Coach Chesswick
Hi MILUIS – Performance Review & Training Plan
1. Quick Snapshot
Current level: ambitious 2300-range player who prefers solid pawn structures (Caro-Kann / Benoni / Colle-type setups) but is not afraid of dynamic pawn storms when the position calls for it. Peak so far:
Typical activity curve:
2. What You Already Do Well
- Opening breadth. You handle both e-pawn and d-pawn openings with ease. In the three latest black wins you produced theoretical Caro-Kann ideas such as …c5 in the Advance (vs. Gorgorovt) and the Botvinnik-Carls structure.
- Tactical alertness. Your recent miniature …Nxb4! followed by …Qxc3 shows good calculation speed. See move 10-17 of the last win for a textbook pawn-snatch: .
- End-game technique. The rook–and-pawn conversion against Gorgorovt (65.Ra8#) demonstrated patience, triangulation and mating-net awareness.
- Time management. Most victories were achieved with 2-4 minutes left; you rarely flag when ahead.
3. Main Growth Areas
-
Pawn over-extension with White.
• Against epitxx the early 5.h4/9.h5 gave Black a clear target.
• In your Benoni loss you pushed 19.b4?! without full central support, opening dark-square weaknesses.
➜ Rule of thumb: advance wing pawns after centre is stable or when you gain a concrete hook. -
Conversion of material advantage.
Games vs. matthewp546 & CarwynYeo show positions where you were an exchange up yet slipped. Often a failure to consolidate (e.g. bring king to safety, trade attackers) let counter play in.
➜ Adopt the “+2 move pause” habit: after winning material, find two quiet improving moves before resuming aggression. -
Prophylaxis & king safety.
You enter complications confidently but sometimes forget the opponent’s ideas (31…Ne5! in the Benoni decided the game). Continuous asking “What is my opponent threatening?” is key – classic prophylaxis.
4. Game-Specific Pointers
| Game | Critical Moment | Recommendation |
|---|---|---|
| Loss vs. paulbac (Benoni) | 23…Qd4+! exploited loose king & b-pawns | After 21.Rxc8 exchange, play 22…Qb6 to keep pieces coordinated |
| Win vs. Gorgorovt (Caro-Kann) | 10…Nxb4! | Excellent; keep studying lines where …c5 is playable before castling |
| Loss vs. epitxx (Indian Game) | 13…d4! hit your centre | Avoid early rook lifts (Rh2) until king safety is settled |
5. Training Plan – Next 4 Weeks
- Opening fine-tune. Build a concise PGN file for your White repertoire based on 1.d4 & 2.c3 systems; annotate three model games per line.
- Middlegame drills. 15 minutes/day solving “defend the side under attack” positions to reinforce prophylactic thinking.
- Endgame menu. Repeat rook-versus-rook-plus-pawn studies; aim to finish every session by reproducing the Lucena & Philidor setups in under 90 seconds.
- Sparring. Play two training games per week where you start each game a pawn down – forces precise consolidation skills.
6. Motivational Note
Crossing 2350 Rapid is near. Your tactical vision is already IM-level; once the prophylactic layer catches up, the rating curve will look like this:
😉Keep pushing, calculate one more time, and good luck in the next tourney!