Why do I keep losing at chess? Week 20 and a six-game losing streak
Short week, bad week. Between May 20 and May 23, 2024 I played only 10 rapid games and scored 2 wins, 7 losses and 1 draw, going from 1038 to 1026. Six of those losses came in a row, from game #467 to #472. If you have ever typed "why do I keep losing at chess" into a search bar after a run like that, this is what one of those runs looks like from the inside, move by move, with Stockfish holding the pen.
The week in numbers
| Games | 10 (9 at 20 minutes, 1 at 10 minutes) |
| Wins / losses / draws | 2 / 7 / 1 |
| Rating | 1038 → 1026 (−12) |
| Average accuracy | 73.3 % |
| Blunders (Stockfish) | 23 |
| Most played openings | Indian Game (2), Queen's Pawn Opening (2), Horwitz Defense (1) |
The rating barely moved because of who I was playing. My opponents averaged 1172, and on Monday, May 20, I faced four players rated 1274, 1286, 1304 and 1329 in a row. I beat one of them, bobbo6767 (1286), with 93.3 % accuracy in a short Zukertort Chigorin game. The other three beat me.
Then there's the uncomfortable part. Six of my seven losses are logged as "game abandoned": I left instead of resigning or playing on. Two of them, #470 and #471, were Vienna Game Max Lange lines with Black that I abandoned after only 7 and 9 moves. With Black I lost all four games this week. And in three losses, plus the draw, Stockfish says I had at least an 80 % chance of winning at some point. The draw against Matul63 (#474) ended by repetition at move 51 with 2 seconds left on my clock.
Three moves from the streak
A capture that freed a pawn to hit my queen
Game #465, White against DewaCatur_19 (1274). Black's pawn on b5 was attacking my queen on a4, so the queen had to do something.
I took the attacker with my bishop, 10.Bxb5. It looked like winning a pawn. But Black had two pawns guarding b5, and after 10...cxb5 the new pawn on b5 attacks my queen again, which has no defender. I had lost a bishop for a pawn and still had to move the queen. Stockfish's evaluation went from +0.50 to −6.27. The humble retreat 10.Qd1 kept the position slightly better for me (game on Chess.com).
A queen trade that left my rook on a diagonal
Game #467, Black against Marleon777 (1304). White was a little better, +0.61, and I wanted to trade queens.
16...Qg5 attacks White's queen on e3 and pins the g2 pawn to the king, so it can't move. It looks aggressive. Stockfish's line shows the problem two moves later: 17.Qxg5 hxg5 18.Bd5. White's bishop now attacks my knight on c6, which has no defender, with my rook on a8 behind it. After 18...Na5 19.Bxa8 I lose a rook for a bishop. The engine's 16...Rb8 takes the rook off that diagonal before any of this can happen. The evaluation went from +0.61 to +4.45, and I resigned this one (game on Chess.com).
A pawn push answered by a pawn fork
Game #469, White against promo22ndking (1097). I was clearly better, +2.12, and my queenside pawns were rolling.
24.b5 attacks the knight on c6. Stockfish's answer for Black ignores it: 24...e4 pushes a pawn that attacks my bishop on d3 and my knight on f3 at once, a pawn fork. After 25.bxc6 exd3 26.Qxd3 bxc6 everything is traded off and the game is about equal (+2.12 had become −0.32). In the game Black retreated with 24...Na7 instead, but the advantage was gone either way. Stockfish's 24.Be4 attacks the same knight and, by standing on e4, blocks that pawn's path. This was another abandoned loss (game on Chess.com).
The lesson of the week
None of these moves lost to a deep combination. Each one lost to the opponent's very next move, or the one after: a pawn recapture, a bishop jump, a pawn push. So my answer to why I keep losing at chess, at least this week, is that I was choosing moves by what they attack and not by what they allow. The lesson I'm writing down: before I commit to a move, I look at the board from my opponent's side and name their most forcing reply, the capture, check or attack I'd least like to see. If I can't find one, I play my move. If I can, I find another one. And when the game goes wrong, I want to stay and finish it, because six abandoned losses tell me I'm not doing that.
All games this week
| Game # | Date | Colour | Opponent (rating) | Result | Opening | Accuracy | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 465 | May 20 | White | DewaCatur_19 (1274) | Loss | Queens Pawn Opening Horwitz Defense | 54.5 | game |
| 466 | May 20 | White | bobbo6767 (1286) | Win | Queens Pawn Opening Zukertort Chigorin Variation | 93.3 | game |
| 467 | May 20 | Black | Marleon777 (1304) | Loss | Giuoco Piano Game Main Line | 50.9 | game |
| 468 | May 20 | White | stodra (1329) | Loss | Indian Game | 92.8 | game |
| 469 | May 21 | White | promo22ndking (1097) | Loss | Indian Game | 78.1 | game |
| 470 | May 21 | Black | Gabscrazy (1167) | Loss | Vienna Game Max Lange Meitner Mieses Gambit | 70.7 | game |
| 471 | May 21 | Black | Ayachi_88 (1037) | Loss | Vienna Game Max Lange Defense | 51.8 | game |
| 472 | May 22 | Black | elbubo (1107) | Loss | Queens Pawn Opening | 68.7 | game |
| 473 | May 22 | White | KalSK_1GR (1079) | Win | Queens Pawn Opening | 93.8 | game |
| 474 | May 23 | White | Matul63 (1035) | Draw | Queens Pawn Opening Zukertort Variation | 78.5 | game |
Previous week: week 19. Next week: week 21. The full story lives on the journey hub, and if you want your own losing streak explained move by move, review your own games like this.
Frequently asked questions
Why do I keep losing at chess even though my rating barely drops?
Opponent strength matters. This week I went 2–7–1 and lost only 12 points, because my opponents averaged 1172 and four of them were rated between 1274 and 1329.
What usually decides a losing streak at around 1000?
In my case, single moves. Stockfish shows a bishop capture that let a pawn hit my queen, a queen trade that cost me a rook, and a pawn push answered by a pawn fork. In three of the losses, and in the draw, I had at least an 80 % winning chance at some point.
What is a pawn fork?
One pawn attacking two pieces at once. In game #469 Black answered my 24.b5 with 24...e4, attacking my bishop on d3 and my knight on f3 at the same time.