Coach Chesswick
Quick summary for Дмитрий Кудрявич
Nice recent run — you converted two clear wins with active piece play and pressure on the enemy king. Your openings give you comfortable middlegames, especially the Nimzo lines and several gambits. The loss highlights king safety and pawn‑race issues in sharp Sicilian positions. Below are focused, practical suggestions you can use immediately.
Games I reviewed (click to inspect)
- Win vs VLADO V. — strong knight outposts and rook coordination. Replay key sequence:
- Win vs chikao-kun — classic rook infiltration on the 7th and exchanging into a winning endgame.
- Loss vs VLADO V. — sharp Najdorf king‑race. Opponent converted a passed pawn and used king activity to win; good lesson on timing king activation and simplifying when appropriate.
What you're doing well
- Active, coordinated pieces — rooks and knights often end up on strong squares and create concrete threats.
- Opening familiarity — you get comfortable middlegames from Nimzo-Indian Defense: Normal Variation, Classical Defense and several gambit lines, which gives you practical chances in blitz.
- Tactical awareness — you spot forks, pins and back-rank ideas quickly and convert local advantages reliably.
- Practical blitz instincts — you create immediate problems for opponents, which pays off in short time controls.
Main areas to improve
- Time management in complex positions — several games show heavy time pressure. When the position is sharp, favor quick forcing moves (checks, captures, threats) to buy time and simplify decisions.
- Sicilian Najdorf and pawn races — opponents exploit passed pawns and king activity. Study common Najdorf pawn-storm themes and typical defensive plans so you avoid passive kingside setups.
- Endgame conversion — practice basic rook and pawn endgames and king+pawn races so small advantages become wins more reliably under clock stress.
- Transition decisions — when ahead, ask whether trading pieces clarifies the winning plan; when behind, keep complications and seek counterplay instead of passive defense.
Concrete 7‑day micro plan
Short daily tasks (20–40 minutes) to produce quick gains in blitz performance:
- Tactics — 20–40 mixed puzzles daily with emphasis on forks, pins, discovered attacks and mating nets. Focus on speed plus accuracy.
- Opening review — 10–15 minutes per day: pick Najdorf and review 3 typical lines and one defensive plan. Learn ideas, not long move lists.
- Endgames — 15 minutes every other day: rook endgames, king+pawn races and simple queen vs pawn motifs. Drill 5 positions and play them out.
- Conversion practice — one session of 10 rapid games (15+5), concentrating on turning small advantages into wins and avoiding time scrambles.
Game‑specific advice
- Win vs VLADO V. — excellent use of knight outposts and rook lifting. Continue exercising small prophylactic moves (like Ra2 then Raf2) to bring the rooks into play safely.
- Win vs chikao-kun — when you can invade on the 7th rank, look for forcing continuations and favorable exchanges that simplify to a won endgame.
- Loss vs VLADO V. — opponent’s passed pawns and active king were decisive. Consider earlier king centralization in endgames and trade down when you can't stop a pawn storm.
Practical blitz tips (use immediately)
- Use increment: with +2, play safe useful moves quickly (improve worst piece or create a threat) to recover time.
- When ahead: trade pieces to reduce counterplay. When behind: complicate and create tactical chances.
- Avoid pre-moves in unclear positions — they often lose to tactics and cost wins.
- Flagging is a last resort — your strength-adjusted win rate shows you can outplay opponents; focus on converting on the board.
Next steps & follow‑up
- Week goal: 100 tactics, 3 rapid conversion games, 30 minutes of Najdorf idea study.
- After 2 weeks: review 10 lost positions and note one concrete improvement per game.
- I can prepare specific materials: a Najdorf cheat sheet, 10 tailored tactics, or a move-by-move annotation of one win — tell me which and I’ll make it.