Coach Chesswick
Hi Eyal, great to see your recent games!
Snapshot
- Current time-control focus: 3-minute blitz.
- Your best blitz rating so far: 2653 (2018-12-23).
- Playing volume & mood: see and to notice when your performance peaks.
Your strengths
- Sharp tactical eye: In your Vienna Defence win versus Toligor you converted after 7…Rxh4! and 11…Nxc2!, seizing every tempo-gaining capture.
- Flexible piece play: You switch smoothly between King’s Indian, Pirc-type pawn structures and English/Réti setups, keeping opponents guessing.
- Practical mindset in complications: You tend to choose forcing continuations that put the clock pressure on the opponent—very useful in fast time controls.
Biggest improvement themes
- King safety after pawn thrusts.
In several losses (e.g. vs arceusisthebest and pingpong2k) the sequence …b5-b4 or h-pawn storms created lasting dark-square holes around your king. Develop before you launch flank pawns and keep a minor piece near the castle. - Conversion in favourable positions.
Against fermatslastblunder you were a pawn up but drifted and resigned once the rook invaded. Add 10 minutes of end-game drill to each study session (rook vs pawn endings, opposite-coloured bishops). It will pay dividends. - Clock management.
Two defeats were on the clock or with <5 seconds while still equal on the board. Try the “10-second rule”: if you haven’t moved for 10 seconds in blitz, play the most forcing move available—even a small inaccuracy beats a timeout. - Forcing sequences & calculation depth.
Versus Jpablit you overlooked 28…Be4+!—a classic zwischenzug. Daily puzzle rush or one game of 5+5 where you verbally calculate lines will sharpen this skill.
Opening guide (next 2 weeks)
- With White: Your Réti/English positions are solid, but sometimes the early b-pawn push costs time. Mix in 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 to learn classical queen’s-pawn structures and reduce early pawn commitments.
- With Black: Instead of the risky 1…a6/…b5 systems, test a reliable setup:
1.e4 e5 → 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 (you showed comfort here)
1.d4 → …d5 and meet c4 with …e6 heading for an improved Queen’s Gambit Declined you can memorise in an evening. - Add one new mini-line each study day; annotate your blitz games afterwards to see if you followed the plan.
Illustrative moment
A single tactic decided your loss to Jpablit. Play through moves 22-31—can you spot Black’s winning idea sooner?
Action plan
- Daily: 20 tactical puzzles + 10 min end-game drill.
- Every other day: Review one of your own blitz games without an engine for 15 min, then with an engine for 5 min to confirm.
- Weekly: Play two 15+10 games focusing on opening discipline; annotate them fully.
- Track progress using the charts above and aim for a 5 % increase in win-rate during your best performing hour.
Keep the energy and creativity, Eyal, and blend it with a little more structure—your next rating jump is around the corner. Enjoy the journey!