# Week 23: rapid chess opening blunders before move 15

> Week 23: 956 → 1009 in 40 ten-minute rapid games (23 wins, 17 losses), a six-game winning streak, and three opening losses to start.

- URL: https://thechesscoach.netlify.app/journey/week-2024-w24/
- Updated: 2026-10-29
- Author: Ignacio Soler

Week 23 (June 10–16, 2024): I went back to plain 10-minute games, played **40** of them, scored **23 wins and 17 losses**, and climbed from 956 to **1009**. I crossed 1000 again with game #557, at the end of a six-game winning streak. The week began with three losses decided before move 15; those rapid chess opening blunders are the focus below.

## Rapid chess opening blunders before move 15: the week in numbers

| | |
|---|---|
| Games | 40, all 10-minute rapid |
| Wins / losses / draws | 23 / 17 / 0 |
| Rating | 956 → 1009 (+53) |
| Average accuracy | 79.5 % |
| Blunders (Stockfish) | 67 (my opponents: 89) |
| Most played openings | Zukertort Chigorin Variation (7), Queen's Pawn Opening (5), London System (5) |

Some context matters here. In weeks 21 and 22 I had played most of my games at 15 minutes plus 10 seconds
and gone 10–26 in that format. This week every game was 10 minutes. My opponents were also weaker on
paper than before: 954 on average, between 896 and 1021, because my own rating had dropped. So I can't
say the time control alone fixed anything. What I can say is that I blundered less than my opponents for
once (67 to 89), and that none of my mistakes came with less than 10 % of my clock left.

Thursday, June 13 was a marathon: 16 games, 10 wins and 6 losses. With White I went 13–7, with Black
10–10. My 1.d4 setups did the work: the plain Queen's Pawn Opening went 5–0 and the London System 3–2.
The Zukertort Chigorin Variation, my most played line, was the exception at 3–4. And only five times this
week did I lose or fail to win from a position Stockfish gave me at least an 80 % chance in.

## The three losses that opened the week

All three came on Monday, June 10, in my first three games, and all three are opening or early
middlegame blunders.

### 1. Developing the knight to the wrong square

Game #523, Black against Ysnzrll (970), in a Giuoco Pianissimo. Equal position, +0.17, move 5.

> **Move 5: where should the g8 knight go?**
> Position (FEN): `r1bqk1nr/ppp2ppp/2np4/2b1p3/2B1P3/3P1N2/PPP2PPP/RNBQ1RK1 b kq - 1 5`
> Played: Nge7 — Knight from g8 to e7
> Better: Nf6 — Knight from g8 to f6

5...Nge7 develops a piece, so it looks harmless. Stockfish disagrees: +0.17 became +2.37. Its main reply
is 6.Ng5, attacking my f7 pawn, which nothing but my king defends, while White's bishop on c4 is already
aiming at it. The line continues 6...Rf8 7.Nxh7 Rh8 8.Qh5. Notice the squares White uses: h7 and h5. A
knight on f6 covers both of them. A knight on e7 covers neither. That's why the boring 5...Nf6 is the
right square: it develops and defends the king's side at the same time
([game on Chess.com](https://www.chess.com/game/live/107690935974)).

### 2. The queen grabs a pawn and gets pinned

Game #524, Black against Garpez11 (969), in a Scotch Game. I was winning, -3.27, with my queen already
active on h4 and my king still on e8.

> **Move 8: my king is still on the e-file**
> Position (FEN): `r1b1k2r/pppp1p1p/2n4p/2b5/2BpP2q/7N/PPP2PPP/RN1Q1RK1 b kq - 3 8`
> Played: Qxe4 — Queen takes the pawn on e4
> Better: Ne5 — Knight from c6 to e5, attacking the bishop on c4, which has no defender

8...Qxe4 takes a pawn and puts my queen on the same file as my own king. White's answer is 9.Re1: the
rook attacks the queen, and the queen can't step off the e-file without exposing the king behind it. That
is a pin. In Stockfish's line I have to give the queen for the rook (9...Qe5 10.Rxe5+). The evaluation
swung from −3.27 to +6.95. The engine's 8...Ne5 attacks White's undefended bishop on c4 and keeps
everything safe ([game on Chess.com](https://www.chess.com/game/live/107691803182)).

