Coach Chesswick
Constructive Feedback for Wojciech Brudzynski
1. What you are doing well
- Initiative-driven play. In several of your wins (e.g. vs banyar-heinkhant and nocnygracz) you seized space early, kept pieces actively posted and forced your opponent to react. This dynamic style suits you.
- Tactical alertness. The Vienna Game miniature ending 34.Re7+ 35.Qfxf7# shows you calculate forcing lines accurately when you sense a kill.
- Handling time scrambles. A number of victories were obtained on the clock. Good nerves in mutual time-trouble are an asset—just make sure it does not replace objective quality.
2. Recurrent issues to address
-
Early structural concessions in the Sicilian & Modern (as Black).
• In the loss to pablo_mn you pushed 5...d5 and 7...h3?-g4 too hastily, opening dark-square weaknesses and losing a pawn on move 8.
• Against venicio23 you met 6.e5 with 6...Nfd7?!, then allowed 7.e6! and had to concede the dark-squared bishop for a pawn.
Prescription: study typical pawn breaks in the Modern and Sicilian Canal Attack. Ask “What is the pawn structure after my next move?” before playing a central pawn push. -
Over-extension of the queen in early middlegames.
Your own queen was trapped or driven back in three recent defeats (e.g. 10.Qf6 vs giuliasmaster). Keep the principle “move the queen only when necessary” in mind and prefer developing moves that involve several pieces instead of one. -
Conversion with material advantage.
Even in wins (e.g. vs baba_yaga1963) you needed 47 moves to convert an extra rook. Work on technique to finish cleanly and save energy for the next game. -
Falling behind in development when playing 1.e4 e6 2.c4 (Steiner Gambit).
You scored a nice win, but your set-up allowed Black easy central play. Consider learning mainline French positions instead of inventive but risky gambits if the opponent is well-prepared.
3. Concrete training plan
| Area | Exercise | Frequency |
|---|---|---|
| Openings | Create a one-page “cheat sheet” for each side of your main openings (Modern, Sicilian, Vienna), covering • Main tabiya positions • Typical pawn breaks • 2–3 thematic tactics | Update weekly |
| Tactics | Timed puzzle rush plus deep calculation: • 3 positions/day, 10-minute limit each, write down full lines | Daily |
| Technique | Play winning positions vs engine set to 200-300 Elo lower than you. Stop when you convert three in a row without dropping evaluation > +1. | 3×/week |
| Defence | Replay your five latest losses from the critical blunder (e.g. 13...Rf6 in the Venicio23 game) and try to hold vs engine for 20 moves. | Weekly |
4. Illustrative moment
In the Modern-defence loss you reached the diagram below after 13.Qxe4 Rf6. Instead, 13…hxg5! 14.hxg5 Qf7 keeps the rook on h8 guarding your king and keeps material level. Compare both lines with an engine and note how king safety & piece coordination outweigh pawn structure.
5. Time-management tip
Your average remaining clock when winning is ~25 s, but in losses it slips below 10 s before the critical blunder. Try this rule: “If under 1 min, play only moves that improve king safety or create an immediate threat.” It will reduce impulse blunders.
6. Motivation snapshot
Current blitz peak: 2009 (2025-05-23). Let’s push to +50 Elo in the next month! Track your progress with
and review tough time slots with .7. Next steps
- Pick one black defence vs 1.e4 (either Modern or Sicilian). Study only that for the next 30 games.
- Analyse every decisive game for one root cause (opening, tactics, endgame or time). Log it in a spreadsheet—patterns appear quickly.
- Schedule a thematic training match with a sparring partner: 10 games starting from the critical position after 6.e5 in the Modern to practise the defensive resource 6…Nfd7 vs 6…dxe5.
Good luck, Wojciech! Consistent small improvements will compound fast—see you at your next rating milestone.