Coach Chesswick
Training Feedback for Vanessa Descarrega
At-a-Glance
- Peak bullet rating:
- Activity snapshots:
What you already do well
- Tactical courage. The 10.Nxf7! shot against podokonnik is a textbook example of exploiting an exposed king.
- Rapid development & piece activity. Your bishops regularly reach aggressive posts (Bg5, Bc4, Bb5+) within the first ten moves.
- Fighting spirit. You keep searching for chances even in equal positions and often succeed once the clocks get low.
Highest-value improvement areas
-
Clock management
Six of your last eight losses were on time. Below is the position one move before you flagged against Sabri Can Onay Yontar (you were still playable):
Action plan:- Play more increment games (3 + 2 or 5 + 3) for deliberate end-game practice.
- Adopt a “big-think / little-think” routine: dedicate real time to critical moments, force yourself to move within 2-3 seconds in routine positions.
- Create premove templates for forced recaptures and obvious replies.
-
End-game conversion
In the English game vs afbmusic you reached a drawable rook ending but ran out of time. Spend one session per week on rook endings—start with the Lucena and Philidor techniques. -
Opening discipline with Black vs 1.e4
Off-beat Scandinavians and early-queen Sicilians work versus sub-2100 opponents, but stronger players (e.g. Alejandro Uzcategui Rodriguez) punish them quickly. Consider adding a main-line repertoire such as the Caro-Kann or 1…e5 to emphasize sound development and king safety. -
Pawn-structure awareness
Early wing thrusts (g4/h4) in semi-open positions—e.g. 25.h4? in the Three-Knights loss—often weakened your own king more than your opponent’s. Before pushing a flank pawn ask, “Can my opponent open the centre within three moves?”
Weekly Training Blueprint
| Day | Main focus | Example resource |
|---|---|---|
| Mon | 30 tactical puzzles, blindfold calculation for 10 min | Puzzle Rush & Custom Sets |
| Tue | Self-analysis of a recent loss (no engine for 20 min, then verify) | Game vs naritav |
| Wed | Rook-pawn endings | Lucena & Philidor drills |
| Thu | Build a solid 1…e5 or Caro-Kann mini-repertoire | Opening explorer & flashcards |
| Fri | 5 games of 3 + 2 focusing on time discipline | Live server |
| Sat | One 15 + 10 annotated rapid game | — |
| Sun | Light bullet / rest day | — |
Warm-up Puzzle from Your Own Game
White to move and finish the attack (vs kyiv-volvo):
Motivation Corner
“The player who improves the most is not the one who wins the most games, but the one who learns the most from every game.”
Keep the pieces active, the king safe, and—above all—the clock under control. Good luck with your training, Vanessa!