Coach Chesswick
Quick summary
Nice run — your rating and results show a steep, sustained improvement (+105 last month, +347 over three months). You’re winning more than you lose and converting advantages reliably. Below I highlight what’s working, where you leak points, and a short training plan you can start this week.
What you’re doing well
- Active piece play and tactics — many wins come from sharp piece activity and tactical shots (your handling of open lines and knight jumps is a clear edge).
- Opening variety and exploitation — you get strong results from aggressive lines (Elephant Gambit, Barnes Defense, French Exchange). Keep using these as confidence builders: Elephant Gambit.
- Conversion — when you get a material or positional edge you generally press it home instead of liquidating into unnecessary draws.
- Momentum and time control — your games show consistent time usage and few flag losses; that helps keep decision quality in rapid time controls.
Most important weaknesses to fix
- Four Knights Game lines — your listed results show a below-par win rate in the Four Knights family. Study typical pawn breaks and piece plans there (you can review the basic plans for Four Knights Game).
- Caro‑Kann Exchange and some quiet structures — lower win rates suggest unfamiliarity with resulting pawn structures and endgames. Focus on typical minor‑piece plans and pawn break timing.
- Occasional passive responses to counterplay — a few games show that when opponents get active pawns or a passed pawn you react passively instead of seeking active counterplay (rook activation, king centralization, or tactical shots).
- Endgame technique under pressure — you convert many wins, but some losses show trouble against active king hunts or advanced connected pawns. Tighten up king activity and pawn‑endgame basics (opposition, passed pawn play).
Game-specific notes — recent win (example)
Below is your most recent win as White vs Karasoluk. It shows the strengths above: active knight maneuvers, grabbing the c7 / b5 squares, and pressuring weaknesses.
Interactive replay:
- Takeaway: you created tactical targets on the queenside and used knights actively. Continue hunting weak pawns/squares early in the middlegame.
- Small caution: after the simplifications Black generated counterplay with a passed f‑pawn and a rook on the fourth. Aim to neutralize those playmakers earlier (blockade or trade when safe).
Concrete training plan (4 weeks)
- Daily (20–30 minutes) tactics — focus on forks, pins, and discovered attacks. Prioritize exercises that force you to look for resourceful captures and quiet moves after a tactic.
- Openings (3×30 minutes/week) — solidify two main repertoires: one aggressive (Elephant Gambit / Australian lines) and one solid response for Four Knights and Caro‑Kann Exchange. Study 5–10 model games for the key pawn structures.
- Endgames (3×20 minutes/week) — king + pawn vs king, rook endings basics, and opposition. Practice Lucena-type ideas and basic outside passed pawn technique.
- Weekly review (1 hour) — analyze your 3 worst losses: identify the single recurring mistake (e.g., passive defense, missed tactic, wrong pawn break) and set a concrete drill to fix it.
- Blitz practice (2 sessions/week) — 10‑15 games at 3|0 or 5|0 focusing on applying new plans (don’t play as many different openings; test 1–2 ideas repeatedly).
Short checklist for your next session
- Warm up: 5–10 tactics (10 minutes).
- Play one rapid game where you intentionally steer the opening into a Four Knights or Caro‑Kann Exchange line and follow a prepared plan.
- After the game: immediately annotate 3 turning points — "what I missed", "what I did well", "one move I would change".
- End with 15 minutes of endgame drills (king activity / pawn endgames).
Next steps (highest impact)
- Fix one opening weakness first — pick Four Knights or Caro‑Kann Exchange and learn the 3 typical plans you will play for both colors.
- Add a short daily tactic habit (10–15 problems). Consistency > volume.
- Review your last 20 wins and 10 losses: copy 3 instructive wins and 3 instructive losses into a study file and revisit them weekly.
Extra resources & placeholders
- Opponent profile (example): karasoluk — use this when preparing practical opponents.
- Study the typical plans for these openings: Four Knights Game and Elephant Gambit.
Motivation
Your trend slopes and recent +105 month show fast improvement — keep the focused, small-step practice above and you’ll stabilize this gain into long‑term strength. If you want, send 2–3 recent games (losses you care about) and I’ll annotate the critical moments move-by-move.