Coach Chesswick
Hi Lionel_010 – here’s some targeted feedback to keep your rating climbing!
1. What you’re already doing well
- Tactical awareness. Your latest win in the Petroff (…Qh4+, …Qg2#) shows you can spot mating nets quickly once the opponent’s king is exposed.
- Comfort with open positions. Many of your victories arise after early pawn breaks (…c5, …f5, b-pawn pushes). You clearly enjoy dynamic play.
- Confidence with the initiative. When you seize a tempo you rarely let go, often converting it into material or mating attacks.
2. Recurring problems that hold you back
- Early-queen adventures. Losses on 10 May show both colors bringing the queen out before minor pieces (2.Qf3, 2…Qd7, 3…Qd7). These moves invite tempo-gaining attacks from developed pieces. See tempo and development.
- Lack of king safety. Several defeats end with your king stuck in the center (e.g. 31…Kd2 mate vs georges3433). Delaying castling multiplies the tactical tricks your opponent has.
- Gambit overuse. The Englund and related gambits yield fun wins, but your current score against stronger opponents is poor. Against 1900+ players you’re often two pawns down without compensation by move 10.
- Tilt / early resignations. Two games on 10 May ended after <4 moves in completely playable positions. Logging off for five minutes after a blunder can save you rating points and energy.
3. Quick technical fixes
- Follow the 3-golden-moves rule in the opening:
• Develop a minor piece
• Develop a second minor piece
• Castle
Until you reach that milestone, avoid moving the same piece twice and keep the queen home. - Upgrade your anti-1.d4 repertoire. Instead of an immediate Englund (1…e5), add a solid option such as the Queen’s Gambit Declined or the Nimzo-Indian. You can still choose the Englund as a surprise weapon.
- Rehearse classical setups with Black vs 1.e4. Your Pirc structure (…d6, …Nf6, …g6) is good, but mixing in the Scandinavian or a sound 1…e5 repertoire will prevent the “random queen moves” symptom.
- Calculate one ply deeper before tactical sacks. In the loss vs machi-culers the 9.Nh3/11.Ne6 pawn storm looked promising but missed Black’s …Bxe6 refutation. Force yourself to ask “What is my opponent’s best reply?” before executing flashy moves.
4. Training menu for the next two weeks
- Tactics: 20 puzzles/day filtered for “forks” and “double attacks” (fork). Aim for ≥80 % accuracy.
- Opening review: Build a 10-line PGN file for each color that reaches a safe, castled position. Drill the lines with spaced repetition. Example snippet:
- Endgame basics: Practice the king-and-pawn vs king technique; it converts many of your material advantages.
5. Mind-set & time management
Your hour-by-hour results (
) show most blunders occur in the last 3 minutes. When the clock drops below 2 minutes, shift from “find the best move” to “find a sound move instantly, keep pieces safe.”If you drop two games in a row to early blunders, take a short break. Come back when you can clearly articulate your next game plan.
6. Success metric
Your current peak is 414 (2025-04-06). Let’s target +100 in the next month by:
- Reducing games resigned before move 15 to zero.
- Casting the king by move 10 in ≥80 % of games (track manually for now).
- Raising puzzle accuracy to 85 %+.
7. Keep the fun!
Your attacking style is a strength; we’re just adding structure so the attacks land against any opposition level. When you feel the urge to launch the queen early, ask yourself: “Can I achieve the same threat after I castle and bring another piece out?” If the answer is yes, postpone the queen hop.
Good luck, have fun, and ping me after 20 games for the next check-in!
Sample opponent links for future study: liswem_m, patosaltitante
— Your chess coach