29 games at 3+2. 11 won, 18 lost. The engine flagged 27 blunders and 58 further mistakes.
11−18Wins and losses
894 to 850 (−44)Rating, first to last game
0.93Blunders per game
6 of 18Losses that began from +3.0 or better
5.2 sAverage time per move
A blunder is a move after which the engine evaluation drops by three pawns or more. A mistake is a drop of one and a half to three pawns. Times are UTC.
Sessions
The day is split into parts (by time control, or by when the games ended on a long day), so the course of the day is visible.
Session
Games ended
Games
Won and lost
Blunders per game
Mistakes per game
Lost from +3.0
Morning
07:31 to 11:58
9
4−5
1.11
2.22
2
Afternoon
13:38 to 15:51
8
3−5
0.88
2.25
2
Evening
18:16 to 19:13
12
4−8
0.83
1.67
2
Key positions
15 positions from the day. Use the buttons under each board: test yourself first, then see what happened and the better move, or open the whole game up to that point. The red arrow is the move that was played.
Morning
9 games, 4 won and 5 lost. 1.11 blunders per game.
Clock: this move took 2.8 s, and 2:57 were left after it.
5...d6 emptied the d7 square, so White's bishop on b5 pinned the knight on c6 to the king. After 6.d5 the pinned knight had nowhere to go: the engine already rates the position −1.9, and the game continued 6...O-O 7.dxc6 with a piece lost. 5...exd4 settles the centre and keeps the position level (−0.2).
Before moving a pawn in front of a piece, ask which line it opens or closes. Here the d-pawn was the only thing between the bishop and the king.
Clock: this move took 1.9 s, and 2:34 were left after it.
On f5 the knight stood on the same diagonal as the king on c8, and White's bishop could reach g4 with a pin. After 21.Bg4 the knight is lost even though Black unpins with ...Kb8, because 22.Bxf5 follows (−4.9). 20...Kb7 or 20...Ng6 avoid the problem.
Before placing a piece on a diagonal or file that points at your king, check whether an enemy piece can pin it.
Clock: this move took 27.7 s, and 58.9 s were left after it.
Black's pieces were all aimed at White's king: a knight on f4, a bishop on d4, and the pawn push ...h5 was coming. 21.Nb5 took the knight to the edge of the board. After 21...Bxa1 22.Rxa1 h5 the white queen is driven back and Black is clearly better (−4.0).
21.Ne2 brings the knight toward the defence and keeps +1.9.
When the opponent attacks your king, bring pieces closer. A move to the rim is rarely the answer.
Before the move: mate in 1 for the authorAfter the best reply: −0.2
Clock: this move took 4.1 s, and 15.0 s were left after it.
Black's rook on e2 and knight on e3 already surround the white king on h1. 30...Re1# is checkmate: the rook checks along the first rank, the knight covers g2, and White's own pawn on h2 blocks the last square. Instead 30...Nd5 let White back into the game (−0.2), and the game was lost 19 moves later.
Before every move, look at all the checks first. Ask whether any check leaves the king without a square.
Clock: this move took 9.9 s, and 1:52 were left after it.
White's queen on f3 was attacked by the rook on f8 and protected only by the pawn on g2. 25.e6 pushed a pawn instead of dealing with that, and 25...Rxf3 26.gxf3 cost a queen for a rook (−3.0). Moving the queen with 25.Qe2 keeps an advantage (+2.3).
A pawn push is not a defence. First answer every attack on your pieces.
Clock: this move took 13.4 s, and 2:36 were left after it.
The pawn on g5 was defended by Black's queen on f5. 14.Nxg5 won the pawn but lost the knight to 14...Qxg5 (−5.3). White was already slightly worse, and 14.Nxc5 was the move to find: it trades the knight for the bishop and keeps the game close (−1.1).
Before capturing, count who defends the target. A defended pawn costs a piece if the capturing piece is worth more.
Clock: this move took 1.8 s, and 2:59 were left after it.
Black's knight on h5 attacked White's undefended bishop on f4. 11.Be2 attacked the knight in return, but 11...Nxf4 captured first and also forked the queen on d3 and the bishop on e2 (−4.1). Moving the bishop away, 11.Bd2, keeps +2.3.
A counter-attack only works if it takes away the attacker first. Otherwise move or defend the piece.
Clock: this move took 4.7 s, and 1:07 were left after it.
Black was far ahead from the opening (the engine had it above +7 at one point) and the lead drained slowly: 20...Qxc4+ and 25...Na5 each gave back more than a pawn. The decisive step was 27...g6, which allowed 28.Ne7+ forking the king and the rook on c8 (−4.0). 27...Kf8 keeps a small edge (+0.6).
In a winning position, check the opponent's checks, captures and threats before every move, and keep simplifying.
Clock: this move took 1.9 s, and 2:43 were left after it.
White's knight on e5 was one jump from c6, a square that attacks both the queen on d8 and the bishop on e7. 10...d4 ignored this and 11.Nc6 won material (−4.2). 10...Bb7 or 10...Re8 limit the damage.
When an enemy knight is near the centre, list the squares it can reach and what they attack.
Clock: this move took 2.8 s, and 2:59 were left after it.
After 3...Bb4 the pawn on e4 was attacked by the knight on f6 and defended only by the knight on c3. 4.Bc4 allowed 4...Bxc3 5.dxc3 Nxe4, and a pawn is lost (the engine now rates White at −0.7). 4.e5 gains time and keeps a small edge (+0.9).
When a pawn has one defender, an exchange that removes the defender wins it. Check what defends your pawns.
Clock: this move took 17.5 s, and 2:20 were left after it.
The bishop on e2 was attacked by Black's queen on b2 and defended only by the queen on d1. 17.Qc1 left it with no defender, so 17...Qxe2 won a piece (−3.7). 17.Qe1 keeps the bishop protected (+1.0).
Clock: this move took 15.4 s, and 2:06 were left after it.
White's pieces were ready to attack Black's king. From d8 the queen guarded g5; 22...Qd4 gave that up, and 23.Qg5+ came with check and then won the knight on h5 (−4.5). 22...a5 keeps the queen where it covers g5 (−0.7).
Before moving the queen away from your king, list the squares it was guarding.
Clock: this move took 5.7 s, and 2:47 were left after it.
After the early queen trade Black's king stood on d8 and the knight on d4 stood on the same file as White's rook on d1, so it was pinned. 9...c6 attacked the bishop on b5 but did not unpin: 10.Nxe5 cxb5 11.Ngf3 Ke8 12.Rxd4 and White won the pinned knight (−1.6). 9...Nxe4 takes a pawn and stays close (−0.5).
This is a mistake of about one pawn, not a blunder, but it is the same kind of error that decided other games.
A piece pinned to the king is a target. Count the pieces that can attack it, and unpin before counter-attacking.
Clock: this move took 23.1 s, and 2:08 were left after it.
Black's queen on h4 and bishop on g4 were already aimed at the kingside. 11.g3 attacked the queen but weakened f3 and h3: after 11...Qh3 White has no good defence (−5.1), and the bishop is ready to jump to f3. 11.Qf4 keeps the balance (+0.3).
A pawn move next to your king cannot be undone. Before g3, h3 or g4, check which pieces will use the new holes.