Coach Chesswick
Quick summary
Nice work, Matthieu — your recent blitz shows the things I expect from a strong rapid/blitz player: quick, active piece play, willingness to simplify when ahead, and the ability to convert advantages. There are also a few recurring weaknesses you can patch quickly to make your blitz much steadier.
What you did well
- You play actively — you push for piece activity and play for initiative instead of passivity (examples: quick knight leaps to d5 and energetic kingside play against the Sicilian). See the win vs zirva_safarov.
- Good tactical awareness in open positions — you found Bxg6 and followed up with central pressure that produced concrete results in that win. (You can review that short combination with the embedded game.)
- You convert practical chances: when opponents run low on time or face direct threats you simplify and force resignations or time losses — that shows good practical chess instincts under blitz pressure.
- Solid opening choices for blitz: you repeatedly steer games into lines you know well (Sicilian Defense, French Defense: Advance Variation, Benoni lines). That familiarity gives you a big practical edge.
Key mistakes and patterns to fix
- Early queen excursions: several games begin with your opponent (or you) moving the queen early to the center/side and the games become tactical. Avoid mirroring early queen moves — prefer quick development and don't let queens chase your pieces or create tricks (example: the Qxd4 / Qd3 sequence in the Sicilian game).
- King exposure and back-rank/rook tactics: in one loss the opponent exploited open files and delivered decisive tactics (Qxf2+ followed by rook sacrifices on the g/h-files). Prioritize luft and coordinate rooks/defenders before launching risky pawn pushes.
- Allowing double tactics on your pieces: a few positions show loose pieces being attacked twice or forkable — double-check hanging piece possibilities before committing pawns or moving defenders away.
- Time usage: you’re often comfortable playing fast, which is good, but avoid low-precision blitz in critical moments. A few games ended after tactical oversights under mild time pressure — spend an extra second to scan for checks, captures and threats in sharp positions.
Concrete next steps (one-week plan)
- Daily tactics: 12–18 puzzles per day focusing on forks, pins, discovered checks and back-rank patterns. Set one of the tactics sessions to "must find mate" style to sharpen finishing skills.
- 3 rapid games (15|10) this week with post-mortem analysis. Pick one game to annotate deeply — look for moments you changed plan because of a queen move or time pressure.
- One focused opening session: review the typical pawn breaks and piece placements in your favorite lines (for you: the main ideas in the Sicilian Defense and the French Defense: Advance Variation). Practice the common tactical motifs that arise from those pawn structures.
- Time management drill: play 10 blitz games but force yourself to spend at least 3–4 seconds on every move in complex positions (try a slow-blitz chunk: first 10 moves at rapid speed, then blitz the rest).
Tactical themes to drill
- Back-rank mates and forced mate nets — frequently decide games in blitz.
- Rook sac and open-file exploitation — practice spotting sacrifices that open the king up (example from the loss vs Simão Poscidônio Dias where the g/h-file tactics finished the game).
- Deflection and decoy ideas — several decisive moments in your games came from forcing rival pieces away from defense.
Opening notes — practical adjustments
- Against Anti-Sicilians / Closed Sicilian setups: avoid early queen moves (they invite tempo-gaining knight jumps to d5 and castles). Prefer simple development: knights, bishops, then decide on a c3/d4 structure. See your successful central play in the Sicilian win.
- In the French Defense: Advance Variation lines you play frequently, watch for counterplay on the c- and e-files — keep a defender ready if you push kingside pawns (don't create holes on light squares around your king).
- If opponents try flank pawn storms (a4/b5, a4/a3 patterns), respond with piece activity rather than pawn grabs; trades that reduce attacking potential are often cleaner in blitz.
Endgame & practical conversion tips
- If you get a material edge, simplify to a winning rook or minor-piece ending quickly — you're good at converting when you reduce complications.
- When you have an outside passed pawn, activate your king and rooks — avoid speculative sacrifices if the position is already winning by technique.
- Practice a few standard rook endings and basic king+pawn vs king positions — they appear often after trades in blitz and are cheap rating juice.
Psychology & time pressure
- When ahead on the clock or position, simplify. When behind on the clock, look for practical complications or checks that create chances — but don’t randomly repeat moves hoping for errors.
- Build a 3‑move checklist for sharp positions: checks/captures/threats; pinned pieces; hanging back-rank. Run it through in 2–3 seconds before you move.
Example: review this win
Here's the Sicilian win vs zirva_safarov — replay it and focus on the moment you exchanged into a favorable tactical subvariation (you can step through it and watch the Bxg6 idea and its follow-up).
Interactive replay:
Monthly focus plan (30 days)
- Weeks 1–2: 12 tactics/day + 5 opening review sessions (10–20 minutes each) on your main Sicilian and French lines.
- Weeks 3–4: Play 40 blitz games with one rule: every time you lose because of a tactical oversight, annotate that game and extract a single theme to drill.
- End of month: 3 rapid games and one deeper self-analysis session (30–45 minutes) to consolidate learning.
Parting encouragement
Your instincts and opening familiarity are big assets in blitz. With a small, focused routine — tactics, one opening refresh, and two rapid games weekly for analysis — you’ll reduce the tactical slips and make your already-strong practical play much more consistent. Keep it up!