Coach Chesswick
Quick summary
Nice work — you're winning a lot of daily games and have a strength‑adjusted win rate ~0.54, but your rating is moving up and down (1 month -39, 3 month +32). You get strong results from a few opening choices (Australian Defence, some unknown lines) and struggle more in long technical endgames and against sustained pawn storms.
Highlights — what you're doing well
- Good practical results: overall record shows many wins (1,344) — you convert chances frequently and score often in your preferred positions.
- Opening comfort: some lines (Australian Defense and several “unknown” lines) give you consistently high win rates — you know how to get playable middlegames from these starts.
- Practical time play: several game wins come from opponents flagging — you keep games alive and pressure opponents in long daily time controls.
- Active piece play in the middlegame — you often generate threats that opponents struggle to meet over the board.
Main areas to improve
- Endgame technique: several recent losses (and resignations) come from late middlegame → endgame transitions where connected passed pawns and king activity decide the game. Practice king + pawn, rook endgames and basic passers.
- Pawn structure / pawn breaks: opponents get connected passers or a successful pawn storm against your king in a few losses. Learn to either stop the pawn advance early or trade into a favourable piece endgame.
- Opening consistency with the London/Poisoned Pawn: you play lots of the London Poisoned Pawn variation but your win rate there is under 44% — study typical traps and a safer setup so you aren’t on the defensive from move 8–12.
- Postgame review habit: wins on time are useful, but reviewing the same positions will produce more reliable over‑the‑board improvements. Focus reviews on the decisive moments (tactical misses, transition mistakes).
Concrete lessons from your most recent win
Game: Jayadev-s vs Mohammad-amin-toodaji (daily). You opened with a Queen's pawn move and reached a simple central structure. The game ended on time, but some practical points are useful:
- When positions are quiet, keep improving piece placement and avoid unnecessary complications — small advantages accumulate and put psychological pressure on opponents.
- You reached an early, stable centre. That’s a reliable strategy in daily games: play solid, make plans and force your opponent to create problems for themselves.
- Replay:
Concrete lessons from your most recent loss
Game: vs willrenan (daily). The game converted into a long kingside pawn race with connected passed pawns for White and ended by resignation. Key takeaways:
- Don't let the opponent create connected passed pawns near your king without active counterplay. If you can't stop the pawns, trade into a piece endgame where your king is active.
- King activity: the opponent’s king marched into the centre and supported passers. In similar positions prioritize king centralization earlier (use tempi to bring the king forward when safe).
- Avoid passive replies to pawn storms — look for tactical intermezzos or piece sacrifices that simplify into a drawable/more favourable structure.
A short, practical 7‑day plan
- Days 1–2: Tactics — 20 minutes/day on pattern‑based puzzles (pins, forks, back‑rank, discovered checks). Focus on speed + accuracy.
- Day 3: Endgames — 30 minutes: king and pawn vs king, basic rook endgames (Lucena / Philidor ideas). Practice technique until automatic.
- Day 4: Opening clean‑up — 30 minutes: pick one of your common problem lines (London Poisoned Pawn) and run through the common trap lines and one reliable neutral option when you don't want complications. Use London System as an anchor term while studying.
- Day 5: Play 2 daily games with a short post‑mortem (30 minutes): annotate decisive moments — what was your plan? what candidate moves did you miss?
- Day 6: Middlegame plans — 30 minutes on pawn structures: practice handling pawn storms and creating breaks (identify the right pawn lever in 5 positions).
- Day 7: Review week — 30–60 minutes: pick 2 losses and 2 wins. For each, write 3 takeaways and one rule to apply next week.
Study priorities (short list)
- Tactics: focus on pattern recognition (15–25 puzzles daily).
- Endgames: king + pawn, basic rook endings and opposition (practice with a trainer or tablebase exercises).
- Openings: shore up the London Poisoned Pawn lines you play — learn one safe sideline to avoid being outprepared early.
- Middlegame plans: learn how to stop or convert pawn storms — look for a single typical pawn break in each structure you play.
Post‑game checklist (use after every game)
- Mark the decisive moment (tactical miss / bad transition / winning plan).
- Ask: Could I improve piece activity or king safety in that phase?
- Store one position to drill (tactics or endgame) until it’s comfortable.
- Update your opening notes: if an opponent surprised you, add the line and one plan to counter it next time.
Small details that give big gains
- When a game is headed to the endgame, start centralizing your king earlier than feels comfortable — it pays off in long games.
- Trade into a simpler endgame if the opponent’s pawns are rolling and you can create counterplay on the other flank.
- Use your opening wins (Australian Defence, your 'unknown' lines) as a template: what works there? Try to replicate those pawn structures and piece placements in other openings.
If you want, next steps I can help with
- Annotated review of 2 specific games (pick one win and one loss) — I'll point out turning points and give 3 actionable improvements.
- Custom 30‑minute training plan for tactics + endgames tailored to your weekly schedule.
- A focused opening cheat‑sheet for your most played lines (3–4 pages: plans, traps, and safe sidelines).