Coach Chesswick
Hi Lothse — here is your personalized feedback!
1. What you are already doing well
- Active piece play: In several wins you very quickly develop bishops and knights and castle, giving your pieces lots of scope to attack. This is exactly what beginners should aim for.
- King-side attacks: Your victories against hz616 and fizzy4u show that you recognise when the opponent has weakened squares around their king and you are not afraid to bring the queen, bishop and rook into the action.
- Solid opening choice with Black: 1…e5 is a sensible, classical reply to 1.e4. It keeps the centre under control and leads to familiar structures. Keep building on this repertoire before adding more openings.
2. Most common trouble spots
- Premature queen adventures: In the loss vs. ian-c you played 5.Qe2 as White and later re-moved the queen several times, losing tempi and falling behind in development. Hold your queen back until your minor pieces are out.
- Loose pawns in front of your own king: In a few Caro-Kann games (e.g., vs. 7medddddd) you pushed …h5/…h4 without full support. This created holes that were hard to cover. Try to finish development before launching pawn storms.
- Game completion & time management: Five of your last eight decisive results ended by “game abandoned” or resignation in still playable positions. Whenever possible, play on — many games at this level are turned around by a single tactic.
3. Opening snapshot
• With White you nearly always start 1.e4 and reach either a Four Knights Game or a Petroff structure.
• With Black you alternate between open games (1…e5) and the Caro-Kann. This is a healthy mix, but mastering one at a time will speed up your progress.
4. Key study positions
Replay your cleanest attacking win to reinforce the pattern of “finish development first, then strike”:
[[Pgn|1. e4 e5 2. e3 d5 3. g3 Nf6 4. Bg2 Nc6 5. d4 e4 6. Nd2 Bg4 7. Qc2 Bf5 8. Bh3 Bg6 9. Ne2 Qe7 10. Nf4 Bh5 11. Nxh5 Nxh5 12. Qd1 g6 13. Nb3 f5 14. g4 Qh4 15. O-O Qxh3 16. gxh5 gxh5 17. Nd2 Rg8+ 18. Kh1 Bd6 19. Rg1 Qxh2#]5. Next training goals
- Finish development by move 8. Make it a routine to have both knights, both bishops and king castled before moving the queen or launching a flank pawn.
- Daily tactics: 15-20 puzzles. Focus on motifs you often face: pins on the e-file, forks on c7/f7, and mating nets with queen & bishop.
- Pick one opening per colour. For the next 20 games play only the Italian (as White) and 1…e5 (as Black). Record where you leave theory and study 1-2 moves deeper.
- Convert won positions. When up material, slow down. Force trades, centralise rooks, and avoid unnecessary pawn moves that weaken your king.
6. Motivation corner
Your current personal best is 585 (2024-04-25). Breaking the 500 mark is within reach — you already beat players in that range. Stick to the fundamentals outlined above and review each loss for one tactical oversight you can eliminate next time.
Good luck, enjoy the journey, and remember: every game (win or loss) is a lesson in disguise!