Coach Chesswick
Hi Ngoc Hien Nguyen!
You’re playing ambitious, tactical chess and your recent results show that you can beat strong 2200-level opposition. Below is some personalised feedback to help you convert even more of your good positions into wins.
1. What you’re already doing well
- Active openings. You regularly seize space with 1.d4 & 1.e4 systems and are not afraid to mix in sidelines such as the Zukertort and attacking setups against the Pirc and Sicilian.
- Tactical alertness. Your mating finish in the Pirc (21.Rxg5#) was clean and shows that you spot forcing continuations quickly:
- Fighting spirit. Even when material is level you look for imbalances (…g5 push in French Advance, …c4 break in English, etc.).
2. Themes costing you points
- Time management. Three of your last five losses were on the clock. In the Torre game you reached this position with 17 seconds left and then flagged in a roughly equal endgame:
Practical tip: make one quick candidate move (Is my king safe? Can I gain/lose material in one move?) and play it when you’re under 10 s. - Conversion technique. Against RobertoJBM you promoted a pawn (54.d8=Q) yet still lost. This suggests the need for end-game drills, especially rook + pawn vs rook endings and handling passed pawns with little time.
- Opening hygiene as Black.
- Scandinavian: after 5.Bc4 you chose 5…e6, a playable but passive line. Study the main continuation 5…Qa5 (or 5…Nc6) to avoid early pressure on f7.
- English → Symmetrical: in the loss where 22…Qa3 allowed Qd2–f4 ideas, consider delaying …Qa3 until your back rank is secure.
3. Quick-win fixes (next 2 weeks)
- Play one daily 10|0 or 15|10 game. This forces you to practise structured thinking without flag-stress.
- “1-minute rule”. When your clock shows ≤1:00, move within 5 seconds unless there’s an immediate tactic. You’ll halve your flag losses right away.
- End-game routine. 15 minutes each session on basic rook endings (Lucena, Philidor, Vancura). Your RobertoJBM game would have been a draw with correct technique.
4. Long-term growth plan
| Focus | How | Goal |
|---|---|---|
| Openings | Build a light one-page file for each colour: ideas, plans, 3–5 model games. | Reach middlegames you understand in <5 minutes on the clock. |
| Tactics | 20 puzzles/day with a 3-minute limit each. | Pattern recognition under time pressure. |
| Practical endings | Play out +2 and +3 pawn endings vs engine until you win 10/10. | Confidence converting advantages. |
5. Track your progress
• Current blitz peak: 2496 (2025-05-13)
• When do you play best?
6. Motivation corner
Your attacking skill already puts heavy pressure on opponents rated 2200+. Tightening up the clock handling and end-game play could push you toward 2350 blitz in a matter of months. Stay consistent and review a couple of master games after each session—you’ll be surprised how quickly the small edges add up.
Good luck, keep the pieces active, and remember: “Better a good move now than a perfect move too late.”