Coach Chesswick
Hi David, here’s some constructive feedback based on your recent games.
What you are doing well
- Energetic attacking play. With White you often seize the initiative early (e.g. the h-pawn storm in your blitz win) and keep your opponent on the back foot. Your tactical eye is sharp – you spot mating nets quickly when the king is drafty.
- Piece activity over material. In several victories you returned material to keep pieces active and the enemy king uncomfortable. That willingness to sacrifice for activity is a hallmark of strong practical play.
- Mixing time controls. You play both Daily and Live games. The extra calculation practice from correspondence is clearly helping your OTB/blitz tactical vision.
Key areas to improve
-
Time management – your #1 leak
Six of your last seven losses were on time in positions that were still very playable (or even better for you).
- Enter every game with a realistic plan for how much time you want left by move 20.
- When it is your opponent’s move, force yourself to rest the mouse and look at the board – do not check messages or other tabs.
- If Daily games are timing out, enable move reminders or reduce the number of concurrent boards.
-
Early‐middlegame plans as Black
In several lost Daily games you played …Bb4–Bf8 vs the English or the Philidor and ended up behind in development. Ask “What is my long-term pawn break?” before choosing piece squares. A sample improvement line:
Study model games in the Reversed Sicilian and the Lion to see how strong players coordinate their pieces. -
Converting technical positions
Even when clearly better (e.g. your Philidor game after 25…Nf4) you sometimes drift. Adopt a “triple-check” habit before every move:
- What is my opponent threatening?
- How do I improve my worst piece?
- Can I simplify to a winning endgame?
Personalised training plan
| Phase (4 weeks) | Focus | Daily dose |
|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Time-management drills – play 10 games at 3 | 2 & force yourself to move by ~20 s. | 2 games / day |
| Week 2 | Opening repair – build one main Black line vs 1.c4 and 1.e4. Create a mini-repertoire file. | 30 min study |
| Week 3 | Endgame technique – rook + pawn vs rook, and opposite-coloured bishop endings. | 20 puzzles |
| Week 4 | Review & annotate your own games (win or lose) – focus on critical moments. | 1 game / day |
Quick reference links
- Review the concepts of tempo and initiative.
- Your best recorded rating so far: 2719 (2022-08-09).
- Opponent profiles worth revisiting: Sky-net, underworldmike.
- See how your performance varies by day of the week: .
You already have the tactical firepower of a master. Plug the practical gaps above and the results will catch up with your vision. Good luck!