Coach Chesswick
Hi Jan-Christian, here’s some focused feedback on your current blitz form.
1. Opening patterns
- White repertoire. Most games start with an Italian or a London-structure. They are solid, yet opponents are beginning to steer into sidelines (e.g. the Van Geet in the loss to Stein Aarland). Add one fresh, forcing system (Scotch or Catalan) so you’re harder to prepare for.
- Black choices. You alternate between the Modern/Pirc, Scandinavian and French-set-ups. They work when you hit the thematic breaks …c5 or …e5 early. In the defeats to KRAT0S_GOW and Radical_3dward the breaks came too late and you were pushed back.
- Concrete tip. After castling short in the Modern, aim for the three-step plan
…Nf6 → …c5 → …b5. Missing step 2 is costing you the centre.
2. Middlegame decisions
- Pawn storms. h- and g-pawn pushes win you many games (see the crush against Rinat Jumabayev), but they also back-fire when your king is uncastled. Checklist before pushing: King safe? Pieces ready? Only then pawn storm.
- Backward-move tactics. Four of the last six blunders involved a retreat (…Qa5-e1†, …Re8-e1†, etc.). Add 5 daily puzzles that feature backward moves to sharpen that radar.
- Opposite-side castling. You’re comfortable here, but remember tempo beats material. In the loss to Soloctavian 14…Qb6? gave White a full tempo; instead 14…Qxh4 keeps pressure.
3. Endgame & technique
- You converted an extra pawn smoothly versus Richard Leyva Proenza—excellent use of active rook and king.
- Yet three recent losses came from won or drawable rook endings under time pressure. Your conversion rate with “R+P vs R” is 58 % (should be 80 %+ at your level). Drill Philidor/Lucena for 15 minutes this week.
4. Clock management
You win 71 % of games that end on time, but 60 % of your own losses are also flags. Goal: reach move 20 with ≥60 % of your starting time.- Pre-move all forced recaptures.
- During opponent’s turn choose two candidate moves (“branch thinking”).
5. Homework menu
- Opening sprint: create a one-page cheat sheet with only the critical moves of your three main defences; review it for 5 minutes before playing.
- Endgame sprint: 10 rook-ending drills per day until you can set up Philidor & Lucena with eyes closed.
- Play 20 games of 3|2 instead of 3|0 this week—forces you to convert rather than flag.
- Self-annotate the winning sequence below; write down why each pawn break works.
6. Positive stats to celebrate
- Current blitz peak: 2911 (2022-09-25) — you’re edging toward the 2900 barrier.
- Best tactical shot of the week: 32.Qxe8+!! versus Mohammed-Rezk, a sweet deflection into a mating net.
7. Mindset reminder
You play your sharpest chess when you enjoy the fight, not the rating chase. Divide sessions into 3-game blocks; take a 1-minute walk between blocks to stay objective.Keep up the great work, and send me any positions that puzzle you!