Coach Chesswick
Hi Jomz Santos – Personalised Chess Feedback
1. What you already do well
- Flexible opening repertoire. You comfortably switch between the Modern (…g6 Bg7) as Black and the Larsen/Nimzo-Larsen (1 b3) or Queen’s-pawn systems as White. This variety makes you hard to prepare for.
- Fianchetto expertise. You understand typical plans after a kingside fianchetto: delaying …e5/…d5 until the centre clarifies, and rerouting knights to e5/f6.
- Conversion technique when ahead. In several 60-second games you showed good composure converting extra pieces or pawns, even with seconds on the clock (e.g. vs maxi-boom).
2. Main growth areas
-
Time management.
• 4 of the 6 recent losses were on time while the position was playable.
• You frequently enter critical positions with <5 s, forcing “hope chess” moves.
➜ Action: Mix in 5 | 5 or 10 | 0 games each week. Quick thinking still matters, but you’ll get enough time to calculate one extra move deep. -
Early queen adventures.
Loss vs igagankalra (move 5 Qh5⁺) shows that an early queen sortie can backfire once pawns (…f6 …g5) gain tempo.
➜ Action: Before moving your queen in the opening, ask “Can any minor piece hit it on the next move?” If yes, reconsider. -
Pawn-storm discipline.
Pushing g- and h-pawns without full development left your king airy (see loss vs thereisnomeaning – 31 g4? and 38 g5?).
➜ Action: Rehearse three classical attacking models (Greek gift, minority attack, kingside pawn storm). Recognising standard cues helps you decide when pawn pushes are truly justified. -
End-game fundamentals.
In the lost K + P ending vs thereisnomeaning you missed the drawing plan of bringing the king in front of your passed pawn sooner.
➜ Action: Play 5 “King & pawn vs king” studies every session; then graduate to “rook vs rook + pawn” endings.
3. Concrete training plan (4-week sample)
| Day | Focus | Suggested Tool |
|---|---|---|
| Mon / Thu | 30 min tactic rush (pattern speed) | Chess-dot-com puzzles |
| Tue / Fri | One 10 | 0 game – annotate the critical moment | Self-analysis |
| Wed | End-game drill (king & pawn + rook basics) | “Silman’s Endgame Course” |
| Weekend | Study one grand-master game in your opening | Pick a model game with the Modern or Larsen |
4. Quick opening tips tailored to you
- Larsen Attack (1 b3): After 1…e5 you can transpose into a reversed Nimzo-Indian with 2 Bb2 Nc6 3 e3 d5 4 Bb5, aiming for light-square pressure.
- Modern Defence: If White closes the centre with e4-e5, strike back with …c5 quickly. The …c5 …d6 …Nc6 setup scores well in master practice.
- Queen’s-Gambit structures: When you play 5 e5 (space-gain line) remember the manoeuvre Nbd7-b6-c4 to eject White’s strong d5-knight.
5. Useful metrics to watch
Peak Blitz rating: 1218 (2023-01-24)
Performance rhythm:
6. Motivational end-note
Your tactical eye and willingness to play dynamically are big assets. Combine them with steadier clock usage and disciplined pawn play, and you’ll be knocking on the 1600-blitz door soon. Happy training!