Coach Chesswick
Hi Sujana, here’s some tailored feedback to help you climb to the next level!
What you’re already doing well
- Sharp attacking flair. Your recent miniature against minhmoc12345 shows an excellent sense of initiative – the g-pawn thrust (14.g4! gxf5 15.gxf5) followed by the decisive Qh5–h7 motif demonstrated clean calculation and coordination.
- Flexible Queen’s-Pawn repertoire. You’re comfortable in the London-style setups and the Yusupov–Rubinstein System (A46), steering for middlegames you understand rather than memorising long theory.
- Tactical alertness. Motifs such as the exchange sac 17.Nxe6!! in the win versus TOJOPLAX show you spot intermediate moves (zwischenzug) quickly.
Key areas to focus on next
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King safety in the Pirc / Modern.
In the loss to hillcountry5555 (B09), the early …g6, …Bg7, …h6, …g5 left dark-square holes and your king stranded.- Before pushing wing pawns, ask “If my opponent opens the centre now, can I cope?”
- Study annotated model games by Kramnik or Vachier-Lagrave on how Black times …e5/…c5 without weakening.
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Time management.
Four of your last six losses were on time (e.g. vs sama101, Manish Hamal).- Adopt a simple move-making rhythm: 10 s for candidate moves, 10 s to calculate, play – only pause longer for critical positions.
- Play a daily batch of 3-minute “clock-only” drills: start from a middlegame position and try to reach move 20 with ≥50 % of your starting clock.
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Defensive technique.
Against aggressive opponents you often counter-attack but miss slower defensive resources. In the 30-move loss to stefanprvi (Pirc, B07) you rejected 15…e5! in favour of the loose …Nxf4+ sequence and never recovered.- Set a weekly theme: “Find the only move that equalises.” Use engine-filtered puzzles where there is just one saving move.
- Review master games featuring
sit tight & consolidate
defences (e.g. Petrosian).
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Endgame conversion.
You reach many favourable endgames (see 2025-03-22 vs TOJOPLAX) but sometimes drift.- Memorise king + rook vs king + rook pawn winning method and basic opposite-coloured-bishop drawing techniques.
- Solve 10 endgame studies per week; use positions with ≤6 pieces to keep calculation focused.
Suggested training plan (4-week block)
- Week 1: Daily 20-minute tactics & 10 rapid games focusing only on clock handling.
- Week 2: Annotate all Pirc/Modern games; create a “danger squares” file of your own king-side weaknesses.
- Week 3: Endgame essentials – rook endings on odd days, minor-piece endings on even days.
- Week 4: Play three training games starting from move 7 of the Austrian Attack as Black, analyse with a stronger partner.
Quick reference stats & trackers
Peak Blitz rating: 2460 (2024-08-27)
Your performance over time:
Final thought
You already have the creative spark of an attacking player; adding disciplined clock use and a sturdier defensive toolkit will make you a much more complete competitor. Keep the fire on the board, stay cool on the clock, and your next rating jump will follow naturally. Good luck, and enjoy the journey!