Coach Chesswick
Quick summary
Nice run — your rating trend is clearly upward and your opening win rates are excellent (especially Closed Sicilian and similar lines). Recent games show you win both by outplaying opponents and by practical clock pressure. At the same time, the losses share recurring tactical/king-safety themes you can eliminate quickly with focused practice.
What you’re doing well
- Strong opening preparation and practical play in the Closed Sicilian family — you get comfortable positions and a high win rate there.
- You create concrete attacking chances: pawn storms and piece activity often generate passed pawns or decisive material gains (see the game where you promoted on h8 and raced to a win).
- Good time-pressure technique — you convert wins on the clock when a complex endgame or mutual promotion race occurs (practical skill that matters a lot in bullet).
- Tactical alertness: you spot forks, captures and direct mating nets quickly in many games.
Recurring problems to fix (patterns from recent games)
- King safety after early f-pawn advances. Several losses come after advancing f-pawn too early (f3/f4) and letting the opponent open lines against your king — count the checks and potential discovered attacks before committing.
- Allowing tactical shots on the back rank or via diagonal checks. Opponents exploited open diagonals and lateral checks (queens + rooks). Make a quick “any checks/captures/threats?” mental checklist before each move.
- Getting low on time in complicated moments. Even with great flagging, sub-5 second positions lead to avoidable blunders. Preserve a safety buffer (10–12s) for tactical moments.
- Premature simplification or trading into positions where your king is exposed — don’t trade when it helps the opponent’s attack unfold.
Concrete improvements & drills (what to practice this week)
- King-safety checklist drill (5 minutes daily): before every move ask — “Are there immediate checks? Can any pawn push open a line to my king?” Practice this on 20 blitz games, deliberately forcing yourself to pause 1 extra second before risky pawn moves.
- Tactics bursts: 10–15 tactical puzzles focused on pins, forks and back-rank mates (3 sets/day). Prioritize mating-net patterns and queen/rook forks — those appear in your losses.
- Endgame race practice: queen vs queen + pawns promotion races and opposite promotion races. Run 10 training positions where both sides can promote — practice counting tempo and pawn races. This will reduce reliance on flagging as the only path to victory.
- Time management habit: in bullet sessions try a small rule — never allow your clock to fall below 6–8 seconds unless the position is trivial. Practise 3-minute games with the same rule to internalize it.
- Post-game triage: after each loss, find the single turning move (engine or quick human review). If it’s a tactic you missed, tag that motif and do 5 puzzles of that motif immediately.
Opening-specific notes
- Closed Sicilian: you play this well — keep current plans (gaining kingside activity and a pawn break). Add one “safety” rule: when you push f3/f4, ensure a defender or escape square for the king (or delay the push until minor pieces are developed).
- If you face opponents who counter by opening the center early, be ready to trade into an endgame where your active rooks and passed pawns dominate rather than keeping a closed attacking structure.
- Use the openings where your WinRate is high (Scandinavian / Barnes / Caro-Kann) as practical weapons — your stats show you score well there; keep the move orders simple and reduce unnecessary complexity in bullet.
Short checklist for your next 10 bullet games
- Before committing f-pawn: check for enemy checks, discovered attacks and open diagonals.
- Count opponent's checks after every pawn break (1–2 seconds max).
- Keep >8 seconds for every unclear position (pre-move less in sharp lines).
- When ahead: simplify only if your king is safe; when behind: seek complications or perpetual tactics, not risky pawn storms toward your own king.
Example critical moment (study this line)
Review this tactical collapse from a recent loss: after a central trade and a knight jump, the sequence of checks and queen infiltration finished the game quickly. Load the line and practice the “what if I’m checked here?” responses.
Next steps & resources
- Play 30–50 rapid (5|1 or 10|0) games focusing on the new checklist — speed helps but slower controls let you build the habit.
- Daily: 15 minutes tactics, 10 minutes endgame/pawn-race practice, 10 minutes reviewing 1 loss with engine to find the turning point.
- If you want, I can generate a personalized 2‑week training plan that fits your daily schedule and targets the exact motifs from your recent losses.
References from your recent games
- Game where you won on time after mutual promotions: heliuspower vs Aditya Kunal Patil. (Study: pawn racing technique and keeping composure.)
- Loss vs Kush Bhagat: tactical queen infiltrations and mating nets — review the line above and drill mating nets.