Coach Chesswick
Quick summary
Nice session — you show strong opening knowledge, quick tactical awareness and a big rating climb over the last 6 months. Your recent win was tidy: fast development, central control and clean simplification. Your recent loss(s) show the recurring weak spot: time management (flagging) in long, complicated endgames. Below are focused, practical steps to keep the momentum and stop giving points away on the clock.
What you're doing well
- Opening preparation: you consistently reach playable middlegames and often convert early advantages — your performance in lines like the Caro-Kann Exchange and several gambits is strong.
- Fast development and central play: in your win you castled quickly, controlled the center and exchanged into a comfortable position.
- Calculation and tactics: you win lots of short tactical fights — your Strength Adjusted Win Rate > 0.52 confirms practical strength versus similarly-rated opponents.
- Momentum & growth: your 6‑month change and slope are excellent — you’ve improved a lot recently. Keep the training habits that produced that jump.
Main areas to improve
- Time management / Flagging: several recent losses were time-related. In 1|0 games a single second decision can lose you a won position.
- Endgame technique under pressure: convert simple winning endgames while low on clock — basic king + pawn and rook endgame technique will pay immediate dividends.
- Premove and practical choices: avoid risky, long thought processes when your clock is low; use premoves only in forced recaptures or when you are absolutely sure.
- Opening blind spots: your Scandinavian and Dőry Defense results are weak — either avoid those lines in fast games or study one or two reliable responses so you don’t enter unclear territory under time pressure.
Game-specific notes
Win vs Edward Lu — what you did right:
- You developed quickly, castled and used pawn exchanges to simplify into a favorable structure.
- Good sense of when to trade pieces — simplified to a position your pieces handled well.
See the game:
- Replay the sequence:
Loss vs itemnik — recurring issues:
- The game reached a long endgame where you had active chances but lost on time. That’s a classic Flagging problem — you had winning ideas but not enough clock management to convert.
- When the position becomes technical, switch to "practical mode": reduce calculation depth, play straightforward improving moves, and avoid getting into long-forcing lines when short on time.
- Replay the full game to identify the turning point and note where you spent the most time.
- Replay here:
Concrete drills & weekly plan (actionable)
- Daily (15–25 minutes)
- 10–15 minutes tactics (fast puzzle rush, focus on pattern recognition: forks, pins, skewers).
- 5–10 minutes of 1 or 2 endgame positions (king + pawn, rook vs pawn, basic opposition). Train playing them both sides until you convert/hold reliably.
- 3× per week (30–45 minutes)
- One rapid (10+0 or 15|10) game — force yourself to practice the same opening choices but with more time, and then do a short post‑mortem (5–10 minutes) after the game.
- Review one flagged loss: find the moment when you spent the most time and write 2 alternative routes you could have chosen under time pressure.
- Weekly (60 minutes)
- Study one opening you use often (e.g., strengthen the Caro-Kann Exchange and shore up Scandinavian lines that show weaker results).
Practical clock tips for 1|0 / 1-minute games
- Allocate time mentally: spend a little extra on the first 8–12 moves (opening) so you reach a familiar middlegame with a few seconds to think.
- Use premoves only when you are sure of the reply (forced recapture or single legal move). Don’t premove in complicated positions.
- When ahead on material, simplify: trade pieces to reduce blunders and speed up winning moves.
- If you have <1 minute left and the opponent has time, switch to safe, improving moves instead of hunting for tactics.
Immediate next steps (this session)
- Do a 10–minute tactics set right now; target 80%+ accuracy.
- Replay the flagged loss vs itemnik and mark the 3 moments you spent the most time on — pick one alternative 'practical' move for each.
- Play two 10+0 games focusing only on time management: get to move 20 with 30+ seconds on your clock.
Longer-term study suggestions
- Endgames: study Lucena/Rook vs Pawn basics, king + pawn opposition, and elementary promotion races. These give immediate rating gains in rapid and blitz.
- Openings: keep the lines that give you high win rates, but plug leaks in weak lines (Scandinavian, Dőry).
- Post-mortems: after each 1|0 loss, spend 5 minutes to note why the game was lost (tactic, time, blunder). Over time this pattern-tracking stops repeat mistakes.
Small checklist to keep on your phone (copy this)
- Before game: take 2 deep breaths, remember opening plan, set target to reach move 12 with ≥20s.
- At move 12: assess material and time. If ahead, trade. If equal, play safe. If behind, complicate but watch the clock.
- If ≤10s: only premove obvious captures or forced replies; avoid speculative moves.
Confidence & closing
You’ve made huge gains already — the next wins come from cleaning up time control habits and a few targeted endgame drills. Follow the short drills above for two weeks and watch your flagged losses drop. If you want, I can create a 2‑week micro plan tailored to your schedule and the openings you play most.
Want that plan? Say “Yes — 2‑week plan” and tell me how many minutes per day you can commit.