Coach Chesswick
Coach’s Feedback for Julia Ryjanova
1. Quick Snapshot
- Current focus: 3 + 2 Blitz & Correspondence/Daily.
- Peak blitz rating: 2318 (2022-05-08)
- Tactical sharpness: above-average conversion once a material edge is secured.
2. What You Already Do Well
- Activity-first mindset. In the Catalan win you sacrificed a pawn (7.dxe6) to open files, then brought every piece toward the kingside. The miniature below shows the critical burst of energy:
- Pressure against f- and c-files. Many wins feature queen or rook lifts to f7/f8 and Rc7/Rc8, exploiting loose dark-square complexes.
- Versatile opening repertoire. As White you play Catalan structures, Samisch King’s Indian, and anti-Dutch lines; as Black you use Caro-Kann and Dutch setups. This flexibility is a long-term asset.
3. Main Improvement Themes
- Time-management (largest single factor).
• 6/6 recent losses were on the clock, not the board.
• In 3 + 2 blitz you average ~15 s per move in the opening, leaving <20 s for complicated endings.
Action: play a streak of 3 | 0 games where you force yourself to move under 5 s for the first 15 moves. This trains quick, practical decisions. - Caro-Kann early queen excursions.
In the loss vs berserkgutz you played …Qd5–Qf5–Qd8 in six moves and fell behind in development.
Action: review the main line Two-Knights (5…Nf6 6.Qe2) and add the simple 6…e6 7.Nf3 c5 plan; avoid premature queen hopping. - Converting pawn races.
Several games (e.g. vs svilson23) reached positions with passed pawns for both sides where you pushed without calculating defensive resources. Study 20 end-game fragments that feature mutual passed pawns and the concept of the shoulder pawn shoulder pawn. - Over-reliance on the g-pawn thrust.
g4/g5 is often your go-to lever, but in sandwiches like …g5?! (Caro-Kann Panov) it weakened dark squares and cost tempi.
Action: add the word “Why push?” to your physical score sheet or mental checklist before advancing wing pawns.
4. Opening Road-map (next 30 days)
| Colour | Focus Line | Goal |
|---|---|---|
| White | Catalan – early …c5 4.d5 setups | Memorise exact reply to 5…exd5 6.cxd5 d6. |
| Black | Caro-Kann Two Knights | Adopt 6…Be7 > …O-O, cutting queen shuffling. |
| Black | Dutch Leningrad | Prepare vs b3 systems; watch one GM model game. |
5. Tactical & Calculation Drill
• Daily: 20 puzzles rated 2300-2600; stop when you miss two in a row.
• Weekly: one 15-minute exercise on defensive resources (look for hidden zwischenzugs).
• Review with the “critical moment” method: pause, write three candidate moves, compare to engine.
6. Suggested Training Schedule
- Mon/Wed/Fri: 30′ openings + 30′ tactics + 5 blitz games.
- Tue/Thu: 45′ annotated end-game studies.
- Weekend: one 15|10 rapid to practise time balance.
7. Progress Tracker
Use the charts below to visualise improvement:
Final Word
Your attacking flair is clear; sharpening clock discipline and a few theoretical holes will unlock the next rating bracket. Enjoy the journey, and let me know whenever a position leaves you puzzled — we’ll dissect it together!