Coach Chesswick
Feedback for Papullon
What you already do well
- Dynamic open-line play. In several wins you willingly push pawns (e.g. h4, g4, a4) to seize space and create hooks. When combined with quick piece activity this often catches opponents off guard.
- Practical decision-making under time pressure. A large portion of your victories come from inducing clock trouble, then keeping the position complicated enough that the opponent burns time.
- Versatile opening repertoire. With White you alternate between Trompowsky-style (1.d4 Bg5) and more classical queen-pawn structures; with Black you handle the Sicilian, Caro-Kann structures and various Indian setups. This flexibility keeps you unpredictable.
- Tactical alertness. Games vs larbiben and pranavbobbysekhar show you spotting tactics such as 21.Bxd5! or the …Qe3+/Qf4 double attack sequence.
Most common trouble-spots
- King safety after flank pawn pushes. In the Chess960 loss to annacramling your early g- and h-pawns advanced but your king remained in the centre, allowing Qg7/ Qe5+ motifs. Similar stories appear in the Trompowsky loss to pragni.
- Converting material advantages. You sometimes win material but allow counterplay (e.g. the rapid loss after 32…Qg4? led to rook activity against your king). Technique work will convert more of those leads.
- Light-square weaknesses in Queen’s-pawn openings. Many structures with …e6/…c6 leave the c- and e-diagonals soft. Opponents have landed pieces on e5/c5 or queens on h5. A touch more prophylaxis will help.
- Time management when worse. In several defeats you kept equal clock time while defending, then flagged or blundered in the last minute. When the position is worse, keep extra time in reserve for the critical defence.
Targeted improvement plan
- Opening clean-up.
- Against 1.e4 as Black, decide on one main reply (your current mix of …c5, …c6 and …g6 positions can dilute prep).
- With White, keep the aggressive h-pawn plans, but rehearse the safest king routes (e.g. castle long before h4-h5 in Trompowsky).
- Middlegame structure drills. Pick a weekly theme (isolated pawn, hanging pawns, Benoni structures) and play 10-15 themed positions vs. engine to deepen pattern recognition.
- Endgame conversion. Work through 30 basic rook-and-pawn technical positions (e.g. Lucena, Philidor, 4-vs-3 same-side). Good endgame confidence lets you exchange into winning positions earlier.
- Clock discipline. Try the “40-30-20” rule in 10-minute games: aim to have ≥6:00 by move 20 and ≥3:00 by move 30. If lower, simplify (trade queens, force repetition) sooner.
Illustrative snippets
1) Successful central break – your win vs. larbiben (moves 18-24):
You follow the principle of meeting …f5 with d4-d5 and immediately seize the initiative.
2) King left in the centre – loss vs. annacramling (Chess960, moves 7-15):
Notice how every tempi spent on pawn grabs allowed White’s queen to infiltrate while your king stayed on c7. Aim to castle or tuck the king behind pawns before opening extra files.
Progress tracker
Your personal bests so far:
- 2407 (2020-05-21)
- 2414 (2020-05-23)
Keep an eye on when and how you score best:
Next steps (1 month)
- Play 20 rapid (10 + 2) games focusing on king safety; annotate two losses each week.
- Solve 50 endgame studies (rook & pawn) and revise the ones you miss.
- Review three GM games in the Trompowsky to refine your move-order knowledge.
- Track adherence to the “40-30-20” clock rule and note any correlation with results.
Stay sharp, keep learning, and enjoy the process — you’re already on a strong trajectory. Good luck in your next tournaments!