Coach Chesswick
Hi Marie Frank!
Great work lately—your recent streaks show steady improvement and an enterprising style. Below are a few observations and actionable tips drawn from your last dozen 3 + 2 games.
What’s working well
- Active, initiative-first openings. As White you score highly with the Alapin-style 2.c3 against the Sicilian. Your quick space grab (e4 + d4) followed by harmonious development produced clean victories such as the one versus gambitguzzler.
- Tactical alertness. Combinations like 25.Qh6!, 26.Rf4+!! show that you spot forcing moves and aren’t afraid to sacrifice material for the attack. Puzzle work is clearly paying off.
- Endgame conversion. In several wins you smoothly pushed outside passed pawns in rook endings—good technique under 20 seconds on the clock.
Growth opportunities
-
Sicilian Kan as Black. Both recent losses arose here (e.g. vs. theredbaron1917). Typical issues:
- Pawns on h5/bb8-diagonal leave dark squares weak.
- Delayed …d6/…d5 break gives White a free hand in the centre.
- King safety in opposite-side castling. In attacking races you sometimes push pawns without full piece support (see 18…h5 & 21…c4 in the loss above). Before launching pawns, run the “3 defenders vs. 3 attackers” head-count; if outnumbered, improve piece placement first.
-
Clock management. Three recent defeats were on time despite playable positions. Aim to reach move 20 with ≥1 min. Try:
- Instantly pre-move routine recaptures.
- Use the increment: make one safe move to bank 2 seconds, then think.
Targeted training plan
| Focus | Tool / Drill | Weekly Goal |
|---|---|---|
| Kan middlegames | Annotate 3 GM games | 1 hour |
| Tactics under 10 s | Custom puzzle rush | 150 puzzles |
| Endgame rook + pawns | Chessable drill or Lichess trainer | 20 examples |
Quick reminders
- Stick to one main line per colour until it feels automatic—this frees up time for deeper calculation.
- After each session, spend 5 min tagging critical moments (opening choice, turning point, missed tactic). The database view filtered by tags becomes a personal gold mine.
- Celebrate the positives: you’re trending toward 2011 (2020-12-20) territory—keep the confidence high!
See you at the board, and good luck in your next game!
Extra visuals you can open later: .