Coach Chesswick
Hi Hrant, here’s your personalised performance review
What you’re already doing very well
- Dynamic piece play. Several of your recent wins (e.g. against Isin Ijarin and agm99999) show a willingness to sacrifice material to seize the initiative. This is a core strength—keep nurturing it.
- Practical tactics under time pressure. Even in bullet-style endings you often spot the decisive tactic before your opponent (see move 31…Rf8–f1+ in the 60-second win below).
- Opening variety. You switch comfortably between 1.Nf3, 1.d4 and 1.e4. That flexibility makes you difficult to prepare for.
Biggest improvement levers
- Clock management. Two of your last four losses were on time in balanced positions. Try the “40/20 rule”: aim to have ≥40 % of your time left after 20 moves. A quick self-check every five moves helps.
- End-game conversion. In the loss to Chessontrack you reached an equal rook ending but drifted and flagged. Set up similar R+P vs R endings against the engine and practise finishing with ≤30 seconds.
- Prophylaxis. Several setbacks (e.g. 25…Nf4+!! by Nadtkins) came from missing your opponent’s threats. Add a “What can they do to me?” scan before every move, especially when your king is exposed.
- Structured repertoire. Your openings are creative but sometimes improvisational (early …Ng8–h8–g6 in the King’s Indian, 1…g5 vs Reti). Consider anchoring each colour with one mainline you know deeply, then sprinkle in surprises.
Quick actions for the next two weeks
- Play three 15 | 10 games and annotate them before the engine. Focus on missed quiet moves that improve king safety.
- Solve 20 end-game studies (R & pawn themes, Lucena/Philidor). Start with the Lucena position until you can win it in ≤15 seconds.
- Build a 15-move “memory palace” for your preferred Black defence to 1.d4 (your current mix of Queen’s Gambit Declined and Nimzo-Indian ideas is promising—codify it).
Recent performance at a glance
Peak Blitz rating: 2680 (2018-03-28)
When you win most often:
Best days of the week:
Model game to revisit
Re-play the tactical slug-fest where you uncorked 21.Rf8#—it’s a great template for converting an initiative into mate:
Final encouragement
You’re already playing at an impressive level. Sharpen the three areas above and breaking the next rating barrier will be a matter of when, not if. Enjoy the grind and good luck at the board!