Coach Chesswick
Hi Samyoz, here’s some personalised feedback to help you climb past the 400-rating mark and beyond!
1. Build on your strengths
- Tactical vision: Your win against joliehai (…Qxf2+ followed by …Nxc3#) shows you spot mating nets quickly. Keep sharpening this skill with 10-minute daily puzzle rush sessions.
- Active piece play: In several King’s Gambit wins you seized open files with rooks (e.g. 20.Rxf4!!). Actively placed rooks are a huge asset—great habit, keep it up.
2. Key recurring issues to fix next
- Late king safety
• Five of your last six losses happened with the king stuck in the centre or marching up the board.
• Training task: Castle by move 10 in your next 20 games unless a concrete tactic prevents it. - Over-extension of the f-pawn
• Moves like 3…f6 in the King’s Gambit Declined and 2…f5 in the Latvian Gambit leave dark-square holes around your king.
• Replace 2…f5 with a sound line such as the Scotch Gambit as White and the Italian Two Knights as Black. You’ll still get attacking chances without weakening yourself. - Early queen adventures
• Games against kassimboxing and givemeruk collapsed after Qh5/Qe2 hops invited tempi-gaining piece attacks.
• Guideline: Move the queen only after your minor pieces are out, or when it wins material outright. - Calculating opponent threats
• In your most recent loss (chizl42), 34…Qf1# was a one-move mate you could have stopped with 34.Rxf1.
• Add the “Blunder-check”: before you play a move, ask “What can my opponent do next move?” for seven seconds.
3. Opening blueprint (next 30 games)
White: Try the Italian Game (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4) instead of the King’s Gambit for a while. You’ll practise rapid development and castling.
Black vs 1.e4: Test the Scandinavian (1.e4 d5) or the French (1.e4 e6). Both avoid the early-f-pawn temptation and teach solid pawn structures.
Black vs 1.d4: Keep the Queen’s Gambit Declined setup you used versus joliehai. Focus on quick …Nf6 …e6 …d5 and safe king.
4. Study nuggets
- Review the miniature below. Note how quick development & central control convert the extra pawn into a mating attack:
- Search “Legall’s Mate” and “Scholar’s Mate trap” to understand why early queen moves succeed or fail. (Use the built-in explorer so you stay on-site.)
- Endgame basics: Practise king + rook vs king checkmate until you can finish it in under 30 seconds.
5. Progress tracker
Peak rapid rating: 654 (2022-05-31)
Monitor when you play best:
6. 10-game action plan
- Play the suggested openings and castle by move 10.
- After every game, note one move you’re proud of and one you’d take back.
- Spend 15 minutes solving three tactics rated 400-600.
- Message me or another coach with any positions you find puzzling.
Stick with the plan for two weeks and your board vision—and rating—should climb fast. Have fun and keep attacking wisely!