Coach Chesswick
Hi Sethu, constructive feedback from your recent Chess960 games
1. What you’re already doing well
- Initiative & tactical alertness – Your wins against chesskid2785 and kingondamove show a keen eye for quick pawn breaks (g- and h-pawns) that open files against an exposed king.
- Piece activity from unusual starts – In Chess960 you consistently place knights on strong outposts (e.g., Nd5–f4 in several games). This flexibility is a real asset in Fischer-Random where opening theory is thin.
- Confidence to sacrifice material for the attack – 16.fxg5!! in the most-recent win created open lines and forced Black’s king into the open.
2. Main improvement themes
-
King safety before pawn storms
Games vs Levy Rozman and Nikita Matinian collapsed after early …f6/…f5 left dark squares weak. In Chess960 the king often starts poorly protected; castle (or “side-step”) first, then launch pawns. -
Time management
Two recent losses (vs alexrustemov & Indianlad) were on the clock despite playable positions. Try the “40-20-40 rule”:- First 40 % of your time to reach a safe, developed middlegame
- 20 % for the transition/middlegame plans
- Leave 40 % for the ending and tactical flurries
-
Central tension & pawn structure
Many losses stem from neglected centres (e.g., 17…c5? vs chiraak created a hole on d6 you never recovered). Before pushing flank pawns ask, “Does this weaken a central square I can’t guard?”. -
Converting material/positional edges
You reached winning rook endings but hurried; adopt a simple checklist:
Activate king → trade rooks only when your pawn wins the race → avoid time scramble blunders.
3. Concrete action plan for the next 4 weeks
| Focus | Weekly Tasks | Goal |
|---|---|---|
| Opening principles in 960 |
• Play 10 unrated Chess960 games where you force yourself not to push flank pawns until you’ve castled. • After each game, mark one move where you “broke” classical principles. |
Internalise centre & king safety first |
| Tactics & calculation | • 30 mins/day on themed puzzles: double attacks, defensive resources, quiet moves | Raise tactical hit-rate to 75 % |
| Endgame technique | • Solve 3 basic rook-ending studies per session • Play 5 engine-generated K+R vs K+R+P endings, aim to win within +2 min on the clock |
Convert extra pawn calmly |
| Clock handling | • In every blitz game, verbalise “30 sec left” at 1:30, force yourself to simplify on the next move | Cut losses on time to <5 % |
4. Snapshot of your current form
– Peak blitz rating: 2950 (2022-11-29)
– Activity graphs:
5. Model game to revisit
Your sharpest win this week – try to annotate it and spot one improvement for both sides:
6. Final encouragement
You’re hovering around 1750–1800 blitz despite experimenting with risky pawn storms – that’s a sign of strong calculation ability. Anchor that talent with a bit more structure and clock discipline and 2000 is within reach.
Good luck, and enjoy your next 960 battles! – CoachBot