Coach Chesswick
Hi SHREK_11234!
You are hovering around 2000 rapid (congrats on your current !), and the quality of your best games shows that you already understand typical middlegame plans and are tactically sharp. Below is a concise assessment drawn from your last dozen games, followed by an action-oriented study plan.
What you’re already doing well
- Active piece play as Black. Your King’s Indian win against nln-19 is a model of central counter-attack – the Nxd4 shot on move 9 punished White’s slow development.
- Converting extra material. In several wins you simplified confidently once you were up a piece or exchange.
- Flexible openings as White. You switch between the Alapin, c3-Sicilian, and Italian structures, which keeps opponents guessing.
Recurring problems that cost you points
- King safety in the Italian / Giuoco structures.
In four of your last five losses White’s queen landed on h5/h6 and forced mate or decisive material. Example critical moment:
You allowed h-pawns to fix your king in the corner and knights to hop into g6/f5. - Endgame conversion vs stubborn defence. Games vs bontor2407 and ahmadimadex show extra pawns slipping away after move 30 because of passive rook placement.
- Time spent in the opening. On average you used 20–25 % of the clock in the first 8 moves, yet still repeated familiar set-ups. This leaves little buffer for complex endings.
Three-week improvement sprint
| Focus | Daily drill (≈30 min) | Goalpost |
|---|---|---|
| Anti-Italian as Black |
• Watch 1 short video or chapter on Two Knights / Modern Bishop’s Opening. • Create a flash-card deck of 10 key positions. • Play 4…Bc5 5.c3 Nf6 6…Bb6 → 7…d5 lines vs bots/friends. |
Feel comfortable reaching an equal endgame by move 15 in sparring. |
| King-side dark-square safety |
• Solve 20 puzzles tagged “mating net / back-rank” on tactics trainer. • Review every loss where …h6 or …g6 was played before castling. |
No games lost to Qh5/Qh6 sacrifices during the week. |
| Technical rook endings |
• Work through Chapters 1-3 of “100 Endgames You Must Know”. • Practise Philidor & Lucena with tablebase drills until both sides feel automatic. |
Convert a pawn-up rook endgame vs 2000 bot five times in a row. |
Micro-tips you can apply next game
- After e4 e5 Nf3 Nc6 Bc4 Bc5, play …h6 only after you solve development; otherwise keep the pawn on h7 to deny White’s knight outposts.
- When ahead in pawns, trade only one pair of rooks; the second rook stays active behind your passer. Avoid the “double-rooks-off” scenario that led to stalemated structures.
- Adopt a simple time rule: ≥ 7:30 on your clock by move 10; hit the 5-minute mark no earlier than move 25.
Visual trackers
You’ll notice quick feedback in your stats pages:
Keep the momentum!
You’re already playing at an impressive level. Tightening king safety and polishing a single solid anti-Italian line will likely push you into the next rating bracket. Message me anytime you want deeper analysis of a specific game.