Coach Chesswick
Hi tratten03! Here is some constructive feedback to help you reach the next level.
What you already do well
- Fighting spirit & creativity. You are not afraid to play sharp pawn storms (…g5, …h5, g4–h4 as White) and you often seize the initiative when the opponent hesitates.
- Practical conversion. In several wins you smoothly pushed passed pawns or promoted (e.g. 38-50♘ in your most-recent win). Once ahead, you generally keep the advantage.
- Piece activity. You seek out active squares (♘d5, ♗a6, doubled rooks on open files) rather than sitting back. This is an important habit—keep it!
Top priorities for improvement
-
Opening fundamentals before creativity.
• In several losses your king stayed in the center while loose pawns & early queen sorties invited tactics (e.g. 9…♘d3+ in your loss to khnhidol). Build the “ABC” habit each game: Activate minor pieces → Build a safe king by castling → Connect rooks.
Try the classical setups first (Italian, Queen’s Gambit, Scandinavian as Black) and save flank-pawn adventures for later moves. -
King safety & pawn hygiene.
The sequence 10…♖h6/…h4/…gxf4 in the loss vs fridaloco left holes on the dark squares and back rank. Before pushing a wing pawn ask: “Will this create a square the opponent’s pieces can use?” If yes, prepare it or choose a different plan. -
Tactic spotting (forks & pins).
Many setbacks were single-move tactics—knight forks (♘d3+), back-rank mates, overloaded queens. Ten minutes of puzzle practice a day will pay large dividends. Start with forks, pins, double-attacks and work up. See fork for the pattern you missed in the diagram below:
-
Endgame basics.
Although you convert large material leads, tighten the technique in “small” endings. Practice:- King + pawn vs king (opposition & square of the pawn)
- Lucena & Philidor rook endings
- Basic mating nets (♖+♕ coordination, rook ladder mate) to avoid time scrambles.
Targeted action plan
| Week | Focus | Exercises |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sound openings | Build a 10-move “skeleton” for White & Black. Play 5 rapid games / side. |
| 2 | Tactics | Solve 50 “warm-up” forks & pins on a puzzle trainer. Review your missed motifs. |
| 3 | King Safety | Analyze each game for pawn pushes before castling. Note alternatives. |
| 4 | Endgames | Play out 10 K+P vs K endings against a computer or a friend. |
Quick stats & progress trackers
Your current peak ratings: 580 (2024-01-28), .
Monitor improvement with these charts:
Positive habits to keep
- Using most of your clock instead of “bullet-ing” every move.
- Playing both sides of open games (1.e4 e5 and Sicilians) for balanced growth.
- Reviewing finished games—keep adding coach notes!