Coach Chesswick
Hi Tena Frank!
Great work climbing to a 1663 (2023-04-18) of ~1350 and scoring an impressive string of wins (⩾80 % over your last 20 games!). Below is some personalised feedback based on your recent games.
What you’re already doing well
- Dynamic openings. When you get White you aren’t afraid to play early e4 breaks in the Queen’s Gambit (see move 4 of your win against
thekne). The positions become sharp and you often out-calculate opponents. - Tactical alertness. The miniature below shows your eye for forcing moves and king-hunts.
- Resilience with Black. In several Sicilians you weather early pressure and then counter-attack with ...d5 or ...f5 (games vs
spacepampa,suber). This indicates good strategic understanding of the defence.
Main growth areas
- Clock Management
• Seven of your last nine losses were on time in 3 + 2 chess.
• You often reach technically winning endgames (e.g. rook + two pawns vsAlexmelo98) yet flag.
Fix: force yourself to spend the first second of every move hitting the clock so that the 2-second increment keeps you afloat. Search “increment discipline” for more ideas. - End-game conversion
Good positions slip because you hurry in time pressure and miss simple winning plans (e.g. failed to centralise king in two rook end-games). Ten minutes a day of rook- and pawn-endgame drills will pay huge dividends. - Opening focus
Because you switch between the Slav Triangle, Grünfeld structures and Dutch-like setups with Black, you sometimes mix plans (…c5 early, then …e6/d5 holes). Commit to one main defence for a month; the saved thinking time will help the clock as well.
Suggested weekly plan
| Day | 15 min | 15 min | 15 min |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mon / Wed / Fri | Clock-training blitz (3 + 2) | Rook & pawn drills | Tactics puzzle rush |
| Tue / Thu | Review one loss (focus clock) | Memorise 5 opening lines | Play 1 rapid (10 + 5) |
Your peak performance periods
Quick opening note-cards
- Queen’s Gambit Declined (White) – after 4.e4 dxc4 5.Bxc4, you already have full centre control; develop the dark bishop to g5 before Re1 to keep pins alive.
- Sicilian with …e6 (Black) – in the
Bowdlerline (2.Bc4), meet 4.Bf4 with …Nc6 and …g5 ideas; you lost time trying …b5/…Bb7 plans that let White castle long and storm.
Next three small goals
- Finish every game with ≥30 seconds left on your clock.
- Convert 5 basic rook-and-three-pawn vs rook practice positions without error.
- Play a training match vs xxroberttxx and analyse together.
Keep up the fighting spirit, embrace the clock, and your rating will quickly rise above 1400. Good luck!