Coach Chesswick
Personalised Feedback for Joe Ramos Jimenez
1. What you are already doing well
- Fighting spirit & tactical ideas – Games such as your Hyper-Accelerated Dragon win show that you are not afraid to sacrifice material for initiative. That is an excellent asset around the 1300 level.
- Piece activity out of the opening – In many of your wins you rapidly mobilise rooks to open files (17.Rd4+, 33.Rcf1, 34.Rc7, …). Keep nurturing that instinct.
- End-game persistence – Several opponents resigned in technical endings because you kept pressing without rushing. Patience pays off.
2. Biggest improvement opportunities
-
King safety & basic tactics
Your most recent loss ended with 19.Qxh7# – a classic back-rank/weak-dark-square mate. • Avoid bringing the queen out early in Scandinavian-type openings unless you can guarantee safe retreat squares. • Whenever your opponent plays Qh5/Qh4 + bishop on c4/b5, pause and check: “Do I control h7/h2?” -
Handling opposite-side castling attacks
In several defeats (e.g. Nimzowitsch-Larsen 1.b3 game) you castled long, pushed central pawns and then opened your own king. Study typical plans after opposite-side castling: pawn storms should be supported by pieces, not leave your own monarch naked. -
Exchange evaluation
You sometimes grab material (…Qxa1, …Rxd4) but drift into positions where the opponent’s minor pieces dominate. Before accepting an exchange ask yourself: • “Will my remaining pieces have activity?” • “Can I neutralise their initiative within two moves?” If either answer is “no”, consider declining or preparing first (look up the concept zwischenzug). -
Time management
Most games are 10 | 0 yet many critical blunders happen with more than 4 minutes on your clock. Train the habit of investing 10–15 seconds at decision points (king safety checks, tactical shots, forced sequences).
3. Opening menu – tighten the repertoire
| Colour | Practical suggestion |
|---|---|
| With White | Keep 1.e4, but prepare one main line vs …e5 (Ruy Lopez Exchange suits your style) and vs …c5 (Alapin or Open Sicilian). This reduces prep time and deepens pattern memory. |
| With Black |
• Instead of the early-queen Scandinavian, test the Caro-Kann or French where the queen stays home. • Stick to the Queen’s Gambit Declined structures (you already use …d5/…e6 in your wins) against 1.d4. |
4. Structured training plan (6 weeks)
- Tactics: 15 minutes/day – focus on back-rank, smothered mate, and double-attack motifs. Aim for >85 % accuracy on 3-minute puzzles.
- End-games: 2 positions per week – rook vs pawn and basic king-pawn endings. Practical skill converts your material advantage faster.
- Model games: 2 per week – Annotate one GM Caro-Kann and one Ruy Lopez Exchange game. Ask: “Where would I move?” Compare answers.
- Play & review – After every session pick one moment you didn’t understand, look it up, and add a flashcard.
5. Track your progress
Current peak rapid rating:
6. Motivation corner
“Improvement is not winning every game; it’s replacing old mistakes with new ones.” Keep replacing, and the rating will follow!
Good luck, Joe – see you at your next milestone!