Coach Chesswick
Overview of your blitz performance trends
Blitz results show a mix of fluctuations. Short-term figures hint at ups and downs, while a few longer windows point to improvement. The data suggests you’re capable of sharp, tactical play, but you benefit from a steadier routine to avoid time pressure and costly mistakes in the late middlegame and endgame.
- One-month change: your rating dropped by about 127 points, which often points to time trouble or a few costly oversights in quick games.
- Three-month change: a gain of about 457 points indicates meaningful improvement in decision quality and consistency across several events.
- Six-month change: a small gain of about 27 points, signaling periods of stability with occasional slips.
- 12-month change: a slight decline, suggesting the need for a more stable, repeatable process over the year.
What you’re doing well
- You handle sharp, tactical moments well when the position invites tactics, and you can create chances that surprise opponents.
- Your opening choices tend to lead to balanced middlegames with workable plans, helping you avoid early collapses.
- You show resilience in complex positions and can press for opportunities even when the board gets crowded.
Key areas to improve
- Time management in blitz: the one-month decline suggests you sometimes rush decisions. Focus on a simple opening routine and safe, principled moves in the first 6–8 moves to buy time for the critical middlegame.
- Decision quality under pressure: adopt a quick 3-step check before committing to a tactic—evaluate king safety, pawn structure, and two candidate plans.
- Endgame conversion: practice common endgames where you have a material edge to improve your ability to convert advantages into wins in blitz.
- Consistency: avoid riskier pawn breaks or speculative lines when the position is unclear. Build a solid, gradually pressing plan and stick to it when time is tight.
Opening performance and plan
Several openings show solid results in your blitz play. To reduce thinking time and keep you in control, consider focusing on a core 2–3 openings and a reliable secondary line you can switch to when an opponent deviates.
- Solid options to build around include resilient defences that lead to balanced middlegames (e.g., Czech Defense or Scandinavian Defense). These often reduce the risk of early mistakes in blitz.
- London System variations can provide practical chances if you keep a clear plan and avoid overextending pieces in the middlegame.
- Maintain flexibility: have one tactical line for dynamic play and one more solid line for heavier time pressure, so you can adapt quickly to opponents’ setups.
Practice plan for the next 2 weeks
- Daily quick tactics: 15–20 minutes of focused tactics to improve pattern recognition and reduce blunders in fast games.
- Blitz drills: two short blitz sessions (3+2 or 5+0) per week to rehearse time management and decision making under pressure.
- Post-game reviews: after each blitz game, note your two most frequent mistakes and write down safer alternatives you could have played.
- Endgame focus: weekly drills on common king-and-pawn endings and rook endings to improve conversion in late-game scenarios.
Progress tracking tips
Keep a simple log of the two most common blunders you encounter and how you fixed them. Track time usage per game and set a goal to improve your average remaining time in the final phase of games.