25 October 2026

27 games at 3+2. 8 won, 18 lost, 1 drawn. The engine flagged 67 blunders and 70 further mistakes.

8−18Wins and losses
874 to 788 (−86)Rating, first to last game
2.48Blunders per game
7 of 18Losses that began from +3.0 or better
4.8 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	08:15 to 09:47	11	1−9	3.55	4.00	4
Afternoon	13:53 to 16:48	13	6−7	1.54	1.62	2
Evening	18:01 to 18:13	3	1−2	2.67	1.67	1

Key positions

5 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

11 games, 1 won and 9 lost. 3.55 blunders per game.

Two attackers against two defenders on g3

Hanging pieces and moved defenders 41...Qxg3+?? Black, game lost Opponent rated 875

Before the move: +9.4After the best reply: −6.0

Clock: this move took 1.0 s, and 24.9 s were left after it.

At move 41 Black was far ahead (+9.4). The pawn on g3 was attacked by the queen on f2 and the bishop on e5, and defended by the queen on b3 and the king on h3. 41...Qxg3+ started the exchanges, and after 42.Qxg3 Bxg3 43.Kxg3 Black had given a bishop for a pawn (−6.0).

The clock readings show 1.0 second for this move, with 24.9 seconds left against White's 10.1. 41...Kg8 keeps the winning position (+9.4). The game was later lost by resignation.

Count attackers and defenders before you capture. With equal numbers, the defender makes the last capture, even with little time left.

Open this position on Lichess

A bishop check that also hit the queen

Forks and pins 21.Bd3?? White, game lost Opponent rated 837

Before the move: −0.2After the best reply: −8.9

Clock: this move took 26.2 s, and 1:33 were left after it.

At move 21 Black's queen on b6 stood behind the bishop on c5, so 21...Be3+ was ready: it checks the king on c1 and attacks the queen on f4, and the queen on b6 defends the bishop. 21.Bd3 did nothing against it, and 21...Be3+ came at once (−8.9).

21.Qe4 moves the queen out of the bishop's reach and keeps the game level (−0.2). 21.Bd3 took 26.2 seconds, with 93.2 seconds left, and White resigned after 21...Be3+.

After the opponent lines up a queen behind a bishop, look at every check that bishop can give and what else it would attack.

Open this position on Lichess

Afternoon

13 games, 6 won and 7 lost. 1.54 blunders per game.

Queen and bishop on the diagonal to h2

King safety 12.cxd5?? White, game lost Opponent rated 813

Before the move: −0.5After the best reply: mate in 1 against the author

Clock: this move took 1.9 s, and 2:42 were left after it.

At move 12 Black's queen on d6 and bishop on c7 stood on the same diagonal to h2, and only the king defended h2, so 12...Qxh2# was threatened. 12.cxd5 did not stop it, and 12...Qxh2# ended the game.

12.Qg3 meets the threat and keeps the game level (−0.5). The clock was not the problem: 12.cxd5 took 1.9 seconds, with 162.7 seconds left.

After every opponent move, ask what it threatens next to the king. A queen with a bishop behind it on the diagonal to h2 means mate if h2 has only the king to defend it.

Open this position on Lichess

A smothered mate was missed

Missed tactics 24...Qxh3?? Black, game lost Opponent rated 806

Before the move: mate in 4 for the authorAfter the best reply: −0.3

Clock: this move took 2.2 s, and 1:32 were left after it.

At move 24 Black had a forced mate: 24...Nc2+ 25.Kb1 Na3+ (a double check) 26.Ka1 Qb1+ 27.Rxb1 Nc2#, with the white king shut in by its own pawns and rook. The white queen on h3 attacked the queen on f5, and 24...Qxh3 traded queens instead (−0.3).

The move took 2.2 seconds, with 92.3 seconds left. The game was later lost by resignation.

When your queen is attacked, look at checks first. A check can be stronger than saving or trading the queen.

