Coach Chesswick
Hi Mark!
Quick Snapshot
• Current form: strong tactical performance (5 wins / 3 losses in last eight games)
• Main openings: King’s Indian as Black (E9x family) and QGD / Trompowsky as White
• Typical session times: late-evening UTC → see
• 2693 (2020-05-09) shows you are close to personal best – a few tweaks could push you higher.
Your Biggest Strengths
- Dynamic Piece Play. The win vs ExceptionallyNooby (E94) is textbook: ...f5, ...g5 and a beautiful exchange-sac on g2. Your pieces swarm the king the moment the centre closes.
- Calculation & Tactical Alertness. In the QGD Modern (D50) you spotted 25.Nd5!, forcing concessions and finishing with 33.Rxf8#. Crisp, accurate and fast.
- Opening Repertoire Coherence. KID + Modern/King’s Indian setups give you familiar pawn structures every round, saving clock time.
Recurrent Leaks
-
Time Trouble. Five of the last six defeats were lost on the clock while the board was equal or winning (e.g. vs chrisblitz482 & blitzking82).
• You often dip under 90 seconds before move 20.
• Bullet-speed flurries follow, increasing blunder rate. - Over-ambitious Pawn Pushes. Early h-pawn storms (h4–h5 vs edwfidel1) or a-pawn thrusts (a4/a5 in several QGD games) sometimes leave holes you later fight to plug. Keep an eye on dark-square control after …g6 setups.
- Conversion Technique vs Passed Pawns. Endgame vs blitzking82 reached a won rook ending, yet flagging occurred after 40...Rb2+. Practice converting with an increment to hard-wire the technique.
Action Plan (Next 2 Weeks)
| Focus | Why it Matters | Practical Drill |
|---|---|---|
| Clock Management | You score 71 % when ahead on time, only 46 % when behind. |
• Play 10 games of 3 | 2 to habituate using increment. • Verbal countdown: aim to have ≥ 3 min on the clock by move 15. • Use “safe-move” pre-moves in familiar KID structures (…d6, …Nbd7, …e5). |
| Critical Moment Identification | Avoid reflex pawn grabs that burn time later. | After each game, mark three moves where you spent >40 s. Ask: “Could I sense this was critical earlier?” Repeat for 20 games and chart progress. |
| End-game Clean-ups | Many time losses occur in winning endings. |
• 20 positions from Dvoretsky’s Rook Endings – set a 30-second limit per move. • Replay the sequence vs blitzking82 until you can finish under 30 s. |
Targeted Opening Tweaks
• When White plays 9.b4 in the Bayonet, shift to the modern plan …a5/…Nh5 instead of …Ne8 to reduce theory reliance.
• In QGD Modern, consider 7…h6 instead of 7…Be7 to avoid the pin and keep the queen free (reduces early clock drain).
Mindset Reminder
Your style thrives on initiative. Guard the energy bar—both on the clock and on the board. If a position is already won, channel the same killer instinct into pragmatic finishing moves rather than additional complications. Think “simplicity, then brilliance”.