Coach Chesswick
Quick summary
Pierluigi — solid session. Your recent blitz shows strong tactical vision and consistent opening choices, and your rating trend is clearly upward. Main opportunities: cleaner clock management and simpler technical finishes when ahead.
What you’re doing well
- Spotting tactics and active continuations — you convert combinations and create threats (example vs %3Ceecs281%3E).
- Reliable repertoire in the Kan, Closed Sicilians and Nimzo-Larsen — these give you playable middlegames.
- Good end-to-end sessions: several wins by resignation or checkmate show you can press and finish.
Main areas to improve
- Time management: avoid long think periods in non-critical positions — several games ended by time issues.
- Finish simply: when up material, trade into straightforward endgames instead of keeping unnecessary complications.
- Patch the Alapin lines — your WinRate there is lower; either learn a safe plan or sidestep in blitz.
- Reduce tactical slips in the final minute by switching to “practical mode” under 30 seconds.
Concrete weekly plan
- Daily 20 minutes tactics (pattern drills: forks, pins, back-rank, knights/pawns forks).
- Two 20-game blocks of 3|0 with explicit clock goals — aim to keep >1:20 on the clock after move 10.
- Twice-weekly 15-minute endgame practice: rook+pawn vs rook, basic king+pawn conversions.
- One opening session: shore up one weak line (Alapin), or prepare a 6–8 move “blitz-safe” alternative.
- Weekly review: annotate 3 games (one win, one loss, one time-loss) and note the critical clock/move decisions.
In-game practical tips
- Play your opening book quickly to save time for the middlegame.
- If up material: trade pieces (not pawns) and simplify — simpler equals fewer calculation errors under time pressure.
- If under 30s: avoid long-forcing lines; play safe candidate moves that maintain practical chances.
- Use pre-moves only for forced recaptures or obvious replies, not in sharp positions.
Game spotlight (cleaned PGN viewer)
Replay the tactical sequence from your win vs %3Ceecs281%3E. Notice how exchanges improved your piece activity and how you used the queen and rooks to force the opponent into passive play before the final push.
Small checklist to use during play
- After each opponent move: 5–8s scan for hanging pieces and single-move tactics.
- If you’re ahead: ask “Can I trade pieces to simplify?” If yes, trade.
- Clock <30s: switch to practical moves that avoid long forced calculations.
- End session by reviewing any time-loss game first — those reveal repeatable faults.
Next steps — pick one
- I can annotate 3 recent games (win/loss/time-loss) and highlight exact moments to simplify and save time.
- I can build a 6–8 move “blitz-safe” cheat sheet for one opening (your choice).
- I can create a 2-week blitz plan (30–60 min/day) focused on tactics, time control, and endgames.
Closing
Nice progress overall — keep the tactical drills and make a conscious effort to convert simply when ahead. Tell me which next step you want and I’ll prepare it.