### 3. Castling away a defender

Game #525, White against Maan_kuk (971), in my Zukertort Chigorin setup. Black was slightly better, −0.52,
and had a rook on b2 deep in my position.

> **Move 14: my king on e1 is the only defender of the knight on d2**
> Position (FEN): `3q1rk1/2p1bppp/Q3p3/3p1b2/3P1B2/2P1P3/Pr1N1PPP/R3K2R w KQ - 0 14`
> Played: O-O — Castles, but the king stops defending the knight on d2
> Better: e4 — Pawn from e3 to e4, attacking the bishop on f5

Castling is supposed to be the safe move. Here it wasn't. My king on e1 was the only piece defending the
knight on d2, which Black's rook on b2 was attacking. After 14.O-O the knight is no longer defended.
Black's best reply, 14...g5, attacks my bishop on f4, and the line goes 15.e4 gxf4 16.exf5 Rxd2. The
evaluation dropped from −0.52 to −4.54. The engine's 14.e4 attacks the bishop on f5 first and keeps the
king where it's useful ([game on Chess.com](https://www.chess.com/game/live/107692102194)).

## The lesson of the week

Three losses, three "safe" moves: developing a knight, taking a pawn, castling. Each one was fine in
general and wrong in that position. For me, getting better at rapid chess starts there: in a 10-minute
game I can't calculate everything, but I can always spend a few seconds on one question during the first
fifteen moves, **what does this move stop doing?** The knight on e7 stopped guarding h7 and h5. The queen
on e4 stopped being safe from the e-file. The castled king stopped defending d2. After those three games
I went 23–14 for the rest of the week.

