Coach Chesswick
Quick summary
Nice stretch of blitz — you converted multiple advantages, finished with clean tactics, and showed a clear nose for active piece play. The recurring theme to fix is time management: your single loss and one time-decided win show ticking clock decisions matter more than the board in blitz.
Highlights — what you did well
- Good tactical finishing: the finish against lynus_kho (queen sac into mate) shows you spot forcing lines and calculate final combinations quickly. See the key sequence in this game:
- Good central space and structure play: in the Four Knights / Spanish type game vs TikiLASC_2010 you used d4–d5 and f4 effectively to open lines and restrict the opponent before improving bishops and queen — a model of how to convert small space advantage.
- Creating passed pawns and queenside pressure: in your Pirc win vs Ishanaxade you advanced queenside pawns and converted a passed pawn threat into decisive pressure — shows practical endgame instincts in blitz.
- Repertoire strength: your stats show consistent wins with lines like the Caro-Kann and several English systems — you already know which openings suit your style and score well with them.
Recurring problems & focused fixes
- Time management (biggest issue)
- Symptoms: you lost on time vs ZaliasPestininkas and often reach severe time trouble late in games. When the clock runs out, board advantage is irrelevant.
- Fixes: practice a strict blitz clock plan — at move 10 aim to have at least 60% of your starting time remaining. If you fall below ~45 seconds, switch to "safe mode": make fast, sensible developing/solid moves rather than deep calculations.
- Decision priority under time pressure
- Example pattern: in sharp situations you spend the remaining clock on long captures/complications (capturing a pawn that creates a passed pawn is often attractive but costly in time). Prefer simpler, consolidating moves when <30s remain.
- Rule of thumb: when <20s, play the move that keeps your position intact and keeps the opponent uncomfortable — trade when equal material and simplify when ahead.
- Conversion vs simplification
- You frequently get a space/initiative edge — sometimes you continue to press tactically instead of simplifying into a won endgame. When ahead, look to trade pieces and remove counterplay (rooks off, active minor pieces exchanged) if it wins you an easy technical game with less calculation.
- Opening move-order sharpness
- You have strong scores in many systems, but in some lines (for example complex Trompowsky or offbeat sideline positions) you end up in messy pawn-structure battles where the clock becomes decisive. Tighten move orders in those sidelines or avoid them in blitz if they demand too much calculation.
Concrete drills and study plan (weekly)
- Tactics: 10–20 minutes/day on mixed puzzles (forks, pins, mating nets). Focus on quick pattern recognition — stop when you average <10s per easy tactic and 30s for harder ones.
- Blitz-specific clock drills: play 5+0 and 5+2 sessions but force yourself to finish with at least 20s on the clock three games in a row. Practice the "safe-mode" rule under 30s.
- Endgame basics: 15–20 rook endgame positions — Lucena, Philidor and simple pawn races. Convert training: when you have small advantages, practice converting with minimal tactics.
- Opening refinement: pick 2–3 main lines you score well with (for example your successful English/Caro-Kann/Pirc lines). Build a 6–8 move repertoire per side and memorize typical plans (pawn breaks, piece jumps).
- Post-game 5-minute post-mortems: after each session, review your worst time-trouble game and identify exactly where you should have simplified or made a faster decision.
Short tactical checklist for blitz
- Before moving, scan for immediate captures, checks, and threats (5 seconds max).
- If ahead in material: ask “Can I trade now?” If yes, trade pieces.
- If behind on time: prefer moves that keep king safe and avoid tactical skirmishes unless forced.
- Watch for back-rank weaknesses and knight forks — these appear often in your games where pieces cluster around the king.
Action plan — next 7 days
- 3 blitz sessions (20 games total): enforce the clock thresholds (move 10 with ≥50% time left).
- Daily tactics: 15 minutes focused on mates in 2–3 and forks/pins.
- One 30-minute endgame drill: 10 rook+pawn vs rook positions.
- Refine your top opening (pick one from your best-performing list — e.g., English Opening or Caro-Kann Defense) to 6 moves and learn 2 typical plans.
- After each session, tag 1 loss for a 5-minute post-mortem where you identify if time or a strategic error caused the result.
Example game to review
Replay the tactical finish vs lynus_kho to practice recognizing the forcing plan (queen sac → decisive knight fork/mate). Use this viewer and step through the last 10 moves:
Opponent: lynus_kho — Opening: Alekhines-Defense.
Final encouragement
Your rating trend and win rates show strong, sustained performance — you're improving and converting complex positions. Fixing the clock habits and applying a simple “simplify when ahead” rule in blitz will immediately raise your conversion rate. Small practice, big payoff.