Coach Chesswick
Overview
Hi Jernej — nice work on the recent daily wins. You show a strong eye for active piece play and tactical chances, and your opening results (especially with the French) are a clear strength. Below I summarise the key positives from your most recent win, recurring issues I see across recent games, and an actionable training plan to keep improving.
Highlights from your most recent win
Game: vs miharantasa — nice finishing sequence. Key positive points:
- You accepted structural imbalances (bishop for knight early) and focused on piece activity rather than material — this paid off when your queen got into the enemy camp.
- Good queen invasions: Qxg7 and later Qxe6 / Qxf6 and Qxc6 show you spot tactical targets around the enemy king and exploited loose pieces.
- You coordinated rooks and queen to win material and force resignation — clear sense for when to exchange and simplify into a winning position.
Replay the game here:
- Full game viewer:
Recurring strengths
- Active piece play: you prefer to dominate squares and attack rather than passively hold material — this creates practical chances.
- Strong opening returns with specific systems: excellent results with the French Defense and several reliable lines where you get comfortable middlegame plans.
- Good at converting tactical opportunities once the opponent weakens the king side.
Key areas to improve
From the recent games and the record, these stand out:
- Time management: at least one recent game ended on time. Even in daily games it's worth tracking clocks so you don't accidentally lose on time or abandon long unfinished games.
- Occasional structural weaknesses: after early trades you sometimes accept doubled or isolated pawns — make sure there is a plan to exploit resulting activity or to simplify when necessary.
- Specific opening trouble: the stats show poor results in the Slav Alekhine Variation — that line may need revision or a safe sidestep to avoid repeated bad positions.
- Endgame conversion and defensive technique: a few losses in longer games indicate room to sharpen rook and pawn endgames and plan for fortress/active defense ideas.
Concrete next steps (2–6 week plan)
- Daily tactics: 12–20 mixed puzzles per day, focusing on calculation and pattern recognition (forks, pins, discovered attacks). Track your success rate and review every missed puzzle.
- One game review per week: choose a recent game (win or loss). Annotate your critical decisions and check one key position with an engine. For your recent win vs miharantasa check the Nxe6 sequence and see if there was an even stronger continuation.
- Endgame habit: twice weekly practice — 10–15 minutes on rook endings and king + pawn vs king basics. Work on Lucena and basic queen vs rook scenarios; these convert many close winning positions.
- Opening tuning: keep the lines that are working (your French Defense results are strong). For the troubled lines (Slav/Alekhine Variation), either study typical plans or replace them with a simpler sideline you feel comfortable with.
- Time control discipline: set a reminder to check daily games you’ve left running and adopt a habit of making at least one move per day in your longest games to avoid accidental time losses.
Quick pre-move checklist (helps avoid blunders)
- Is my king safe after this move?
- Does the opponent have any forcing checks or captures I missed?
- Am I blundering a piece or leaving a hanging piece?
- Is there a simple plan for the next 3 moves (improve a piece, create a pawn break, or simplify)?
Three simple training exercises for the next week
- Tactics sprint: 15 minutes/day with a focus on forks and pins.
- One long game analysis: annotate your last win and one loss, identify the turning point in each.
- Opening review: study one model game in the French Defense and one in the Sicilian Defense (Alapin if you use it) — note typical pawn breaks and piece plans.
Small technical notes & resources
- If you want, I can: 1) provide a short annotated version of your last win (move-by-move plain-English comments), or 2) create a 2-week training schedule tailored to your weekly availability.
- Recommended topics to read/practice: tactics, endgame, development and practical time management tips.
Wrap-up
You're doing a lot of things right: active play, strong opening choices, and an ability to convert tactical chances. Prioritise time management, focused tactics practice, and a couple of endgame drills and you should see steady improvement. Tell me which of the three training exercises you'd like me to build into a schedule and I’ll draft it for you.