Coach Chesswick
Hi David, here is your personalised post-match review
Quick snapshot
- Your current blitz form is near your personal best of 2622 (2025-03-05).
- Recent run: 6 wins – 6 losses (last session). Momentum is basically flat – see .
- Streak pattern: you tend to alternate good & bad mini-streaks; weekends appear stronger than weekdays – check .
What already works well
- Sharp tactical vision. Your wins against Yuri Borisov and dextermorgan show you spot tactical resources quickly (e.g. 16…Nxe4!!, 24…Rh8! in the King’s Gambit game).
- Practical opening nous as Black against 1.e4. Comfortable in double-edged lines such as the King’s Gambit Accepted and Vienna with …d5. Your piece activity compensates for structural concessions.
- Ability to exploit initiative. In several wins you kept the opponent under constant pressure, converting even when the engine shows equality.
Main growth areas
- Time management. Two losses were simply flagged positions (e.g. against starazagora you were drawing in a rook endgame). Aim to maintain >25 seconds before move 30; practise “increment discipline” (move on intuition every 3–4 seconds when <15 s).
- Vienna-Game defence. Quick collapses versus Frankenstein-Dracula (TIZE_D) and main-line Vienna (KesOdy) indicate an opening blind spot. Concrete tasks:
- Memorise the critical line 1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.Bc4 Nxe4 4.Qh5 Nd6 5.Bb3 Be7 6.Nf3 & …Nc6! (avoid …Na6?!).
- Study 3.f4 d5 4.fxe5 Nxe4 5.d3 theory up to move 10 so you no longer reach the awkward positions from today.
- Converting material advantages. In the Alekhine game versus tethered_chicken you were a pawn up but let counterplay build (…f5, …c6, …e4). Work on prophylactic thinking: after gaining material, ask “what counterplay is left?” before playing aggressively.
- Keeping the king safe when you castle long. Several losses show exposed queenside structures after 0-0-0 (e.g. A46 game vs A-Isaakov). Drill the typical pawn shields (a4/a5, h-pawn storms from opponent) and familiarise yourself with resource …Rc8 & …b5 pushback plans.
Opening menu for the coming week
| Colour | Keep | Add / Repair |
|---|---|---|
| White | Scotch & Scheveningen set-ups (score 70 %) | Deepen Alekhine-Sämisch Anti-…d5 ideas (review 8-12 moves of model games) |
| Black | King’s Gambit Accepted repertoire (excellent recent score) | Vienna & early Nc3 repairs, plus a solid fallback (e.g. 2…Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5) when you feel out-of-book |
Targeted exercise pack
- 10 puzzles rated 2600-2800 on “move & plan under 15 s”.
- Endgame drill: R&P vs R and R+2 P vs R (lichess trainer or similar).
- One 15 | 10 game daily with self-annotation; focus on critical moments where you went below 40 s.
Replay your cleanest win
Next steps (checklist)
- Review the three critical Vienna losses with an engine and note first move where eval dipped below –0.50.
- Solve 50 themed puzzles on “back-rank & file tactics” – these positions appeared in both wins and losses.
- Play two training games starting from move 15 of the Alekhine loss to practise defending slightly worse positions.
- Book our follow-up session once you feel confident scoring >70 % in those drills.
Good luck, keep the pieces active and the clock healthy!