Etienne Goudriaan IM

Hi Etienne (“Time2Pretend”) – personalised post-round feedback

At-a-glance

• Current blitz strength: high 2600-2700 range, peaking at 2789 (2025-01-02).
• Preferred colours: Black scores slightly better than White (mostly Nimzo/QGD structures).
• Typical session pattern: see
  and
  – biggest dip appears late evenings when time-outs spike.

What you already do well

• Tactical alertness – frequent use of …Nxf2+ & …d4 breaks (e.g. vs Maddcold) shows you spot forcing shots quickly.
• Dynamic piece play with Black – in several Nimzo & Ragozin games you seized the initiative instead of aiming for symmetry.
• Practical endgame defence – the latest loss to Chessking2007Sh lasted 113 moves; you defended resourcefully and were only flagged.

Main improvement themes

1. Time-trouble addiction
   Half of your last six losses were on time from drawable or winning positions. Your clock often drops below 30 s by move 25.
   Action tips:
   • Adopt a “30-20-10” clock rule – aim to keep ≥30 s after move 20 and ≥10 s after move 30. Abort a deep calculation if it risks breaking the rule.
   • Use premove chains only in forced captures/recaptures – never in unclear tactics.
   • Play one 5|5 game per day to rehearse finishing techniques without flag pressure.
2. Conversion technique
   Several rook endings (e.g. vs chessking2007sh & chesstalent2006) slipped because passed pawns were advanced before king activation.
   Action tips:
   • Drill the “short-side defence” & “Lucena” endings with engines off until you achieve 90 % accuracy.
   • During games ask: “King, passer, or pieces – which needs to move first?”
3. Opening economy with White
   Your d4 repertoire is sound but move-order drift costs time on the clock (e.g. early Qa4+ in the Grunfeld loss).
   Action tips:
   • Prepare a single critical line versus …g6 set-ups: either the 5.Bf4 Anti-Grünfeld or exchange into a quiet 4.Nf3.
   • Create a .pgn file entitled “First 12 moves” and blank-drill it daily.

Opening snapshot

• With Black: Nimzo-Indian (E46/E62) & QGD Ragozin bring you ≈65 % – keep them.
• With White: Exchange QGD & f3-lines score well; Grunfeld Exchange only 33 % – refine.

Illustrative recent win

Two-week training micro-plan

1. Day 1-4: 30 min daily endgame drill (rook + pawn vs rook, drawing & winning sides).
2. Day 5-7: Build “First 12 moves” White file; rehearse vs Lichess opening trainer.
3. Day 8-10: Play 5× 5|5 games focusing solely on clock discipline; annotate afterwards.
4. Day 11-14: Review every flagged game; write one sentence describing why the time scramble started.

Glossary refresh

Good luck, and keep the pieces coordinating! – Coach