension — some losses come after giving the opponent counterplay on the queenside or allowing passed pawns to march. Before a pawn storm, check whether pieces and king are safe.
• Trading strategy — in several games you exchanged into lines that left your pieces passive. In bullet, if you’re ahead on time or material, trade queens and simplify; if you’re behind, keep complications.
• Watch for king safety and back‑rank tactics — quick mate threats and promotions decided games; when your king is a bit exposed, prioritize an air square or a flight square.

Concrete drills — 10 minutes to immediate improvement

Short, focused work that transfers directly to 1|0 games.

• Daily 5–10 minute tactical session: target mixed forks, skewers, back‑rank mates and promotion tactics (puzzle rush or 50‑puzzle set).
• 20 rapid mini‑matches vs a bot or training partner: play 30 games of 1|0 but force yourself to keep 5–10 seconds for endgames.
• Opening “shortlist”: pick 2 reliable bullet lines (one for White, one for Black). Drill move orders until you can play the first 8 moves instantly.
• Pre‑move rule: only pre‑move captures when the capturing piece cannot be recaptured with tempo (or if you’re flagging and the tactic is trivial).

Short post‑mortem of your most recent loss

Game vs Alexander Jasinski — you reached a simplified middlegame but then allowed their pieces to coordinate. The final phase showed passive rooks and a dangerous passed pawn emerging for them.

• Takeaway: when material is even and the position simplifies, aim to keep at least one active piece (a rook on an open file or a knight on an outpost) rather than falling into passive defence.
• Practical fix: when the opponent threatens to activate a rook or push a passed pawn, either trade into a favourable minor‑piece + pawn structure or create counterplay immediately (pawn break / check sequence).

Bullet game checklist (apply during play)

• If you’re ahead on time: simplify sensibly and avoid risky pawn storms.
• If you’re behind on time: keep the position complicated and look for tactical shots or checks.
• Before every pawn move ask: does this create a weakness or leave a square for an enemy piece?
• If your last 3 moves were recaptures or waiting moves — try to create one threat (attack a piece, threaten a pawn, or check the king).

30‑day micro plan

• Week 1: 10 minutes/day tactics + 20 1|0 games focusing on time management.
• Week 2: Add 5 minutes/day opening drill for your two main lines; memorize move orders to move 8 confidently.
• Week 3: Play 50 1|0 games where you force yourself to follow the checklist above each game (review 1‑2 critical positions).
• Week 4: Review 10 of your wins and 10 of your losses — annotate the turning point (even 1‑sentence notes) and keep the patterns.

Quick encouragement + placeholders

You have strong bullet instincts — the rating history and win/loss totals show big volume and solid results. Small tweaks (pre‑move rules, a short opening shortlist, and a 10‑minute tactics habit) will yield quick gains.

• Try bookmarking a couple of instructive wins to replay: Dr. Joerg Teumer match is a good example of clock pressure converting into a win.
• Useful term to remember: Flagging — your friend in 1|0, but don’t rely on it exclusively.

If you want, I can:

• Generate a 2‑move opening cheat sheet for your two favorite lines.
• Mark 3 tactical themes from your recent win and loss with short diagrams (one‑move puzzles).
• Create a 7‑day training schedule tuned to your playing volume (you have high gamecount — we can focus on quick, high‑value tasks).