Coach Chesswick
Hi Michel, here is your tailored feedback!
What you’re already doing well
- Initiative-seeking play: Whether with 1.d4 2.e3 setups or the aggressive Italian, you frequently seize space and try to keep your pieces active. This pro-activity is a great habit.
- Tactical alertness: Your wins often feature clean combinations such as 20.Rxf6!! (vs. BuddhaMonk777) or 24.Qxa8 (vs. Ungerecht41). Spotting these ideas shows good calculation skills.
- Practical opening repertoire: Sticking to systems you know (Stonewall-style with White, …d5/…Nc6 setups with Black) gives you comfortable middlegames against peers in the 500-600 rapid range.
Key areas to improve
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King safety & pawn pushes.
Games vs. 0x117 and pablhino6 show early pawn storms (h-pawn, f-pawn) without completing development. Your king was still in the centre or weakened by pawn gaps.
Action plan:- Make castling an early priority—ideally by move 7-8 unless there’s a concrete tactic.
- Limit pawn moves in front of your king to one per five piece moves until you’re fully developed.
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Over-extension in the centre.
In several losses the pushd5(as White) or …e5(as Black) left loose squares behind. Opponents jumped in with knights (e.g. …Nd4 vs. your Italian).
Action plan:- Before advancing a centre pawn, tick three boxes: piece development, king safety, opponent threats.
- Study the concept of the outpost and learn when to prevent it.
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Endgame & clock management.
Two recent defeats came from flagging in won or equal endgames, and another from missing a simple win with extra material.
Action plan:- Adopt a 15-second “scan” rule every move: check clock, king safety, unguarded pieces.
- Practise basic endings (K+P vs K, rook endings) 10 minutes daily on a drill site.
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Opening variety.
Most games start 1.d4 d5 2.e3 or 1.e4 e5; you rarely face Sicilians, King’s Indians, French, etc. Diversifying will improve your pattern base.
Action plan:- Add one new line per month. Suggestion: Queen’s Gambit as White; Scandinavian as Black.
- Play themed rapid games to test the lines with low rating pressure.
Illustrative moment
In the loss to 0x117, the move 19.Rh5? allowed a classic back-rank tactic. The lesson: when material up, ask “What is my opponent threatening?” before every move. Defending with 19.Be3 would have kept a winning position.
Stats snapshot
Your current peak rapid rating: 611 (2023-05-20)
Next week’s focus
- Play five 15|10 games, annotating them immediately afterwards.
- Do 20 tactics per day, but stop the timer after 2 minutes to simulate game pressure.
- Review 10 master games in the Italian Game to see correct central play.
You’re progressing quickly, Michel—refining these areas will push you well beyond the 600-700 mark. Enjoy the journey and message me anytime you have questions!