Coach Chesswick
Hi Anh Khoi Nguyen!
Great work lately — your attacking flair and willingness to calculate sharp lines keep opponents under pressure. Below is a focused review of recent games, plus a practical training plan.
Your Snapshot
- Peak ratings: 2684 (2020-10-10) • 2882 (2021-02-16) • 2769 (2019-08-22)
- Activity trends:
- Typical openings: Queen’s Gambit-style setups with White, Benoni/Benko structures and the Sicilian with Black.
What You Already Do Well
- Initiative-first mindset. Your recent win vs. tryminent showed how you convert tempo gains into direct attacks: Excellent coordination of queen and bishops.
- Tactical alertness. You routinely spot forks (e.g., 26.Nxc5! against su145) and intermediate moves that tilt the evaluation in your favour.
- Piece activity over material. Sacrifices such as 18.Qxh6+ in the same game illustrate healthy respect for dynamic compensation.
Main Growth Areas
- Time management. Four of the five losses in July 2022 were flag-outs while still roughly equal or better on the board (see the Benko Gambit vs. Bryle Arellano). You burn ~35 sec on forcing moves but race through critical middlegame decisions. Adopt a “budget” (e.g., no move over 10 % of the remaining clock unless it changes the evaluation by >1 pawn).
- De-escalating when ahead. In the Benko loss you continued 9.h4 h5 10.g4?! creating a double-edged mess instead of consolidating with 9.Nf3 Bg7 10.e4 when your extra pawn matters. Blend aggression with strategic restraint once you have an objective advantage.
- Endgame conversion. Several rapid flags arose in technically winning endings (e.g., R+P vs. R against ErnestoGuevaraLynch). Sharpen the standard rook-endgame techniques — especially “cut-off king” and “Lucena” positions.
- Benoni/Benko structure familiarity. With Black you reach these positions often but sometimes misplace pieces (…Na5, …Rfb8 without pawn breaks). Study the typical …b5, …e6, …exd5 plans and the …f5 counterplay in Benko-declined setups.
30-Day Training Plan
| Focus | Tool / Task | Target Volume |
|---|---|---|
| Clock handling | Play 20 games of 3 | 2 with a hard rule: move by 25 sec or hit “premove”. Review only time usage after each game. | ~4 games/week |
| Rook endgames | “100 Endgames You Must Know” chapters 28-45. Drill 10 Lucena/Philidor positions daily. | 15 min/day |
| Benko defence | Create a mini-repertoire file with 5 model games by Topalov/Ivanchuk. Summarise key plans on one page. | 1 hour/week |
| Balanced decision-making | For every attacking game, annotate one moment where retreating/improving a defender was stronger. | After each session |
Opening Tweaks (Optional)
- White: Add a calm anti-Benko line: 4.Nf3 →5.e3 set-ups. It keeps the pawn and avoids the mess that cost you vs. bja555.
- Black: In the Anti-Sicilian (2.Nf3 d6 3.d3), adopt the plan …g6, …Bg7, …Nc6, …e5, …Nge7 for a smoother development than …Nc6/…Nb5 skirmishes.
Mindset Cue
“When my position is healthy, my first candidate move is simplification; when it is unhealthy, my first candidate is tension.” Repeat this during games to balance your natural aggression.
Next Check-In
After 30 days, send three annotated games: one blitz win, one loss on time (if any), and one rook endgame. We will measure progress and set new targets.
Keep the energy high and the clock under control — you’re close to the next rating jump. Happy training!