Coach Chesswick
Quick summary
Great run — big rating jump and a very high strength‑adjusted win rate. Your play is aggressive, tactically alert and you convert advantages cleanly. Main area to fix: time management in long, complicated endgames and one recurring opening line (a Ruy Lopez game where things went wrong).
What you did well (concrete examples)
- Sharp, decisive tactics: in your most recent win you grabbed central material early and used a knight to land on e6 to create tactical pressure that led to piece trades and a mating net. Good sense for when to simplify into a winning endgame.
- Active piece play — you consistently put rooks and queen behind passed pawns or on open files, and you punish passive opponents quickly.
- Opening variety and success: your database shows many different openings with strong results (100% in most lines you’ve tried). That flexibility helps you keep opponents uncomfortable.
- Finishing instincts: several opponents resigned rather than face your mating threats or passed pawns, so your endgame conversion is effective when you get a clear material or positional edge.
Want to replay the game above? Open the move viewer below:
Repeated weaknesses to fix
- Time trouble / flag risk — your one loss was "won on time" for the opponent. You get into severe time pressure in several games (the clocks dip into single‑digit seconds). With 10|0 games you must redistribute thinking time: decide which moves merit deep thought and which you should play by feel.
- Endgame technique under the clock — some late games (promotions and passed pawn races) become chaotic and you run out of time to find the precise defense. Practicing basic queen/rook + pawn versus queen/rook endings will pay off.
- Ruy Lopez line — your only opening loss came in the Ruy Lopez (Morphy/Tartakower family). If you plan to keep facing that, review typical pawn breaks and piece trades in that line so you don’t get surprised by pawn storms and passed pawns.
For reference: check the opponent from that loss here: Bernardo Morand.
Concrete drills (30–60 minute sessions)
- Tactics: 30 minutes daily of mixed tactical puzzles — focus on forks, pins and knight tactics (you win a lot by forks/knight jumps). Aim for accuracy over speed, then repeat as a timed set to simulate pressure.
- Endgames: 3 × 15 minutes per week: king and pawn vs king (opposition, promotion races), basic rook endgames and queen vs queen+pawn drill. Practice them with a clock — play both sides.
- Opening review: 20 minutes twice a week on the Ruy Lopez lines you faced — learn 2–3 typical motifs (where the pawn breaks happen, typical knight outposts). Use the term link for study: Ruy Lopez.
- Speed training: once or twice a week play a 10|0 or 5|0 where you purposely limit thinking in familiar positions to build faster move selection under no increment.
Practical tips to use immediately
- Early clock management: use the first 10–12 moves to get your pieces out but keep your think time under 1 minute total. Save most of your time for the middle/endgame complexities.
- When ahead simplify selectively: if you have a material edge, swap down to reduce tactical risk — you already do this well; be more ruthless about removing counterplay when your clock is low.
- When defending in long pawn races, stop calculating long forcing lines if you’re low on time. Look for safe moves that reduce opponent’s checks/promotions and flag risk, then increase calculation on the next move.
- Make a short opening cheat‑sheet: 6–8 key positions per opening you play. If a game deviates early, switch to general principles (king safety, piece activity) rather than memorized moves.
Opening notes & study plan
- Keep the diversity — your Openings Performance is excellent across many systems. That variety is a strength because opponents can't prepare a single target.
- Prioritize the Ruy Lopez line (the one loss) for a two‑week study: watch one annotated master game per day in that variation and memorize the key pawn breaks and where the minor pieces belong. Use the term for study reference: Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense, Tartakower Variation.
- If you like gambit play (you have several aggressive wins), keep practicing the themes — they fit your tactical style — but pair them with a clear plan for the transition to the endgame when material is equalized.
Weekly plan (example)
- Mon/Wed/Fri — 30 min tactics + 15 min endgame (set a small time budget so you practice under the clock).
- Tue/Thu — 30–45 min opening study (focus Ruy Lopez this cycle) + 10|0 practice game.
- Sat — play 4–6 rapid games; review 1 loss and 1 win in detail (15–20 minutes each).
- Sun — rest or light puzzle session to keep your tactical feel fresh.
Next steps (short checklist)
- Start a 2‑week Ruy Lopez micro‑study (10–20 minutes/day).
- Set a timer in one practice session per day to force faster opening play (save 6–8 minutes for the endgame).
- Do a 15‑minute endgame drill twice this week (rook + pawn vs rook, queen vs queen + pawn scenarios).
- Review the embedded win above and note the exact moment you decided to simplify — try to identify the same trigger in future games.
Motivation & outlook
Your rating trend and 1/3/6 month slopes are huge and consistent — you're improving fast. Keep the training focused on time control and endgames and you'll convert more of these strong positions into rating gains. Nice work — you're playing like a confident attacker. Keep at it.