Coach Chesswick
Hi wockadile, here’s some constructive feedback based on your recent 3-min blitz games!
Your Current Picture
• Blitz peak so far: 961 (2025-01-04)
• Activity charts:
What You’re Doing Well
- Fighting spirit & tactics. You’re not afraid to sacrifice material for initiative (e.g. 9…Bxh3!! in the French win).
- Piece activity. In many wins you triple-load the g- and h-files, forcing the opponent’s king into mating nets.
- Willingness to castle opposite sides. This is excellent training for attack-vs-attack positions.
Biggest Improvement Targets
- Opening discipline – develop first, attack later.
• In several losses you pushed wing pawns or moved the same piece twice before completing development.
• Practical tip: follow the 3-out-of-4 rule in the first 8 moves – get two knights, one bishop and castle. - King safety.
• In the Vienna loss you placed your king on g4 after weakening with …g5 and …h6.
• When you play …h6/…g5 early, be absolutely sure the centre is closed; otherwise postpone these pushes. - Time management.
• Two recent games (vs shaikhutdin & caxapok287) were lost from playable positions because the clock hit zero.
• Solution: decide on an opening “bundle” so the first 10 moves are almost automatic, leaving more time for the middlegame. - Endgame conversion.
• Blitz doesn’t reach many endgames, but when it does, you need a quick plan. Drill the “rook + 3 pawns vs rook” technique so future positions like 42…Kd7 (Shaikhutdin game) convert smoothly. - Tactical hygiene.
• You see tactics for you, but sometimes miss tactics against you (e.g. 20.Qxe5+ in the Vienna game). Spend 10 minutes/day on puzzle rush or regular tactics to sharpen defensive eyesight.
Illustrative Examples
1. Your attacking French win – keep the good habits
• Notice how once you completed the minimum of development (castle + connect rooks), the pawn storm became deadly.
• Use this as your template: Develop → open lines → tactics.
2. Critical moments from the Vienna loss – learn to say “no” to unsafe pawn pushes
• After 14…g5 your king side became airy and White’s queen invaded.
• Instead of …g5 consider 14…Re8 or 14…Rd8, completing development and keeping the structure intact.
Suggested Training Plan (2-week sprint)
- Openings: Choose one reply to 1.e4 (e.g. French Defense) and one to 1.d4 (e.g. Queen’s Gambit Declined). Play only those for 50 games.
- Tactics: 20 puzzles/day. Focus on pins, forks and back-rank themes.
- Endgames: Watch a 10-minute video on the “Lucena” and “Philidor” rook endings, then practise against the computer until you win within 30 seconds.
- Review: After each session, pick one win and one loss, annotate briefly (why did the evaluation change?). Self-reflection beats memorisation.
Next Milestone
If you follow the plan and keep the clock under control, hitting 900+ blitz within two weeks is realistic. Keep the energy, tidy up the structure, and your tactical flair will shine even brighter!
Good luck, and happy hunting on the 64 squares!