Coach Chesswick
Hi Leonel ( lioni26 ) – Here’s your personalised training memo
What already works
- Sharp tactical vision. Your last win shows how quickly you convert activity into concrete attacks – the miniature ending with 22.Nxf7! is textbook:
- Space-gaining pawn storms. f-pawn thrusts (f4/f5) and early h-pawn pushes score well when you have initiative.
- End-game grit. Several wins (vs Kyrie2012, Delusional_Knight) were converted from technically demanding endings – a good sign of board-wide awareness.
Recurrent issues in recent losses
- Clock control. Four of your last six defeats were on time or by “game abandoned” while still playable. The red bars in surge late in your session – fatigue shows.
- Over-extension of flank pawns. In the Modern set-up versus Ilya Gutkin …g5/h5 created holes on f5/e6 that became decisive. Ask “What squares am I giving up?” before each pawn push.
- Anti-Sicilian handling. Both the Alapin loss and the Dragon Rauzer game show hesitation against 2.c3/9.O-O-O g4 lines. Your main line prep is solid; side-line coverage lags.
- Converting advantages. Versus Dominic Wisnet you reached a winning middlegame but drifted after 35…Kc7–41…f5; thereafter moves became one-threat replies instead of a plan.
Three-week action plan
| Goal | Exercise | Success metric |
|---|---|---|
| Stronger time management | Play 20 blitz games with a 30-move “time-budget”: keep ≥15 s on your clock after move 30. Train with 3 + 2 to rehearse quick but accurate decision-making. |
Average time remaining on move 30 ≥ 0:15 |
| Patch Anti-Sicilian repertoire | Build a Dragon sideline file: 15 key positions vs 9.O-O-O/Alapin Play them vs engine on “hard” until you score 70 %. |
Quiz score ≥ 70 % |
| Defuse self-created pawn weaknesses | Daily 10-min drill: set up positions after …g5/h5 (from your own games) and find best defensive regrouping. | Engine eval improves ≥ 0.40 in review |
Micro-habits for immediate improvement
- Batch candidate moves. Force yourself to write/think two moves before premoving.
- Safety stop. Anytime you advance a pawn in front of your king, spend one extra tempo on prophylaxis (e.g., …Kh8, …Re8).
- When ahead material, simplify after you have eliminated counter-play squares (classic example: trade queens only once dark-square holes are covered).
Confidence checkpoint
Your current peak blitz rating is 2771 (2023-01-04). With tighter clock control and sturdier anti-Sicilian prep, 2700 is a realistic short-term milestone.
Next review
After you complete 20 games using the plan above, send me the three where you saved the most time in the critical middle-game phase. We’ll dive into strategic planning and end-game conversions.
Stay creative and disciplined – you’re on an exciting trajectory!