Coach Chesswick
Hi Just-na, here’s some tailored feedback based on your latest session.
Quick stats & trends
Peak blitz rating: 2617 (2025-06-20) | Hour-by-hour results:
| Weekly rhythm:Your Super-Powers
- Tactical radar: The win against Francesco Seresin featured a clean final combination (72…Rf4#).
Snippet: - Dynamic pawn play: You frequently generate queenside space with
a3–b4/b5and kingside pressure withh4-h5. When timed correctly (e.g. vs amkarych), it gives you the initiative very early. - Conversion of material edge: In several wins you transitioned to technically won endgames (e.g. opposite-colored-bishop ending vs Jonáš Karch) without allowing counter-play.
Recurring Pain-Points
- Clock management – Five of your six losses were on time with playable or even promising positions.
• Try a “soft ceiling”: never drop below 10 s unless the position is absolutely winning.
• When the opponent is thinking, decide your next two candidate moves so you can blitz one reply. - Loose kingside pawn pushes – Early
g4/h4(loss vs trailoflies) invited counter-sacrifices. Before advancing a wing pawn ask, “If it gets exchanged, what squares become weak?” This is classic Prophylaxis. - Handling the Symmetrical English as White – In the loss to wanyaland your
a3 Rb1 b4plan was met by …c5 d6 Bf5, giving Black easy pressure. Study the model game Short-Karpov, Linares 1992 for the ideal timing ofb4. - Central tension avoidance – A few games show you exchanging in the center (
dxc5,cxd5) without need, freeing the opponent’s pieces. When you already have space, keep pawns locked so the other side feels cramped.
Action-Plan for the next week
| Focus | Daily drill (≈15 min) |
|---|---|
| Time-pressure decisions | Play 5 + 5 games and write down the move number where you drop under 1 min. Aim to delay that point by 5 moves each day. |
| English Opening (White) | Review 3 annotated games where White employs c4 Nc3 g3 Bg2 a3 Rb1 b4; note common Black counter-ideas (…b5, …a5, …Nd4). |
| Kingside safety | Take your own losses where g4/h4 backfired, set the position before the push and ask “What if I castle first?” in analysis mode. |
| Endgames under 30 s | Use a table-base trainer: practice converting K+R vs K under a 10-second increment to build nerves and technique. |
Micro-tips to apply immediately
- During the opening, touch the center pawns second, not first – develop & castle, then strike.
- When you have an outside passed pawn, place your king behind it before pushing (prevents counter-checks).
- If the opponent’s last move surprised you, spend at least 5 s asking, “What changed? What is threatened?” – this alone saves blunders.
Keep the momentum!
You are already converting tactics at a high level. Shoring up the few structural and time-management issues could push you well beyond 2600 blitz. Enjoy the journey, and feel free to share any interesting positions you encounter next session.