Coach Chesswick
Hi JeffLau69!
Great job reaching the mid-600s so quickly. You already show a sharp eye for tactics (for example, the Nxf7+ shot in your Scotch win) and you are not afraid to play actively. Below are a few observations and concrete training ideas to help you climb toward your next goal.
1. Opening Fundamentals
- Piece development before queen adventures. Several of your losses began with early queen moves (Qh5, Qe2/Qf3). Your opponents either gained tempi by chasing the queen or trapped it outright. Try a simple rule: do not move your queen until you have developed at least three minor pieces and castled.
- Central pawns first. You already play 1.e4 well as White. As Black, answering 1.e4 with …e5 is logical, but follow up with …Nf6, …Nc6, …Bc5/Bb4 rather than the rare …Bd6 you used in both your win and loss vs the Two Knights variation. Sticking to mainline piece placements will make the middlegame positions easier to handle.
- Castle quickly. In your recent loss to jumpsento you left your king in the centre while pushing f-pawns; after that it was hard to coordinate your pieces. Make it a habit to castle by move 10 in open games unless you have a very good reason not to.
2. Tactical Awareness
- You spot forks, skewers and exposed–king tactics well, which fuels many of your victories. Keep sharpening this skill with 10-15 daily puzzles focused on common patterns like the fork, pin and back-rank mate.
- In the loss versus akuthy14 you overlooked a back-rank motif (…Re1#). Spending a minute after every opponent move to ask “What is the threat?” will cut down on these slips.
3. Endgame & Conversion
- Your win against kumarabhi047 showcased good technique: you traded into a winning rook ending then activated the rook and converted confidently. Keep studying basic king-and-pawn and rook endings; they come up often even in 10-minute games.
4. Sample Progress Metrics
Action Plan
- Play the Italian (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4) and the Scandinavian as Black for the next 25 games to practise “fast development & fast castling.” Track results in a notebook.
- Solve at least 50 rated tactics this week, writing down the theme you missed when you get one wrong.
- Review each finished game for 5 minutes, asking:
- Did I follow opening principles?
- What tactic decided the game?
- Could I have simplified to an easier ending?
Stick with this routine for two weeks and I’m confident you’ll break 1170 (2020-04-03) 700 very soon. Happy training!