Nikolas Wachinger IM

Hi Nikolas (a.k.a. “Washmachine”) 👋

Great streak of 2600-level blitz play lately! Your recent miniature against mumbojumbo6969 shows how dangerous your attacking style can be. Below is some tailored feedback to keep the rating climbing.

👍 What you already do well

• Flexible hyper-modern openings: The Réti, English and Pirc systems you choose let you steer opponents out of book and into positions you understand.
• Tactical alertness: 30…Ne3, 37.Nxf7 and the elegant 40.Rh7# in your latest win all show sharp calculation under 10 s.
• Pressure on both flanks: Early pawn storms (h-pawn or g-pawn) often net you space and initiative.
• Peak blitz strength: 2801 (2024-04-12) proves the raw chess strength is there—now we polish the rough edges.

🔍 Recurring issues to address

1. Time-trouble habits
   5 of your last 7 losses were on time, sometimes from better positions. Example:
   
   You spent 29 s on 9…Nb8 in a 60-second game—valuable seconds you needed later.
2. Premature pawn thrusts
   Early g- or h-pawn pushes sometimes leave dark-square holes (see the loss vs. HatvSp923). Balancing aggression with king safety will convert more of your good positions.
3. End-game conversion
   In the loss to Playchess_VN you reached a drawn rook-and-pawn ending but flagged. Solid end-game technique + time management = free rating points.

📈 Suggested training plan

• Clock discipline drill: Play 20 bullet games where you must move before the clock dips below 50 % of starting time. Review only games lost on the board, not on time.
• Increment practice: Mix in 3 + 2 blitz. The increment rewards quick, safe moves and punishes over-thinking.
• End-game “speed-studies”: Solve 3 endings daily with 30-second limits (rook vs. pawns, minor-piece endings). This builds both skill and confidence in low-time scenarios.
• Opening tightening: Keep the hyper-modern repertoire, but add one classical main-line (e.g. Queen’s Gambit as White). Solid structures reduce random tactical time sinks.
• Tactical warm-up: 5-minute PuzzleRush before each playing session keeps calculation sharp without draining energy.

⏲️ When to play

According to your

📝 Next-week goals

• Limit time losses to one per 25 blitz games.
• Score ≥ 70 % in 3 + 2 games vs. 2400-2500 opposition.
• Finish an end-game manual chapter (Capablanca or Silman) and reproduce two key positions on a board.

Keep the attacking spirit, rein in the clock, and your rating ceiling will rise quickly. Good luck, and feel free to share any difficult positions for deeper analysis!

—Your Chess Coach