Coach Chesswick
Short summary for Miguel López
Nice upswing lately — you're showing sharper results in the last 1–3 months and your rating has climbed. Your blitz games demonstrate good attacking sense and practical finishing ability, but you still give away momentum in some positions (king safety, pawn races, and occasional tactical oversights). Below are targeted, actionable suggestions to convert more of your good positions into consistent wins.
Nice things you’re doing
- Strong attacking instincts — several wins end in mating nets or decisive material gains (you hunt the enemy king well).
- Comfortable in tactical, sharp positions — you find forcing continuations quickly in blitz.
- Good opening volume and variety — you play a lot of games, which accelerates learning and pattern recognition.
- Recent momentum — +32 rating last month and +48 over three months shows progress and that practice is paying off.
Biggest improvement areas (how to stop losing easy points)
- King safety and back-rank awareness — several losses result from back-rank or mating motifs. Before each move scan for opponent checks and back-rank threats. See Back Rank.
- Endgame technique in pawn races — you won some games by queening and lost others by allowing opponent passed pawns to decide. Work basic king-and-pawn versus king patterns and critical pawn promotion technique (Lucena / Philidor ideas).
- Opening consistency — you play the Caro-Kann Defense often but your winrate there (~37.5%) suggests parts of the variation need tightening (early queen excursions and Q-exchanges in your losses often gave the opponent targets).
- Time management — in blitz you sometimes let positions slip when short on time. Use increment more deliberately: slow down in complex positions and speed up in quiet ones.
- Tunnel vision in tactics — avoid single-line calculation; double-check for simple defenses and counterchecks before committing to a combination.
Concrete 30-day improvement plan (blitz-focused)
- Daily (20–30 minutes total):
- 10–15 min puzzles: focus on mating nets, skewers, forks and defended pieces. Emphasize accuracy over speed.
- 5–10 min endgame drills: basic king + pawn endings, opposition, and one rook vs pawn fundamentals.
- 5 min reflection: review 1 recent loss — write down the decisive mistake and the one practical rule to avoid it next time.
- Weekly:
- Play 6–8 blitz games with the explicit goal “no blunders” — use slower moves in critical moments even in blitz.
- Study one recurring opening line you play (example: the Caro-Kann Exchange lines you use). Go through 5 typical reply plans for both sides.
- Monthly review:
- Look at your most common opening (top 3). If one has < 40% win rate (like your Caro-Kann), either refine the line or consider replacing it in blitz with a simpler, more practical setup.
Opening-specific suggestions
- London System: Poisoned Pawn Variation — you play this a lot and it’s your best-performing system. Keep the core plans but study a handful of typical endgames that arise from the Poisoned Pawn so you convert advantages more often.
- Caro-Kann Defense — common weaknesses:
- Watch early queen moves that let White develop with tempo. If your opponent trades queens early it's often because you mis-timed a capture — prefer safe development over grabbing pawns that expose the king.
- Work on handling opened c- and d-files — rooks and minor pieces need active squares; avoid passive pawn structures on the queenside.
- If an opening gives you repeated trouble, pick one short, practical sideline (2–3 moves) that avoids sharp home-prep and forces the opponent to think in new ways.
Practical blitz habits
- Two-check rule: when low on time, require at least two candidate moves before you pre-move or bullet-flag. That reduces blunders dramatically.
- Before every move: quick back-rank and check scan (10 seconds). If you miss a back-rank mate once, you’ll stop missing it again.
- Use increment: when you have an advantageous position, trade to a simpler winning endgame and use your increment to convert without panic.
- Avoid “mouse-hope” captures — if a capture leads to numerous recaptures and checks, spend extra seconds to calculate the resulting king safety.
Study drills and puzzles
- Tactics set: 20 puzzles per session focusing on mate-in-2/3 and winning material in one move. Mark the ones you miss and re-solve them at the end of the week.
- Endgame set: 10 positions — king + pawn vs king, rook + pawn vs rook, opposite-color bishop basics. Practice promoting races and opposition.
- Opening study: pick your worst-performing opening from your stats (Caro-Kann Exchange) and memorize 5 typical plans for both sides.
Quick post-game checklist
- Did I overlook a check, fork, or skewer? (If yes, mark it.)
- Was my king safe after the last exchange?
- Could I have simplified to a winning endgame earlier?
- What one pattern should I add to my study list from this game?
Two example games to review (interactive)
Win vs piomie — study the moment you gained the initiative and how you converted it into an advanced pawn and promotion. Use the viewer below to replay the opening and critical phase.
Loss vs ozzzy2 — replay to spot where king safety and one missed tactic turned the balance. Focus on move 15–20 where you exchanged into a position that allowed enemy activity.
Next steps (short-term)
- Start the 30-day plan and review one loss per day. Keep the checklist on your phone and run it after each blitz game.
- Spend one session this week tightening the Caro-Kann Exchange replies you play as Black. If an opponent consistently punishes a line, swap to a simpler, safer variation in blitz.
- Keep the focus on accuracy over speed for the next 10 games — allow the increment to help you calculate in critical positions.
You’re trending up — keep that process. Small daily habits (tactics + 1 loss review + endgame drill) will make your blitz games more reliable and push your rating steadily higher.
Placeholders / bookmarks
- Profile you beat (win example): piomie
- Profile who beat you (loss example): ozzzy2
- Study terms: Caro-Kann Defense, Back Rank, endgame