Coach Chesswick
Hi Tortolla! Your personalized coaching report
1. What you are already doing well
- Opening variety: You successfully switch between 1.e4 and 1.d4 systems, and as Black you handle both the King’s Indian and the Caro-Kann. That flexibility makes you hard to prepare for.
- Tactical alertness: In your latest win against h_n-n you spotted 14.Nxh5! and again 19.Nxf6+, punishing every loose pawn and piece.
- Initiative-first mindset: You are willing to sacrifice material for activity (e.g. 8.Bb5 in the Modern, or 5.Nd5 in the Belgrade Gambit). This keeps practical pressure on opponents rated 2100-2300.
2. Biggest improvement opportunities
- Time management (critical!)
• Four of the last five losses were on time in positions that were still playable.
• Aim to reach move 20 with at least 45-50 seconds; if you drop below that threshold, simplify or repeat once.
• Try a quick glance at the clock after every 5 moves; it will soon become automatic. - Converting technical positions
• You often have an extra pawn but keep all the pieces on (e.g. vs forwardmomentum). Learn to trade the right pieces.
• Drill 4-to-6-pawn rook endgames daily for a week; the patterns will speed up your decisions. - King safety in sharp gambits
• The loss to noimnotold shows how leaving the king in the center after 10…Qh4+ can spiral.
• In the Belgrade Gambit, consider 11.g3 or 11.Bd3 instead of 11.Ke2 if you want to avoid walking into checks. - Handling closed centre structures
• In the English-Stonewall (loss vs candidatscoups) you allowed …Nd4 with no clear plan.
• Study model games where Black reroutes knights via f8-e6-d4, and prepare an anti-…d4 clamp with Be3/Qd2/Rad1.
3. Concrete game snippets
Latest win – key moment (move 13-19)
Good use of the f-knight battery; note that after 14…Rh6 the simple 15.a5! was an alternative positional squeeze worth testing.
Latest loss – missed practical decisions (move 21-27)
Two moves cost critical seconds: 23.Nc3? (allowing …g6) and 26.b4 (when 26.a3 kept queenside flexible). Identify “critical positions” and invest time there; play faster once the plan is clear.
4. Opening tune-ups for the next week
| As White | Quick goal |
|---|---|
| Sicilian Kan vs …e5 | Memorise 9.Nf5! ideas to punish …e5 without losing time. |
| Modern Defence (4.f4 line) | Add 8.e5! lines to force …d5 transpositions you already understand. |
| As Black | Quick goal |
| King’s Indian Fianchetto | Review the …c5 break timing; play through three games by Gelfand. |
| Panov-Caro-Kann | Test the solid 11…e6 instead of …g5 to avoid time-consuming complications. |
5. Mini study plan (next 14 days)
- 20 min/day: Solve 15 mixed tactics at 2300-2500 level; focus on candidate move spotting.
- 10 min/day: Speed-run basic rook endings with the “side-pawn rule”.
- One annotated game nightly: choose a classical KID or Benoni by a top GM and verbalise their prophylaxis.
- Twice per week: Play a 10|5 game deliberately using ≥ 30 sec per move until move 15; this rehearshes “slow gear”.
6. Quick stats & tracking widgets
Your historical best blitz rating: 2378 (2025-03-10)
Performance overview:
7. Motivational takeaway
You are already playing at a high 2200-2300 level. Eliminating the clock-only losses will push you toward 2350+ in a matter of weeks.
Trust your tactical instincts, but add a layer of zwischenzug awareness and time discipline. You’ve got this!