Coach Chesswick
Hi Tuan Minh “wonderfultime” Le!
You’re currently one of the most feared blitz specialists on the site – congratulations on reaching 3180 (2021-09-27). Your ability to seize the initiative out of seemingly “quiet” Queen’s-Pawn positions is outstanding, and the conversion in your latest win (Mystard14, 05 June) shows just how hard it is for opponents to survive once you plant a knight on e4 and mobilise the heavy pieces.
What you’re already doing well
- Opening versatility as White: The London-system shell (1.d4 Bf4/Bg3) is working, but you’re mixing it with Trompowsky ideas (g-pawn thrusts) and Torre structures, keeping opponents guessing.
- Dynamic central breaks: …f6/e5 (as Black) and f4/e4 (as White) appear frequently. They often tilt the evaluation in your favour very quickly.
- Practical time usage – early on. You build up a small time lead in the first 10–12 moves in most games (see for proof). That pressure alone forces many sub-2700 opponents to implode.
Recurring pain points
- Over-extension of the g-pawn (loss vs. BirdMaster3000 and LionTheLeon_06). Once …g6 is played, playing …h5 or …g5 too early weakens the dark squares. Try to ask yourself “what if White sacrifices on g6/h5 next move?” before committing.
- Back-rank issues in time trouble. Three of the last five losses came from a sudden mate or skewer on the first/last rank. A single luft move (…h6 or …h3) would have defused the danger. Add a “luft check” to your mental list before the 2-minute mark.
- Ruy Lopez, Classical lines. Against dostis you mixed …Bc5 > …Nge7 > …d5, but the pawn on e5 became untouchable and White’s kingside attack was automatic. Consider:
- Switching to the Open (…Nxe4) when you want imbalanced play.
- Or adopting the solid Breyer set-up (…Bb7 …d6 …Re8) if you need a holdable position.
Action-plan for the next month
- 10-minute post-mortem discipline. Immediately after each blitz session, pick one win and one loss, flip on an engine and identify a) first moment you deviated from best play, b) first avoidable tactical miss. Doing this even twice per day adds up to 60 mini-lessons per month.
- Targeted tactics: Filter puzzles for Zwischenzug and Back-rank weakness motifs. Aim for 50 examples each week.
- End-game reps: In several lost games you resigned in equal-material but inferior rook endgames with <10 sec. Add two 15-minute sessions of rook-vs-pawns table-base drilling each week.
- Ruy Lopez tune-up:
- Watch one annotated game by Kramnik in the Breyer.
- Play 20 sparring games vs the computer where you exclusively defend the …Bc5 Classical until move 15, focusing on …h6 timing and the …c5 break.
- Weekly performance review: Check ; if Tuesday Titled games keep yielding negative scores, plan a lighter warm-up schedule beforehand (30 puzzles → 5-min meditation → first event).
Study snapshot
Here’s a quick replay of your latest win – notice how the e4 blockade and the doubling on the e-file sealed the deal:
Final encouragement
Your attacking flair is already world-class; pairing it with a little more prophylaxis (see Prophylaxis) and clock control will push you from “unstoppable” to “untouchable.” Keep enjoying the grind, and good luck in the next Titled Tuesday!