Coach Chesswick
Hi menuraG, here’s some constructive feedback based on your recent games!
What you’re already doing well
- Active piece play as White. In your win against sounniiv you used the Zukertort set-up to grab space on the queenside and converted the passed
b-pawn smoothly. - Keeping the game tactical. Many victories come from spotting middle-game tactics (e.g. the 60 + 1 win where you forced 24...Qxd2+ and mated soon after). Keep nurturing that tactical eye with daily puzzles.
- Staying calm in time trouble. Your clock handling is decent for 60 – 180 second games; most blunders stem from evaluation rather than flagging.
Your next three improvement targets
- King safety first. Early moves like 1…g6 & 1…f6 in the Italian (loss vs Obamagay2000) weakened dark squares and cost material. Try following the basic opening checklist: develop three pieces, castle, then pawn breaks.
- Spot opponent threats before launching your own. In the Englund Gambit you grabbed the queen (6.Bxd8?) but missed the mate on f2. Train with puzzles that feature the defender’s move—ask “what’s my opponent’s idea?” every turn.
- Tidy up unnecessary pawn pushes. The sequence 7.g4?! 8.Bg5?! in the D02 loss left holes around your king. Adopt the habit of asking “does this pawn move create a target?” before playing it.
Deep-dive on recurring themes
1. Back-rank & mating nets
A number of quick defeats arise from simple mating patterns (…Bxf2#, …Qxd1#). Spend 10 minutes a day on back-rank and weak-square drills. Start with the basic back rank mate and move to composite patterns like bishop+queen on f2/f7.2. Tactics: forks, pins, double attacks
When things go wrong it’s often a missed fork or pin against you. Push your tactical rating 100 points higher and these oversights will drop sharply. Key motifs to review: knight fork, queen skewer, discovered attack on the king.3. Opening discipline
Instead of memorising theory, follow four simple rules:- Control the centre with pawns or pieces (1.d4, 1.e4 are fine).
- Develop knights before bishops when unsure.
- Avoid moving the same piece twice in the first ten moves unless there’s a concrete reason.
- Castle by move 8-10 in every game.
Illustrative mistake & fix:
Instead, 6.e3 or 6.Be3 keeps the advantage and your king safe.
4. Endgame basics
When you reach simplified positions you often convert extra pawns, but occasionally miss faster mates. Spend a session on king-and-pawn endings and the “Lucena” & “Philidor” rook endings—these alone will net free rating.Suggested weekly routine (30-45 min/day)
- 10 min theme puzzles: forks on Monday, pins Tuesday, etc.
- 15 min analyse one lost game with engine; focus on the first tactical error.
- 10 min play unrated rapid (10|0) applying opening checklist.
Quick stats & progress trackers
Your current peak rapid rating: 1873 (2025-03-15). Keep an eye on the following charts to watch consistency grow: