Coach Chesswick
Hi Lchicco! Your Personal Game Review & Training Plan
1. What you are already doing well
- Active piece play – Your recent win against egv10 shows how quickly you seize the initiative with …Bg4, …c5 and a well-timed …Qg5. The conversion with 20…Qg2# was clean and decisive.
- Tactical alertness – Forks such as 14…Ng3!! in the same game demonstrate good pattern recognition. Keep sharpening this weapon!
- Opening variety – You’re comfortable with both 1…Nc6 (Nimzowitsch) and mainstream King’s-pawn defences, giving you practical surprise value.
2. Immediate growth areas
- Time management
Five of your last nine losses were simply “won on time” while the position was still playable or even promising. Treat the clock as an extra piece:- Aim to keep ≥50 s after move 20 in 3 | 2 games.
- When the position is quiet, invest <5 s; save the deep thinks for critical moments.
- Over-extended pawn pushes
In the loss to nyarlathotepswhisper (25…Nc4? 26.Ng6+!), the early …f6, …g6 and …h5 left key dark squares undefended. Follow the classic “three questions” before pushing flank pawns:- What squares become weak?
- Can my opponent attack them immediately?
- Do I have a clear follow-up?
- Castle & coordinate before grabbing material
14…Nxa2+ in the same game netted a pawn but gave White open files plus lead in development. In dynamic positions, value time over pawns.
3. Opening tips
You often reach this Queen’s-Pawn structure as Black:
d4 …Nf6 e3 …d5
f4 …c5 c3 …Bg4
- The setup is sound, but consider delaying …c4 until your queen’s knight is ready to jump to b6 or d7-b6-c4. That keeps the c-file closed and limits White’s counterplay.
- Study 15-minute model games by Radjabov & Rapport to see modern handling of these Dutch-flavoured positions.
4. Example study positions
Most-recent win (critical phase) – can you find Black’s winning continuation?
Focus: spotting forcing sequences with limited time.
Most-recent loss (turning point) – what should Black play instead of 25…Nc4?
Hint: 25…Nxd4 simplifies and keeps material balance.
5. Training plan (next 4 weeks)
| Week | Focus | Suggested content |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Clock discipline | Play 10 games of 5 | 5; annotate how you spent >30 s on any single move. |
| 2 | Dark-square strategy | Solve 30 puzzles tagged “weak squares / colour complexes”. |
| 3 | Safe material grabbing | Review 10 classical games where a danger-levels decision was pivotal. |
| 4 | Endgame speed | Daily 5-minute sessions of king-and-pawn vs king drill on a board. |
6. Stats & motivation
Your best rating so far: . Great! Keep chasing the next milestone.
7. Final encouragement
When you bring together your natural tactical flair and disciplined clock control, 1900+ is within reach. Enjoy the journey and good luck in your next games!