Open this position on Lichess

Evening

3 games, 1 won and 2 lost. 2.67 blunders per game.

The king left f7 without a defender

King safety 8...Kh8?? Black, game lost Opponent rated 809

Before the move: +7.5After the best reply: mate in 4 against the author

Clock: this move took 14.4 s, and 2:48 were left after it.

At move 8 Black was clearly ahead (+7.5), but the queen on b3 and the knight on g5 both attacked f7, and only the king on g8 defended it. 8...Kh8 took that defender away, and 9.Nf7+ attacks the king and the queen on d8. The engine also finds the smothered mate 9...Kg8 10.Nh6+ Kh8 11.Qg8+ Nxg8 12.Nf7# (mate in 4 against the author).

In the game, 9...Kg8 10.Nxd8+ Kf8 11.Qf7# followed. 8...d5 blocks the diagonal from b3 to g8 and keeps the lead (+7.5). 8...Kh8 took 14.4 seconds, with 168.4 seconds left.

When a queen and a knight both aim at f7, keep it defended and close the queen's diagonal, for example with ...d5.

Open this position on Lichess

All games

Every game of the day in the order played. Peak is the best evaluation the author had during the game.
#	Session	Colour	Opponent	Result	Moves	Blunders	Mistakes	Peak	Seconds per move	Featured
1	Morning	White	846	Won by the clock	42	4	9	+4.5	5.9
2	Morning	Black	875	Lost by resignation	66	5	5	+6.8	4.3	41...Qxg3+
3	Morning	White	891	Lost by resignation	55	8	7	+6.9	4.0
4	Morning	Black	862	Lost by the clock	27	2	0	+1.0	8.1
5	Morning	Black	859	Lost by resignation	36	1	2	−0.1	4.5
6	Morning	White	846	Lost by resignation	15	3	0	+0.4	4.6
7	Morning	Black	935	Lost by checkmate	89	5	9	+3.4	3.9
8	Morning	White	837	Lost by resignation	21	1	3	+1.9	6.1	21.Bd3
9	Morning	Black	825	Lost by resignation	40	2	2	+0.4	3.6
10	Morning	White	828	Lost by resignation	31	5	3	+6.8	4.0
11	Morning	Black	789	Drawn by other	69	3	4	+4.7	3.5
12	Afternoon	White	819	Lost by resignation	15	1	3	+2.8	4.7
13	Afternoon	White	786	Won by resignation	43	3	1	+9.8	3.9
14	Afternoon	Black	776	Won by other	21	1	2	+8.9	4.5
15	Afternoon	White	793	Won by resignation	34	1	1	+13.4	5.7
16	Afternoon	Black	817	Lost by resignation	17	3	2	−0.1	3.6
17	Afternoon	Black	803	Lost by resignation	18	2	5	+2.4	6.5
18	Afternoon	White	813	Lost by checkmate	12	1	0	+0.6	3.4	12.cxd5
19	Afternoon	Black	806	Lost by resignation	32	3	3	+4.2	6.2	24...Qxh3
20	Afternoon	Black	759	Won by checkmate	22	1	1	mate	7.8
21	Afternoon	White	778	Won by checkmate	22	1	0	mate	3.8
22	Afternoon	White	798	Lost by resignation	27	1	1	+2.7	7.3
23	Afternoon	Black	791	Lost by resignation	17	1	1	+6.7	3.6
24	Afternoon	White	798	Won by resignation	22	1	1	+7.3	8.6
25	Evening	Black	809	Lost by checkmate	10	2	0	+7.1	3.8	8...Kh8
26	Evening	Black	803	Lost by resignation	9	0	1	+0.1	3.1
27	Evening	White	786	Won by checkmate	49	6	4	mate	5.2

Losses on time

1 of the 18 losses ended on the clock. When the clock ran out the engine rated these positions at −10.3 for the author. A rating below −3.0 means the game was already lost on the board; 0 of them were not. The Clock page shows how time use relates to blunders.