Coach Chesswick
What went well in your recent blitz games
You showed good instincts for piece activity and practical play under time pressure. In your latest win, you kept the position dynamic and found a decisive sequence that finished the game cleanly, which shows you can spot tactical opportunities when they arise. In several games, you maintained pressure on the opponent's position and looked for clean simplifications when you were ahead, which is a strong habit in blitz.
Other positives include solid opening development, keeping your king safe after castling, and using the board to create threats with coordinated pieces. You also demonstrated the ability to convert initiative into practical chances in the middlegame, rather than getting bogged down in passive exchanges.
What to improve
- Time management in blitz. There were games where you spent too long on complex middlegame lines, risking time trouble later. Practice quick pattern recognition and decide on a clear plan within the first few moves of each game.
- Endgame technique. Several losses or tense results arose after lengthy exchanges. Build a small endgame toolkit (rook endings, minor piece endings, and basic king activity) and aim to reach those with a clear plan. In blitz, knowing a few go-to endgames can save seconds and convert pressure into wins.
- Pattern recognition in common structures. Strengthen understanding of typical middlegame plans for the openings you use most. This helps you choose safer, cleaner routes when you’re low on time and reduces the risk of getting into uncertain tactical melees.
- Opening coherence and plan. Based on your openings data, aim for 1–2 reliable setups for White and Black and build a simple middlegame plan around them. This improves consistency and reduces decision fatigue in the first 15–20 moves of a blitz game.
- Maintaining focus after tense moments. In some draws and losses, a small misstep in the transition from middle game to endgame or a graphical misread of a tactic led to a quick swing in evaluation. Practice staying calm, counting critical material imbalances, and choosing practical moves under time pressure.
Practical drills you can do
- Time management drills: play 15+0 or 3+2 blitz sessions and aim to make 80–90% of your first 15 moves within the first 60 seconds each game. Use a consistent early plan and reduce overthinking in sharp lines.
- Endgame practice: study a few essential rook endings and simple king-and-pawn endings. Practice these against a computer at a slow pace to internalize key concepts like active king, pawn, and rook coordination.
- Tactics habit building: complete a daily set of 15–20 tactical puzzles focusing on motifs you encounter often (forks, pins, discovered attacks, and deflections). Do quick checks for forcing moves and candidate moves before calculating deeply.
- Opening refinement: choose 1–2 openings you enjoy for White and Black. Create a short notebook with the typical middlegame plans and a couple of standard replies to common defenses, so you have a ready-made path in the first 15 moves.
Next steps and goals
- Goal for the next week: reduce time trouble by establishing a quick early plan in every game and sticking to it unless the position clearly demands a different approach.
- Finish the week with a focused endgame study block (rook endings and king activity) to improve conversion of small advantages into wins in blitz.
- Solidify your opening repertoire to two dependable lines for White and Black, with a simple middlegame plan for each. This will improve consistency and reduce guesswork under time pressure.