Coach Chesswick
Hi Elliot!
Great job maintaining an elite rating and an impressive win-rate. Your recent games show a sharp tactical eye and a willingness to play for the initiative. Below is a mix of praise and practical advice to help you squeeze out the next few Elo points.
What you are already doing well
- Fast tactical calculations. In the miniature below you spotted the thematic Nb6+ and delivered mate with only 57 seconds spent.
- Opening variety. You are comfortable with both 1.e4 (Italian, Ruy) and 1…d5/…g6 setups as Black, which keeps opponents guessing.
- Time management in winning games. Most victories end with >1 minute left; that leaves a safety buffer in case complications arise.
Recurring issues vs 2700+ opposition
- Early pawn looseness (…f6, …b5, …g5). Several losses start with pawn pushes that create long-term holes around your king. Against lower-rated players you get away with it, but stronger opponents punish the weaknesses (e.g. WhiteLotus1923 & EddieMarsalla). Before advancing a wing pawn ask: “Am I weakening dark squares? Can I castle first?”
- Premature queen excursions. Moves such as
…Qb6in the Grunfeld loss or…Qe8/Qe7in the London-system game reached unsafe squares and cost tempo. Consider the principle of develop minor pieces before the queen. - Converting extra material in technical positions. One loss was simply on time in a winning rook endgame. Work on a quick end-game “algorithm” (activate king → create passer → cut king, etc.) to finish games faster.
Action plan
- King-safety audit. After every pawn move in the first 15 moves, force yourself to verbalise which squares were weakened and how you’ll cover them. This habit alone will remove many of the losses above.
- Structured opening review. Pick your Top 3 most frequent openings with Black, run them through an engine, and create a one-page “tabiya map” with critical branches and the best-engine line. Repeat weekly.
- End-game speed drills. Spend 10 minutes a day on table-base positions with 30-second timers. Focus on “rook + two pawns vs rook” and “opposite-colored bishops” which appear frequently in your longer blitz games.
- In-game trigger for prophylaxis. Whenever your opponent’s piece crosses the half-way mark, pause and look for a zwischenzug or quiet move instead of launching another tactic.
Suggested study resources
- Short & sweet Rook Endgame Essentials video series (15 min per session).
- 30 puzzles/day filtered for “king safety” motifs.
- Annotate one of your own losses each week before consulting an engine; compare notes afterwards.
Helpful stats & visuals
Peak rating: 2905 (2024-11-05)
Performance by hour:
Win rate by day:
Keep up the great work, Elliot, and let me know how the training plan feels after a couple of weeks!