Coach Chesswick
Quick summary
Nice session — you converted a sharp middlegame into a decisive endgame in your most recent win, and you handled typical Sicilian/Scandinavian structures comfortably. The loss and the close games show the main thing to fix: time management under blitz pressure and a few recurring decision errors when positions simplify.
What you did well (strengths to keep)
- Opening familiarity — you play the Sicilian and Scandinavian a lot and get playable positions out of the opening quickly. Keep using those lines: Sicilian Defense and Scandinavian Defense.
- Active piece play — you look for forcing ideas (sacrifices, forks) and create targets (example: the knight sacrifice on f7 in your latest win).
- Endgame/pawn play — in the win you advanced and promoted a passed pawn and converted cleanly. Good sense for creating and escorting passed pawns.
- Practical conversion — when you get a material or positional edge you tend to avoid risky complications and grind the opponent down, which is ideal in blitz.
Recurring issues to fix
- Time trouble — two recent games ended with you losing on time or struggling in the last minute. This is the biggest limiter of your blitz score.
- Simplification timing — sometimes trades that would ease your task are delayed, letting the opponent generate counterplay (or promote a passed pawn). Look for safe simplifications earlier when you are ahead on the clock.
- Handling opponent counterplay — when the opponent pushes a passed pawn or opens a rank/file, make a checklist: can I stop it with a simple pawn/rook trade, or do I need to activate my king/rooks immediately?
- Tactical oversights in critical moments — avoid single-move tunnel vision; scan for opponent counterthreats before committing to a capture or sacrifice.
Game-specific notes — examine these (with quick replay)
Win vs abmeena — great sequence and conversion. Replay the game to see the key ideas: the knight sacrifice on f7 that opened the king, clean capture of the central pawns, and the advance of the h-pawn to promotion. Replaying helps internalize the winning plan.
- Replay:
- Loss vs lozza_95 — the game ends with a passed pawn and rook activity that decided things while you were low on time. The turning point was when the opponent advanced the central pawn and you ended up short on the clock.
- Quick draw/loss hybrid game vs asimulate — shows your ability to outplay opponents tactically and force resignations, but also that you sometimes run into time trouble converting small advantages.
Concrete training plan (next 2 weeks)
- Daily blitz routine (30 minutes): 15 minutes of focused 5|0 or 3|0 games with the goal of practising the opening moves — don't spend more than 10 seconds per move in the first 8 moves.
- Tactics (10–15 minutes/day): do 12–20 puzzles focusing on forks, pins and discovered attacks. These are patterns you use often — make them automatic.
- Endgame drills (2× per week, 20–30 minutes): king + pawn vs king, rook endgames and basic queen vs rook technique. Practice converting a passed pawn while defending against checks.
- One-game postmortem (after each session): pick your worst and best game, and annotate 8–10 critical moves. Ask: could I have simplified? Could I have saved time with a quicker plan?
Blitz-specific practical tips
- Move faster in book positions: pick one or two reliable responses for the first 8–10 moves in your main lines so you save 20–40 seconds per game.
- When ahead on the clock, simplify smartly — trade into an easily winning endgame rather than hunting complications.
- In time trouble: prioritize king safety and keep one defensive resource (a rook or knight) active — don’t chase small material gains if they cost a lot of time.
- Use pre-moves sparingly — only when captures are forced or when the opponent has a single safe response.
Drills you can start right now
- Play 3 rapid review games (10|0) where you force yourself to complete the opening within 10 seconds and mark the move where you first used >30s.
- Do a 10-minute tactics sprint: 20 puzzles; if you miss two similar patterns, add five more of that pattern tomorrow.
- Run a 15-minute endgame session: king + pawn vs king and one queen vs rook exercise; repeat the one you failed until it's clean.
Small checklist to use at critical moments (paste into your notes)
- Do I have a quicker safe move that keeps the advantage and saves time?
- Is the opponent threatening a passed pawn or a rank/file infiltration if I delay a trade?
- If I sacrifice, does it force mate or a clear material gain — or just complicate and burn time?
- Can I swap into a rook/queen endgame where my passed pawn or king is better?
Final encouragement
Your record in Sicilian/Scandinavian lines and the steady rating trend show real strength. Fixing the time-trouble patterns and practicing a few endgames will push your blitz score up quickly. If you want, pick one of the three recent games and I’ll annotate the top 8 moments for you — tell me which one: the win vs abmeena, the loss vs lozza_95 or the quick win vs asimulate.