Coach Chesswick
Quick summary — recent form & what's standing out
Nice run lately: your rating trend is climbing (≈+53 last month, +254 over 3 months) and your strength-adjusted win rate (~50.5%) shows you’re consistently beating similarly strong opponents. In the recent blitz sample you converted material and activity advantages into wins, pressed on the kingside effectively, and scored by creating passed pawns and active rooks.
What you did well (concrete examples)
- Active rook play and final-rank pressure — in several wins you used rook lifts and doubled/connected rooks to invade the 7th and 8th ranks (see the game vs Matías Pérez Gormaz).
- Creating and advancing passed pawns — you pushed passed pawns at the right moment and converted them (example: the long rook + pawn race in your win vs Jose Rafael Gascon).
- Willingness to sacrifice material for activity — you punished passive defenses after speculative/exchange captures and then simplified into winning endgames (good intuition in the Caro‑Kann game).[Pgn|60...Rb7|61.a5|61...Rc6|62.a6|62...Rxa6#|orientation|black|autoplay|false]
- Opening choices: your repertoire includes lines where you score above 50% (Modern, French Exchange, Sicilian overall). Use that consistency as a base.
Key areas to improve (prioritised)
- Time management under blitz pressure — many critical decisions were played with very low clock. Plan to keep ~10–15 seconds reserve for complex positions; avoid “all or nothing” reliance on flagging opponents.
- Pawn‑rush defense and prophylaxis — in your loss vs dinamicosking a passed pawn marched to promotion. Work on identifying and stopping the opponent’s passer earlier (blockade, king approach, or timely piece trades).
- Endgame technique — several games reached rook/pawn endgames where a single tempo or misplacement lost the conversion. Study fundamental rook endgames (Lucena, Philidor, cutting off the king) and practical pawn‑races with active rooks.
- Tactical calculation in time trouble — you often find good ideas but miss defensive resources when low on time. Improve pattern recognition so you can rely on instincts when the clock bites.
Short weekly training plan (practical & time-efficient)
- Daily (15–30 min): 12–18 tactics from mixed themes — focus on conversions (winning material) and defensive tactics (finding the saving check or intermezzo).
- 3×/week (30–45 min): One structured endgame session — rotate through rook endgames, king+pawn vs king, and queen vs pawn scenarios. Drill Lucena / Philidor until intuitive.
- 2×/week: Play 5–10 minutes with 5–10s increment or 10|0 — consciously practice keeping a 10–15s reserve in complex positions.
- Weekly review (30–45 min): annotate 3 recent losses/very close wins — note the turning point, alternatives, and a simple one-paragraph takeaway for each. Prioritise positions where you had time trouble.
Opening & repertoire notes
- Lean into the systems with higher win rates from your data: Modern, French Defense: Exchange Variation, and Caro-Kann Defense. Deepen one line rather than widen too quickly in blitz.
- Prepare 2‑move and 4‑move plans for your main lines so you can save time early and avoid getting surprised in the opening phase.
- Work a short trap-free checklist for both sides of your main openings: typical piece plans, when to simplify, and which pawn breaks you must stop.
Tactical & psychological fixes for blitz
- When you’re down on time: prioritize king safety and immediate checks; avoid long forcing calculations unless they win on the spot.
- Adopt a 3‑move “safety scan” when you have <15s — quickly ask: is my king safe, is a tactic hanging, can I simplify? This saves blunders.
- Practice pre-move discipline — only premove in forced recapture sequences, never in unclear positions.
Next steps (this week)
- Pick one loss from the recent batch (I recommend the game vs dinamicosking) and annotate it: find the moment the passer was born and write 3 ways you could have changed the plan.
- Do a 7‑day tactics streak (12 puzzles/day) focusing on defensive tactics and endgame tactic motifs.
- Play two longer games (15|10 or 25|10) to practise converting without the clock pressure; review with a simple engine check afterwards.
Motivation & closing
Your recent slopes (1‑, 3‑, 6‑month trends) are positive — you’re improving. Keep the training specific (tactics + rook endgames + time management) and you’ll turn many close losses into wins. If you want, I can:
- Annotate one of the recent games move‑by‑move with short comments and training points.
- Build a 4‑week personalised blitz plan with daily drills and target positions.
Which would you prefer next: a detailed annotated loss (pick one) or a 4‑week plan?