Coach Chesswick
Hi WhiteKiwi! Here’s some constructive feedback to help you climb to your next milestone.
Your current highlights
- Peak rapid rating: 2263 (2022-03-14)
- Impressive conversion once you reach simplified positions – the end-game technique you showed vs dna77 (0-1, 15 May 2022) was textbook.
- Healthy overall activity – keep an eye on trends:
What you’re already doing well
- Piece activity and space-gaining pawn pushes. Your kingside pawn storms (g- and h-pawns) often net space and tempo, e.g. 17.g4! in the win against dna77.
- Trading into favourable endgames. In the same game you steered toward a rook-and-pawn ending where your outside passer decided the result.
- Opening variety. You handle both Slav structures as Black and the Ruy/Sicilian as White; this flexibility is an asset.
Growth opportunities
-
Pawns over-extended without adequate support.
In the loss to nikoskosta6 (C66, 15 Mar 2022) the a- and c-pawns marched but became targets. Before pushing wing pawns, run a quick blunder-check: “If the pawn disappears, do my pieces improve or worsen?” If the answer is “worsen,” consider a preparatory move instead. -
Central tension management.
After 14.e5 Ne4 15.Nxe4 Bxe4, Black’s minor pieces dominated the centre. Try keeping tension longer; moves like 14.Re3 or 14.Be3 keep the pawn on e4 and leave you the option to strike later with dxe5 when it favours you. -
Rook coordination in the middlegame.
Several losses feature doubled rooks that never connect (e.g. 26.Rc5? in the same game). A quick “rook harmony” checklist on every move will help: “Are my rooks (a) connected, (b) on open/semi-open files, (c) supporting each other?” If not, look for a way to fix one of those three. -
Prophylaxis before tactics.
You spot attacking ideas quickly but occasionally miss the opponent’s counter-punch (e.g. 30…Ra6 hitting a4/a5). Challenge yourself to name your opponent’s three most forcing replies before finalising a move. -
Clock discipline.
In several games you dipped under 90 seconds with 15+ moves to play. Try the “30-second rule”: if you have spent 30 seconds and still see nothing decisive, play the healthiest move you can find and bank the time.
Mini-lesson: converting the extra pawn
Your technique vs dna77 was strong; here’s a condensed blueprint:
Follow these steps any time you’re up a healthy pawn:
- Centralise king (Kf8–Ke7–Kd6 in the game).
- Trade pieces but not active pawns.
- Create an outside passer to stretch the defence.
Next-week training plan
- 3 rapid games per day with post-game self-annotation (limit to 15 minutes).
- Daily 15-minute session on rook endings – start with Lucena/Philidor then practise 4-vs-3 same-flank.
- Study one model game where the stronger side wins with pawn storms + central breaks. Add it to your personal database.
- Solve 20 tactics focused on defensive motifs (zwischenzug, back-rank defences) to balance your attacking eye.
Keep the momentum!
Your attacking flair is evident, and with a bit more restraint before committing central and wing pawns you’ll tighten the few leaks in your repertoire. Keep enjoying the game and analysing both wins and losses – that’s where the real rating points hide.