Coach Chesswick
Overall impression from your blitz sessions
You show willingness to engage in sharp, dynamic lines and to press the position when you have the initiative. The openings you’ve tried indicate you’re comfortable taking control in imbalanced positions, which can lead to chances to outplay opponents in the middlegame. Focus on turning that initiative into consistent advantage and clean execution under time pressure.
What you did well
- Active piece development: you frequently place pieces on active squares where they influence the center and key diagonals/files, increasing your attacking options.
- Dynamic opening choices: you selected openings that produce unbalanced structures, giving you chances to steer the game toward favorable middlegame plans.
- Resilience in the middlegame: you found tactical ideas to complicate the position when the game opened up, creating chances even in less-clear moments.
Important areas to improve
- Time management in blitz: one recent game ended due to time pressure. Develop a simple pacing plan (e.g., dedicate a fixed amount of time to critical phases and keep a small buffer for the last moves) to avoid clock issues.
- Endgame conversion: work on turning advantages into wins, especially in open or imbalanced positions. Practice rook endings and king activity in simple rook-and-pawn endgames so you can convert step-by-step.
- Opening-to-middlegame planning: after the early moves, have a concrete middlegame plan rather than reacting move-by-move. Build a few clear ideas for each opening you use (pawn breaks, piece maneuvers, and typical pawn-lever plans).
Concrete drills and study plan
- Daily 15-minute tactical puzzles focusing on common blitz motifs: forks, forced trades, and back-rank ideas.
- Weekly opening review: pick one line from each opening you play to solidify typical middlegame plans. For example, study the French Defense line and the Bird Opening line you’ve used, focusing on common strategic ideas and typical pawn structures. See references here: French Defense: Queen's Knight Variation and Bird Opening: Dutch Variation.
- Endgame practice: drill rook endings and king activity in simplified positions to improve conversion in blitz.
- Post-game analysis habit: after a blitz session, review one or two games to identify two practical improvements to apply next time.
Next steps
Next time you play, aim to keep the clock in balance with your pressure on the board. Try to implement a simple plan after the opening and stick to it for several moves. If these games here are not yours, please share your actual recent games and I’ll tailor the feedback precisely to your play.