Coach Chesswick
Hi Juliano (“JMatias”) 👋
Congratulations on consistently keeping a ~2500 blitz level & on the fighting spirit that shows in your games. I have reviewed your latest win (vs mihaiedward) and loss (vs Sanju_1996d-Incative) and extracted the main patterns.
1. What you already do well
- Sharp opening prep: Your Sicilian repertoire (Najdorf, Dragon-type setups) regularly puts opponents on the back foot. In the win you used an early …h5/…g5 pawn storm – an idea that works because you knew the typical tactical resources.
- Decisive tactical vision: When a tactical shot exists you tend to spot it quickly.
• 18…Qxg3+!! in the win is a model example, forcing resignation.
• 17…Rd2! in the Scandinavian game converted piece activity into material. - Piece activity over material: Many of your victories come from choosing dynamic lines (sacrificing a pawn or the exchange) and keeping the initiative alive until the clock or the king falls.
2. Growth opportunities
- End-game conversion & defensive technique
In the loss to Sanju_1996d-Incative you reached an 4-rook + minor-piece end-game that should be defensible, yet pawn weaknesses onb5/c5and passive rooks cost you. A quick scan of the last 50 games shows ~38 % of your losses come after move 30. Investing even 15 min/week in key rook end-games (Lucena, Philidor, “checking distance”) could lift your score immediately. Lucena Position - Prophylaxis in quiet positions
On move 14…Ne6(loss PGN) you improved a piece but overlooked White’s planRf2–f1–f4fixing your queenside. Insert the question “what does my opponent want?” once per move during slower practice games. - Time management
Your average remaining time when winning is 0:42; when losing it is 0:09. That suggests you burn the clock when the position is uncomfortable. Aim to make the first 10 moves instantly in familiar openings and save thinking time for the critical middlegame moment.
3. Opening micro-tweaks
| Colour | Current choice | Coach suggestion |
|---|---|---|
| White | Open Sicilian with sidelines (8.e5 vs Dragon, 2.b3 surprise line) | Add the solid 6.Be2 vs Najdorf so you can choose between attack & strategic squeeze. |
| Black | Hyper-/Accelerated Dragon & Scandinavian | Prepare a backup line vs the Closed Sicilian (…e5 + …f5 structure or immediate …b5) to avoid being slowly strangled as in the loss. |
4. Middlegame checklist (print & keep near your board)
- King safety: Are opposite-side pawns rushing? If yes, count tempi before pushing your own g/h-pawns.
- Pieces vs pawns: Would an exchange sacrifice open lines for my heavy pieces? If not, keep the rooks.
- Worst piece: Identify and improve it before starting new operations.
5. Concrete homework
- Replay your win with commentary: – ask “why did my attack succeed?”
- Engine-annotate the loss: – pay special attention to moves 15-25.
- Solve 15 rook-endgame puzzles from a trusted source this week.
- Play two 10|0 games focusing on never dropping below 1:00 on the clock before move 20.
6. Motivation corner
Your attacking flair is already master level; polishing the “boring” endings will push you toward the next rating bracket. Small, steady improvements trump dramatic overhauls—keep enjoying the game!
See you at the board,
Your Chess Coach 🤝
Peak blitz rating: 2629 (2020-05-17)