# Game #506: two missed mates in one, and I still lost the game

> Game #506: in a Giuoco Piano as Black my opponent missed mate in one on moves 15 and 20. I got a winning position out of it and still lost, with 11 blunders.

- URL: https://thechesscoach.netlify.app/journey/collapse-game-506/
- Updated: 2026-10-28
- Author: Ignacio Soler

On June 4, 2024, in game #506 of my rapid journey, my opponent had mate in one twice and didn't see it either time. I survived both, got a winning position, and lost anyway. I lost to **ConfusedMatrix (1022)** with Black and dropped from 958 to **951**.

Stockfish counted **eleven blunders** in my moves and seven in my opponent's. My accuracy was 52.2 and White's 47.8. My best winning chance in the game, by the engine's estimate, was 85.8%. It's the kind of game where both players deserve to lose, and I made sure it was me.

## Where I was

Game #506 sits in [week 22 of the journey](/journey/week-2024-w23/), the week of 91 blunders. It was the third loss of a seven-game losing streak, games #504 to #510, the same streak that included [game #509](/journey/collapse-game-509/) the next morning. The day before, I'd lost [game #499](/journey/collapse-game-499/) from a winning rook endgame, also as Black in a Giuoco Piano.

| | |
|---|---|
| Game | #506, June 4, 2024 |
| Opponent | ConfusedMatrix (1022) |
| My colour, rating after | Black, 951 (from 958) |
| Time control | 15 minutes + 10 seconds per move |
| Opening | Giuoco Piano Game (C50) |
| Result | Loss, game abandoned after White's 39th move |
| Accuracy (Stockfish) | Me 52.2, White 47.8 |
| My blunders / mistakes / inaccuracies | 11 / 1 / 4 |

## Moment 1: a king move nobody asked for

The opening was 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.O-O d6 5.h3 Nge7 6.Nc3 O-O 7.d3. My 5...Nge7 was an inaccuracy (the engine wanted the knight on f6), but on move 7 the position was level.

> **Game #506, move 7: White's bishop on c4 points at f7**
> Position (FEN): `r1bq1rk1/ppp1nppp/2np4/2b1p3/2B1P3/2NP1N1P/PPP2PP1/R1BQ1RK1 b - - 0 7`
> Played: Kh8 — Kh8, the king steps into the corner
> Better: Na5 — Na5, the knight attacks the bishop on c4, "about equal"

Kh8 was a blunder by the engine's count: -0.04 to **+4.41** (evaluations are from White's side, so plus means better for White). With my king on g8, the pawn on f7 had two defenders, the king and the rook. On h8 the king no longer guarded it, and White's bishop was already pointing at it. The engine's answer was 8.Ng5, a second attacker on f7.

The engine's move for me was 7...Na5, chasing that bishop, the same knight move it had wanted the day before in [game #499](/journey/opening-lesson-game-499/). White played 8.Bg5 instead of Ng5 (also a blunder, back to -0.17), and I got away with it.

## Moment 2: the knight that guarded g6

On move 12 I was slightly better.

> **Game #506, move 12: White's knights are on d5 and h4, close to my king on h8**
> Position (FEN): `r1bq1r1k/ppp1n1pp/3p1p2/2bNp3/2BnP2N/3P2BP/PPP2PP1/R2Q1RK1 b - - 7 12`
> Played: Nec6 — Nec6, my knight goes from e7 to c6
> Better: Nxd5 — Nxd5, knight takes the knight on d5, "slightly better for black"

My knight on e7 was doing two jobs: it watched d5 and it watched g6, the square next to my king. I moved it to c6, and the evaluation went from -0.60 to **+5.26**. White's 13.Qh5 pinned my h-pawn to my king, so a knight landing on g6 could not be taken. I pushed 13...b5 to attack the bishop, and 14.Ng6+ Kg8 came.

## Moment 3: White's first missed mate in one

> **Game #506, move 15: White to move, with knights on d5 and g6 around my king**
> Position (FEN): `r1bq1rk1/p1p3pp/2np1pN1/1pbNp2Q/2BnP3/3P2BP/PPP2PP1/R4RK1 w - - 2 15`
> Played: Nxc7+ — Nxc7+, the knight takes c7, uncovers a check from the bishop on c4 and attacks my rook on a8
> Better: Nxf6# — Nxf6#, knight takes the pawn on f6, checkmate

This is the position I most wanted to look at for this post. White had **mate in one**, actually two of them: knight takes f6 and knight to e7 both checkmate. ConfusedMatrix played knight takes c7 with a discovered check from the bishop, which looked strong and attacked my rook on a8. The engine swung to **-4.89**, and I took the bishop that was giving check, 15...bxc4. One move earlier I was being mated. Now I was winning.

## Moment 4: the free knight I didn't take

After 16.Nxf8, White had two knights deep in my camp, on c7 and f8.

> **Game #506, move 16: White's knights on c7 and f8 are both deep in my position**
> Position (FEN): `r1bq1Nk1/p1N3pp/2np1p2/2b1p2Q/2pnP3/3P2BP/PPP2PP1/R4RK1 b - - 0 16`
> Played: Rb8 — Rb8, my rook leaves a8 and attacks the pawn on b2
> Better: Qxc7 — Qxc7, queen takes the knight on c7, "black is winning"

The knight on c7 was attacking my rook, and I saved the rook. But the knight could simply be taken by my queen, and that was the engine's move, at -5.05. Rb8 dropped the evaluation to 0.00. Saving material is good. Taking the piece that attacks it is often better.

