Coach Chesswick
Snapshot — recent win vs spajkm
Nice finish: you turned active piece play and a kingside initiative into a decisive tactical blow. Black's attempt to generate counterplay on the queenside left their king vulnerable; you exploited it quickly and cleanly.
- Key moment: after Black took on e4, you found the queen sortie to the b-file and then removed the defender on e7 — forcing resignation.
- Style note: aggressive pawn play (the h-pawn advance) plus quick development paid off — you kept the pressure and didn’t give Black time to coordinate.
Replay the final phase:
What you’re doing well
- Opening repertoire consistency — you get comfortable, repeatable positions (strong results in the Modern and many Caro‑Kann lines). Keep that foundation — it gives you a reliable middlegame out of the opening.
- King‑side play and attacking instincts — in several recent wins (for example vs JazzyAtom) you created threats quickly with pawn storms and piece pressure on the enemy king.
- Conversion and endgame technique — the game vs JackRodgers shows you can convert small advantages into full points with accurate rook/pawn play and passed pawns.
- Momentum and form — your recent rating slope and long‑term trend (strong 6‑ and 12‑month gains) shows you’re improving consistently. Keep that momentum.
Recurring weaknesses to target
- Tactical hygiene in messy positions — you win many tactical fights, but when positions become double‑edged there are occasional oversights. Drill calculation patterns (double attacks, forks, discovered checks).
- Overextending pawns without a concrete plan — the kingside pawn pushes often create attacking chances but can also leave squares for enemy pieces. Before pushing, ask: “What piece will occupy the newly created square?”
- Time allocation in critical moments — in some games you make good practical choices quickly; in others you could spend a bit more time on move order and concrete captures when the position is sharp.
- Transitions (middlegame → endgame) — sometimes simplification decisions are made too early or too late. Work on recognizing when to trade into a winning endgame and the correct way to do it (opposition, active rook, passed pawns).
Concrete 4‑week improvement plan
- Daily tactics (20–30 minutes): focus on calculation and pattern recognition (pins, forks, skewers, discovered attacks). Use mixed difficulty; track your accuracy each week.
- Endgame fundamentals (3 sessions/week): spend 30–40 minutes on core rook and pawn endings (Lucena/Philidor), basic king + pawn vs king, and conversion techniques you saw in the JackRodgers game.
- One deep game review (3× per week): pick a recent win, draw, and loss. Do a 15–20 minute self‑analysis before checking with an engine — write down candidate moves and plans, then compare with the engine to learn why a move was better/worse.
- Opening hygiene (2 sessions/week): refine your go‑to lines (keep what’s working in your Caro‑Kann/Modern repertoire, patch obvious sidelines). Work on typical pawn breaks and a couple of key move orders to avoid transposition pitfalls.
- Practice games: play two slower (15+10 or 25+10) games per week to practice deeper calculation and time management; one rapid session to keep instincts sharp.
Specific tactical / positional points to practice
- When the opponent opens a flank counterplay (queenside pawns in Spajkm game), look for forcing queen moves that target back‑rank and e‑file weaknesses — you did this well; make it automatic.
- Before advancing flank pawns (h4, a3 etc.), check if a piece can occupy the square created or if it gives the opponent an outpost.
- Improve move‑order calculation when winning material — in the Spajkm game you finished cleanly; train to spot those winning sequences earlier so you can convert even faster.
- Work on prophylaxis — anticipate opponent counterplay and neutralize it one tempo earlier (helps in sharp middlegames like the JazzyAtom game).
Quick notes from other recent wins
- Vs JazzyAtom: successful pawn storm plus knight jumps (Nh5) and queen swing (Qg4) — excellent coordination. Revisit typical sacrifices and when to commit to the attacking plan.
- Vs JackRodgers: technical endgame conversion — your rook activation and passed‑pawn play were textbook. Keep drilling rook endings.
- Overall openings: your best win rates are in the Modern and several Queen’s Indian / Nimzo lines — keep those in your core repertoire and shore up less consistent lines like the Four Knights.
Next steps & follow up
- Pick three of your recent games (one win, one draw, one loss). Do the deep review routine for each and note three concrete lessons from every game.
- Track weekly progress: record tactical accuracy, number of studied endgames, and whether you followed the planned opening lines.
- When you review with an engine, always try to generate candidate moves first — then use the engine to verify and explain why a move is better. That habit builds independent calculation strength.
Great work — your upward rating trend and high win ratio show this plan will pay off quickly. Keep the training structured and focused on the points above.
Want a short checklist to follow after each game?
- 1) One‑sentence summary of the turning point.
- 2) Two tactical motifs you saw (or missed).
- 3) One endgame or opening idea to study from this game.
Use that checklist for 10–15 minutes after each session to build fast, high‑impact learning.