Coach Chesswick
Hi Jernej, here is some targeted feedback based on your recent Blitz games.
1. What you already do very well
- Dynamic pawn storms: The h-g pawn rush you used against Derek Wu and GMJustin5 shows great intuition for creating practical problems.
- Tactical conversion: When the initiative is yours, you regularly finish with forcing sequences (e.g. 26…Nxe3!! in your last win). Keep sharpening this weapon.
- Opening range: A healthy mix of Benko, King’s Indian, Chigorin setups and White sidelines keeps opponents guessing—an asset in 3 + 1 Blitz.
- Peak performance: 2861 (2019-10-07) reflects solid GM-level potential in short time controls.
2. Recurrent pain points
- Time pressure collapses: Four of the five sampled losses were decided by the clock or in bullet-like scrambles. You often enter move 25 with <20 s.
- Over-extension when the attack fizzles: In the loss to KVAIDAN (Bird’s Opening) 11…f6?! & 15…f5? left dark-square holes and no king safety.
- Technical endgames: The marathon loss to babbilator featured missed drawing chances in a R+P ending and passive king placement.
- Piece coordination vs. offbeat lines: Early Rh3/h3 ideas or Qa4+ in English positions sometimes catch you without a clear plan, costing tempi.
3. Opening micro-fixes
- Against Bird’s 1 f4:
After 8.Ne5 Qc7 9.Rf3 Nb4 10.Be2 Nd7?! consider the thematic 10…d4! (central break while the rook is misplaced) or a direct …c4 clamp. - Benko Accepted:
Your 18…Nxb2!? line is sharp but leaves the queen offside. Scan the model game Topalov-Kasparov 1999 for smoother piece activation. - White vs. KID:
Great feel for the Samisch with h4–g4, but add a slower plan against …c5 structures: reroute Nb1-d2-c4 first, then expand.
4. Time-management drill (3 + 1)
| Phase | Target time bank | Focus |
|---|---|---|
| Moves 1-10 | >2 : 10 | Play booked lines instantly. |
| Moves 11-20 | >1 : 10 | Spend time on first critical decision; avoid deep think on obvious recaptures. |
| Moves 21-30 | >0 : 25 | Simplify if winning; otherwise activate king/rooks early to pre-empt scrambles. |
5. Endgame tune-up
Weekly menu (30 min each):
- 3 x theoretical rook endgames (focus on side pawn + wrong rook corner, Lucena & bridge-building).
- 3 x practical exercises: convert an extra pawn vs engine set to 3000 in 60 s.
- Self-annotate any game that reaches move 35—note king activity and pawn lever opportunities.
6. Illustrative moment
Critical slip vs KVAIDAN:
Instead, 11…Rae8! keeps the rook on h8 to guard h7, and Black can later hit the center with …e5.
7. Tracking your progress
Keep an eye on performance trends:
8. Next steps
- Drill the suggested endgames and time-management routine for two weeks.
- Prepare anti-Bird and Benko refinement lines; test in ten training games.
- Review each loss where you were under 15 s before move 25; log what consumed the time.
Stay ambitious and keep enjoying the fight over the board!