## Moment 5: the second missed mate in one

White's queen took on h7 with check, my king went to f7, and after another check it took the knight on f8. On move 19 White's queen checked from h8.

> **Game #506, move 19: White's queen on h8 gives check**
> Position (FEN): `1rbq1k1Q/p1N3p1/2np1p2/2b1p3/2pnP3/3P2BP/PPP2PP1/R4RK1 b - - 1 19`
> Played: Ke7 — Ke7, the king steps forward to e7
> Better: Kf7 — Kf7, the king steps to f7, "clearly better for black"

I was -2.05 here. Ke7 took my king away from g7, the pawn's only defender, and White had **20.Qxg7#**, mate in one. ConfusedMatrix played 20.Nd5+ instead. And then I blundered right back with 20...Kd7 (the engine wanted Kf7 again), and the evaluation went from -0.21 to +4.17.

## The king walk

From there my king went on a trip: c6 on move 22, c5 on move 30, back to c6 on move 32, d7 on move 34, e8 on move 35. The game kept swinging. 30.c5 was a White blunder that gave me -2.40, and I took the pawn with my king instead of taking the knight on d5 (+3.19). 33.Ra3 was another White blunder, -3.30.

> **Game #506, move 34: my king on c6 is in check from the pawn on d5**
> Position (FEN): `1r1q4/8/b1kp4/b2Pp3/P7/R2pQ1BP/2n2PP1/2R3K1 b - - 0 34`
> Played: Kd7 — Kd7, the king steps to d7
> Better: Kb7 — Kb7, the king steps to b7, "black is winning"

Kd7 put my king where White's queen could chase it, and the evaluation went from -3.19 to 0.00. One move later 35...Ke8 was the eleventh blunder, +5.16. White's queen took my bishop on a6, my pawn on d3 and my knight on a3, I gave my queen for a rook on c1, and after 39.Qxc1 I left. White had a queen, a bishop and five pawns against my rook, bishop and two pawns. I still had 11 minutes and 41 seconds on my clock. My opponent had less than six.

## What I learned from game #506

**My king moves were the problem.** Kh8 on move 7, Ke7 on move 19, Kd7 on move 20, Kxc5 on move 30, Kd7 on move 34, Ke8 on move 35: six of my eleven blunders were king moves. Before a king move now I ask one question: which squares does my king stop guarding when it leaves?

**When a piece attacks, take the attacker.** Moment 4 was a free knight. I saw my rook was attacked and moved it, the same reflex as in [game #480](/journey/opening-lesson-game-480/), when I moved an attacked knight and missed the winning capture.

**A missed mate is not a gift you get to keep.** Twice my opponent missed mate in one, and the engine had me clearly winning twice: after move 15 and after move 33. Luck gave me the chances. It didn't play the moves.

**And again: resign instead of leaving.** This is the second abandoned game in two days, after [game #499](/journey/collapse-game-499/), and [game #509](/journey/collapse-game-509/) was the third.

## What came next

The streak went on: I lost #507 to thiago07dantas, #508 to ACOL42, #509 to kathmandu15 and #510 to majid443, down to 923. Then I beat Ras-stafari twice, and two days after this game I beat Avazbek1999 (1093) in [game #514](/journey/upset-game-514/). The week is in [week 22](/journey/week-2024-w23/), the whole series is on [the journey page](/journey/), and you can [replay game #506 on Chess.com](https://www.chess.com/game/live/111250918813).

If eleven blunders in one game sounds like a lot, it is, and the difference between a blunder, a mistake and an inaccuracy is in [this plain explanation](/answers/inaccuracy-vs-mistake-vs-blunder/). Chess Coach finds positions like moves 15 and 20 in your own games, inside Claude or ChatGPT, and tells you what both sides missed: [how the analysis works](/features/ai-chess-analysis/).

## FAQ

### What mates in one were missed in game #506?

On move 15 White could mate with a knight: 15.Nxf6# (15.Nde7# also worked). White played 15.Nxc7+ instead. On move 20 White could mate with 20.Qxg7# and played 20.Nd5+. Both times my own king move had allowed it.

### Was Black winning in game #506?

Yes, several times. After 15.Nxc7+ bxc4 16.Nxf8 Stockfish rated the position -5.05 for Black if I took the knight on c7 with my queen. My best winning chance in the game, by the engine's estimate, was 85.8%.

### Why was 7...Kh8 a blunder?

With my king on h8, the pawn on f7 was defended only by the rook, while White's bishop on c4 already aimed at it. The engine's answer was 8.Ng5, adding the knight as a second attacker, at +4.41. Its first choice for me on move 7 was 7...Na5.

## Related

- [From 631 to 1385: my chess journey in 2,117 games](https://thechesscoach.netlify.app/journey.md)
- [Week 22 (Jun 2024): 91 blunders in 29 games and a stalemate](https://thechesscoach.netlify.app/journey/week-2024-w23.md)
- [Giuoco Piano Na5 as Black: chasing the bishop and not taking it](https://thechesscoach.netlify.app/journey/opening-lesson-game-499.md)
- [Van't Kruijs Opening as Black: game 509, a win I threw away](https://thechesscoach.netlify.app/journey/collapse-game-509.md)
- [Inaccuracy vs mistake vs blunder in chess: the real cutoffs](https://thechesscoach.netlify.app/answers/inaccuracy-vs-mistake-vs-blunder.md)