Coach Chesswick
Hi Vrushali!
You are already a strong and resourceful blitz player (current peak: 2634 (2025-05-12)). The recent games you shared confirm three clear assets:
- Quick tactical vision. In the Nimzo-Indian win against Mike24147 you uncorked 19.Ne4! followed by the elegant Nxf6/Nh5/Qg3 mating net while still holding >70 % of your initial time.
- Piece activity over material. Sacrifices such as 16.Nxe7+ and 24.Nxh6+ (French Tarrasch) show you value dynamic chances.
- Opening range. You handle English setups with both colours, French structures, and the occasional Sicilian Alapin – variety is good for long-term growth.
Key themes to polish
- Unforced structural weaknesses
• In the loss to jakor2 (English Four Knights) the early …cxd5 & …bxc6left you with three pawn islands and targets onc6andd5. Instead of 8…Nxe5grab the centre with 8…exd5or castle first.
• Versus dlkm93 (French Winawer) the pawn thrust …e4on move 14 locked your own bishop and gave White clear squares. Try the thematic plan …cxd4, …Nb6, …Bd7. - King-safety before counter-punching
Against 13.Nh5 in the Scandinavian you castled into a direct assault. After 10……h6the safer line is 10……g6, meeting Nxf7 with …Kxf7& …Kg7. Remember the guideline: “Calculate, but castle!” - Endgame conversion
A few wins ended with your opponent resigning while still plenty of material was on the board. Practise converting technical positions so that you remain confident when the fireworks end. Recommendation: play one 10-min rapid game per day and analyse the ending in depth. - Clock management in worse positions
Your wins average 40 – 45 seconds used, but in the losses you dip below 20 seconds long before move 30. Aim to keep ≥45 seconds for the final 10 moves; use quick “safety moves” (rook to a half-open file, king to a dark square) if you must catch up on the clock.
Action-oriented training plan (next 4 weeks)
| Week | Main focus | Daily micro-task |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | French Defence as Black | Play 10 blitz games starting from the position after 7…O-O vs Tarrasch; annotate critical moments. |
| 2 | Endgames | Solve 20 rook-and-pawn studies on the opposition & outside passed pawn themes. |
| 3 | King safety drills | 10-minute tactic rush focused on back-rank & Greek gift patterns. Flag every position where castling is the refutation. |
| 4 | Practical time handling | Play 15 games at 3 + 2; after each game note move number when you hit the last 30 seconds and why. |
Illustrative mini-lesson
Compare the two critical positions below; both feature an advanced e4 pawn:
Notice how in the first diagram the pawn is supported and cramps White, while in the second it becomes an overextended target. When your central pawn pushes cross the fourth rank, apply the checklist: “Can it be blockaded? Can it be undermined? Do all my pieces benefit?”
Tracking progress
Feel free to paste these widgets onto your training dashboard:
- Hourly performance:
- Day-of-week trends:
Keep enjoying your chess journey, Vrushali. You already play imaginative, crowd-pleasing games — a bit more structure will make you formidable. Good luck and see you over the board!