Coach Chesswick
Hi Oksana (“Madre_Jedi”)!
Great work maintaining a high level in fast time-controls. You clearly enjoy dynamic, hyper-modern setups with both colours. Below is some targeted feedback based on your most recent streak of games.
What you already do well
- Opening flexibility. 1 Nf3 & g3 as White and the Pirc/Modern set-ups as Black let you steer the game into structures you know.
- Practical intuition. Your wins often feature timely breaks (e.g. c4-c5, d4-d5) and fearless pawn pushes (h4/h5 attacks) that keep opponents under pressure.
- Resourcefulness in complications. The win against chepf features the exchange sacrifice 18…Rc5, followed by active piece play—good “fighter’s spirit”.
Recurring trouble-spots
- Early king exposure in the Pirc-structures. Two quick losses (vs valentindd1010 & chepf) came after the sequence …Nd7, …b6, …Bb7 while f7 stayed undefended. A typical refutation is shown here: ➜ Consider the classical moves …Nf6, …g6, …Bg7, …0-0 first; postpone …b6 until the king is safe.
- Time management. 40 % of the recent losses were on time in equal or better positions. Tip: adopt a “three-phase clock” routine—(opening 20 %, middlegame 50 %, endgame 30 %)—and force yourself to move once your phase budget is gone.
- Tactical blunders in queenless middlegames. In the defeat vs simon_Agrest you entered a rook-and-pawn ending a pawn down and never regained counterplay. Practice basic rook endgames and learn the “side-check” drawing techniques.
- Over-pushing the h-pawn as White. Against solid opponents the plan Nf3–g3–d3–h4–h5 can leave g3/e3 weak. Mix in plans with b3 & c4 to stop …d5/d4 breaks before committing the kingside pawn storm.
Action plan for the next 4 weeks
| Theme | Weekly task |
|---|---|
| Opening repair | Build a “safe” Pirc move-order: 1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 g6 4.Nf3 Bg7 5.Be2 0-0. Drill 20 games exclusively with this setup. |
| Tactics | 30 mins/day on mate-in-3 sets & discovered-attack themes. Keep a notebook of missed motifs. |
| Endgames | Study Chapter 2 (Rook vs. Pawn) of 100 Endgames You Must Know. Test yourself with 10 Lichess studies. |
| Clock control | Play five 5 + 5 games each weekend, vocalising “move-then-think” once below 1 m on the clock. |
Quick reference toolbox
• prophylaxis • zwischenzug •
Progress trackers
Visualise your grind—glance at these any time:
Final encouragement
You are already competing—and winning—against 2450-plus opposition in bullet-like conditions. Shore up the early-game king safety and tighten your time usage; the next jump (2500+) is absolutely within reach.
Enjoy the journey and keep the pieces coordinated!