Coach Chesswick
Quick summary
Nice run — you're converting advantages more often lately and your rating trend shows steady improvement. Below I highlight what you did well in your most recent rapid win, key improvements to focus on, and a short, practical plan you can follow over the next 4 weeks.
Replay the game
Replay your most recent win (good tactical conversion and active rooks):
Opponent: asathi • Opening: Queen's Pawn Opening (ECO A40)
Interactive moves (tap to play through):
What you did well (concrete examples)
- Active rooks and seventh‑rank pressure — moving Rc7 and later occupying open files created decisive activity (classic benefit of a Rook on the seventh). You forced weakness and used rooks to invade.
- Tactical awareness — the knight sacrifice/exchange Nxe7+ and later Bxe6 were tactical blows that removed defenders and opened lines to the king. You saw concrete sequences and executed them cleanly.
- Good time management — you kept plenty of clock in a 15|10 rapid game, which helped you think in critical moments and avoid time trouble blunders.
- Conversion ability — once you reached a material/positional edge you simplified and converted without missing the key pawn break (your pawn advance and capture on e6 ended the game).
Where to improve (practical and prioritized)
- Opening clarity: you play many different openings and have excellent results with some (London Poisoned Pawn, Amazon Attack). Narrowing to a 2–3 opening plan for White will reduce early uncertainties and give you repeated positions to learn tactical motifs from.
- Piece placement before tactics: on a few moves (for example, early Bd1 in this game) your pieces were slightly passive for a turn. Try to develop with a concrete plan — ask “what square will this piece go to in two moves?” before moving it.
- Defense against counterplay: after you grab material, be careful of immediate counterchecks and back-rank ideas. Keep an eye on opponent counterplay; prophylactic moves (luft for the king or connecting rooks) avoid surprises.
- Endgame technique: though you converted this win, strengthening basic rook and pawn endgames and common queen vs rook/net patterns will increase conversion rate in closer finishes.
Data-driven coaching notes
- Your long-term trend is strong (recent slopes and rating jumps). Keep what’s working — you win a lot in sharp tactical lines and have a strength-adjusted win rate ≈ 54%.
- Openings: exploit your top win lines (London Poisoned Pawn, Amazon Attack variants). Consider retiring lines with poor results (Four Knights Game at ~9% win rate) unless you enjoy them for learning.
- Balance training: your win:loss:draw record (276/185/46) suggests you play fighting chess — add a little defensive/endgame study to convert more winning positions and avoid collapses.
4-week improvement plan (daily/weekly tasks)
- Daily (20–30 min): 12–15 tactics puzzles focused on winning patterns you miss (pins, discoveries, overloaded defenders). Use mixed difficulty and track accuracy.
- 3× week (30–45 min): Play one rapid (15|10) game and annotate it briefly — write the move you considered and the plan behind it for 3 key moments.
- 2× week (30 min): Opening drill — pick your main White line and a flexible Black response; learn 3 typical plans, 2 pawn structures, and 1 tactical motif from each.
- Weekly (30–45 min): Endgame practice — rook vs rook fundamentals, Lucena/Berger patterns, and simple pawn races. Try 5 constructed endgame positions and win/defend them.
Concrete checklist to use after each game
- Mark the moment you gained advantage (which move changed the evaluation?)
- Identify one missed tactic or oversight (if any) and solve 3 similar puzzles.
- Note one positional plan you executed well and one you could have done better.
- Save the game and review it once with an engine and once without — write 2 short takeaways.
Quick tactical and strategic tips for your playstyle
- When you have active rooks, look first for invasions on the 7th or 2nd rank before hunting pawns — activity often matters more than immediate material.
- Before simplifying (exchanging pieces), ask: “Does the simplified position keep my winning chances (passed pawns, active king, better minor piece)?”
- Keep a small opening notebook: 3 pages per opening with typical move orders, one tactical motif, and 2 endgame plans that arise from that opening.
Next steps & encouragement
You’re on an upward trend — keep focusing on tactics, stick to a tighter opening repertoire, and add short targeted endgame drills. Follow the 4‑week plan and retest your progress: the 1‑month rating change (+33) shows focused practice pays off. Keep it up — you’re doing the right things.