Coach Chesswick
Hi Alexey, here is your personalised post-match feedback
What you are already doing well
- Dynamic middlegame play. Your Grünfeld win against Anatoliy Shapkin shows excellent feel for central breaks (
…c5,…e6). - Tactical alertness. The miniature ending 32.Qg7# in the Slav illustrates very sharp calculation under 60-second time control.
- Flexible repertoire. Switching among the Caro-Kann, QGA and English setups keeps opponents off balance and broadens your understanding.
Biggest improvement levers
-
Clock management
Four of your last six losses were on time in positions that were still playable or even winning.- Adopt a “red-zone rule”: once below 30 s, make a move every 3 s—no exceptions.
- Practise one-minute “survival” drills: random positions, play 20 moves with ≥ 90 % accuracy.
-
Endgame technique
Versus Mark DeDona you entered a rook + pawns ending a pawn up yet were mated. Review the Lucena_Position and Philidor_Defense_(Rook_Endgame), then test yourself with 10 composed studies. -
Budapest Gambit handling ( 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e5 )
In the loss to balmo you captured on e5 and soon fell behind in development. Consider the safer 4.Nf3 line or, if you keep 3.dxe5, follow up with Nc3, Nf3, and e4 to seize space, not loose pawns. -
King safety after material grabs
Against Oleksandr Bortnyk 14.Bxb5+ won a pawn but left your king in the centre. Before taking, ask “What happens if my opponent moves every piece toward my king?”
Two-week training plan
| Days | Focus | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Mon – Wed | 30 min daily rook-ending drills | Convert extra pawn positions smoothly |
| Thu – Fri | Play 10 blitz games only in the Grünfeld; annotate | Deepen pattern recognition of pawn breaks |
| Weekend | Create a Budapest Gambit cheat-sheet (main ideas + engine check) | Have a ready plan instead of improvisation |
Micro-exercise from your own game
Position (Budapest loss, move 18…f6): White to move. Can you find the fastest route to stabilise and keep the extra piece?
Show answer
19.gxf6! forces exchanges and completes development with Qd2–O-O-O coming. In the game 19.g5?! allowed …Ne5 and Black took over.
Your stats at a glance
Peak Blitz rating: 2901 (2021-11-21)
When do you win most?
Weekly consistency:
Key concepts to revisit this week
- Zugzwang in rook endings
- Tempo vs clock time—they are different!
- Transition from middlegame to endgame: activating the king early but safely
Keep up the dynamic play, add tighter time discipline, and your next rating jump is around the corner. Good luck, and enjoy the grind!