Coach Chesswick
Quick summary
Nice set of recent games — you show strong tactical awareness and aggressive play in the middlegame, and you convert advantages well. Your main leak is time management in 3|0 blitz and some endgame technique / prophylaxis when opponents generate counterplay. Below I highlight concrete things you did well, where you can improve, and a short practice plan you can apply over the next 2–6 weeks.
What you did well (concrete examples)
- Spotting and executing tactical finishing blows — in your win as Black vs tacticaldeep you played a calm sequence that ended with Rxc2 followed by a decisive check (Qe1) that forced resignation. That shows good tactical calculation and courage to simplify into a winning line.
- Active piece play and exchange decisions — in your other win you traded into a favorable endgame where your rooks and queen worked well to create decisive threats and win material. You convert small advantages instead of letting them slip.
- Opening variety and understanding — your repertoire (lots of English and Modern lines) is consistent with your strengths: you get playable middlegames and chances to outmaneuver opponents.
Biggest weaknesses to fix (prioritized)
- Time management in 3|0 blitz: multiple games end with you on single-digit seconds. 3 minutes with no increment punishes deep thinking on each move. Loss vs tjcmhh was decided by clock — you had long fights but ran out of time. Learn to trade some accuracy for speed and use simple heuristics in time trouble.
- Endgame technique and prophylaxis: in the loss(s) you allowed pawn breaks and piece activity from the opponent that eventually decided the game. Work on basic king-and-pawn and rook endgames and on preventing opponent counterplay (stop their pawn breaks, restrict knight outposts).
- Handling counterplay: when you win material or create pressure you sometimes allow the opponent one tactical chance or passed pawn. Before simplifying, check opponent counterplay options (rook lifts, freeing pawn pushes).
Concrete training plan (2–6 weeks)
- Daily tactics: 10–20 puzzles/day focused on mates and exchanges. Emphasize patterns you miss (skewers, sacrifices, back-rank motifs). Short sessions, high frequency.
- Blitz-specific clock work (3|0): 3 sessions/week of 20 games at 3|0 with these rules:
- Use the “30-second rule”: if you need more than 30s to find the move, play the most reasonable, practical move and save time for critical moments.
- Practice premoves only when material is equal and safe (avoid premoving into tactics).
- Endgame drills: 3× week, 15–25 minutes:
- King + pawn basics (opposition, outside passed pawn).
- Simple rook endgames: Lucena and Philidor ideas and active king play.
- Opening sharpening: choose 2 main lines you play most (e.g., your English Symmetrical / Botvinnik lines and a Modern Defense line). Memorize 6–8 typical plans and one key pawn break for each side (what to do if opponent plays a sideline). Spend 2× 30-minute sessions/week.
Practical blitz tips you can apply immediately
- Early move checklist (first 6 moves): complete development, king safety, central control. If you’re low on time later you’ll have a solid structure to play from.
- Before an exchange ask: does this reduce my opponent’s counterplay or give them a target? If yes, exchange. If it gives them a passed pawn or active piece, pause.
- In time trouble simplify when you’re ahead; complicate when you’re behind (but only when it increases your winning chances realistically).
- Use short, recurring plans rather than looking for the perfect move (e.g., “double rooks on the open file” or “fix opponent pawn and attack from flank”).
Study resources & micro-goals (suggested)
- Micro-goal 1 (2 weeks): reduce time losses — finish 20 3|0 games and have at least 60% of them with >10s remaining on the clock after move 30.
- Micro-goal 2 (4 weeks): endgame basics — be able to convert a simple rook+king vs rook within 15 moves from the Lucena position.
- Micro-goal 3 (ongoing): raise tactics accuracy by 10% — track puzzle success rate and focus on missed patterns.
Follow-ups
- If you want, send me one game where you lost on time but felt winning — I’ll do a short annotated post-mortem and mark the critical decision moments and a simple clock plan for that position.
- Want a 2-week blitz training schedule tailored to your openings? I can build a day-by-day checklist (tactics, opening, endgame, practice games).
Opponent references (recent games)
- Win vs tacticaldeep — great tactical finish and calm conversion.
- Loss vs tjcmhh — instructive on time management and handling counterplay.
Short checklist to use before each blitz game
- Are my development and king safety OK after move 8? If yes, play faster; if no, spend time fixing it.
- If you must think >30s, mark the move as critical mentally and play the best practical move.
- When ahead in material: trade down to reduce the need for precision (especially on 3|0).