## All games this week

| Game # | Date | Colour | Opponent (rating) | Result | Opening | Accuracy | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 523 | Jun 10 | Black | Ysnzrll (970) | Loss | Giuoco Piano Game Giuoco Pianissimo Variation | 46.6 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/107690935974) |
| 524 | Jun 10 | Black | Garpez11 (969) | Loss | Scotch Game | 43.6 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/107691803182) |
| 525 | Jun 10 | White | Maan_kuk (971) | Loss | Queens Pawn Opening Zukertort Chigorin Variation | 78.5 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/107692102194) |
| 526 | Jun 11 | White | mahernaj (932) | Win | Queens Pawn Opening Zukertort Chigorin Variation | 96.5 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/107702864118) |
| 527 | Jun 11 | Black | Nigela31 (957) | Loss | Ruy Lopez Opening Cozio Defense | 77.5 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/107702914594) |
| 528 | Jun 11 | White | apex_7493 (941) | Loss | Queens Pawn Opening Zukertort Chigorin Variation | 96.9 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/107703153072) |
| 529 | Jun 11 | White | Merdan041 (951) | Loss | Indian Game East Indian London System | 68.0 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/107705841514) |
| 530 | Jun 11 | Black | IAmTheWorstPlayerOfChess (915) | Win | Center Game Accepted Kieseritzky Variation | 95.9 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/107707707416) |
| 531 | Jun 11 | Black | JorgePeidro (921) | Loss | Scotch Game | 68.6 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/107707849666) |
| 532 | Jun 11 | White | berturris (896) | Win | Queens Pawn Opening Mikenas Defense | 73.0 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/107709628246) |
| 533 | Jun 12 | Black | MakendraKM (897) | Win | Center Game Accepted Normal Variation | 99.6 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/107719800948) |
| 534 | Jun 12 | White | andrewnik1970 (916) | Win | Queens Pawn Opening | 88.4 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/107719867396) |
| 535 | Jun 12 | Black | Kalamkhan (937) | Win | Ruy Lopez Opening Cozio Defense | 68.9 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/107719994236) |
| 536 | Jun 12 | White | PilliVasi (948) | Win | Queens Pawn Opening Zukertort Variation | 95.9 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/107721114478) |
| 537 | Jun 12 | White | x-7078475191 (948) | Loss | Queens Pawn Opening Zukertort Chigorin Variation | 67.9 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/107721274710) |
| 538 | Jun 12 | White | NgNguytt (957) | Loss | London System | 60.9 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/107721409282) |
| 539 | Jun 13 | Black | namespacetaken (924) | Win | Scotch Game | 94.6 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/107736141918) |
| 540 | Jun 13 | Black | leeeema (969) | Loss | Ponziani Opening | 51.2 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/107736239204) |
| 541 | Jun 13 | White | vkhddae (941) | Win | Queens Pawn Opening Zukertort Chigorin Variation | 96.9 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/107736353122) |
| 542 | Jun 13 | Black | vkhddae (933) | Win | Queens Pawn Opening | 77.7 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/107736411470) |
| 543 | Jun 13 | White | andrija_o (951) | Win | London System | 95.6 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/107736510898) |
| 544 | Jun 13 | Black | harshsharmaji (933) | Win | Queens Pawn Opening | 63.1 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/107736548772) |
| 545 | Jun 13 | Black | ishu-Dewanta (988) | Loss | Ruy Lopez Opening Cozio Defense | 69.3 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/107737136088) |
| 546 | Jun 13 | Black | Rove85 (993) | Loss | Center Game Accepted Normal Variation | 57.9 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/107737629914) |
| 547 | Jun 13 | White | yehhell (974) | Loss | London System | 54.4 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/107741060334) |
| 548 | Jun 13 | White | spanki01 (935) | Win | Queens Pawn Opening | 94.2 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/107742052356) |
| 549 | Jun 13 | Black | Boygeeve (962) | Loss | Scotch Game Ghulam Kassim Variation | 71.8 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/107742129238) |
| 550 | Jun 13 | White | NorbertdeRiro (961) | Win | London System | 95.6 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/107743655932) |
| 551 | Jun 13 | Black | Himanshuvaswani (985) | Loss | Center Game Accepted Kieseritzky Variation | 87.3 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/107745006512) |
| 552 | Jun 13 | White | IvanDoc90 (929) | Win | Queens Pawn Opening Zukertort Chigorin Variation | 98.6 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/107745828574) |
| 553 | Jun 13 | Black | SarmantnyLado (946) | Win | Reti Opening | 78.6 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/107746049176) |
| 554 | Jun 13 | Black | Wkp41730 (969) | Win | Scotch Game | 72.0 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/107746293652) |
| 555 | Jun 14 | White | tavietphuong0906 (954) | Win | London System | 91.6 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/107749399590) |
| 556 | Jun 14 | Black | RainyinSeattle (972) | Win | Giuoco Piano Game Giuoco Pianissimo Variation | 91.7 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/107749454250) |
| 557 | Jun 14 | White | romesanty4 (967) | Win | Dutch Defense | 94.0 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/107749540272) |
| 558 | Jun 14 | Black | Iwan1000 (1021) | Loss | Vienna Game Max Lange Defense | 63.9 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/107751845822) |
| 559 | Jun 14 | White | aljev10_15_22 (1001) | Loss | Queens Pawn Opening Zukertort Chigorin Variation | 94.0 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/107752559624) |
| 560 | Jun 15 | White | sai1431 (954) | Win | Queens Pawn Opening | 79.3 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/107772282112) |
| 561 | Jun 15 | Black | 8j8y (988) | Win | Kings Pawn Opening Leonardis Variation | 90.5 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/107772335978) |
| 562 | Jun 16 | White | mmssindia (982) | Win | Queens Pawn Opening Zukertort Variation | 89.0 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/107785482794) |

Previous: [week 22](/journey/week-2024-w23/). Next: [week 24](/journey/week-2024-w25/). Back to
[the journey](/journey/). And if you want to see which "safe" moves are costing you,
[review your own games like this](/features/ai-chess-analysis/).

For a general method beyond this week's games, see [the rapid improvement guide](/guides/how-to-get-better-at-rapid-chess/).

## FAQ

### Which opening blunders decided my first three rapid losses?

The first three losses were all decided before move 15. Across the week, 43 of my 107 mistakes and blunders came in the opening, despite finishing back above 1000.

### Is a 10-minute game or 15 minutes plus 10 seconds better for improving?

I can only report my results. In weeks 21 and 22 I went 10–26 at 15 minutes plus 10 seconds; this week, playing only 10-minute games, I went 23–17. My opponents' average rating also dropped, to 954, so the format wasn't the only change.

### What is a pin in chess?

A piece that can't move without exposing a more valuable piece behind it. In game #524 my queen took a pawn on e4, and 9.Re1 pinned it to my king on e8.

## 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)
- [Week 24 (Jun 2024): the forks and loose pieces I kept missing](https://thechesscoach.netlify.app/journey/week-2024-w25.md)
- [Free AI chess analysis of your games, explained](https://thechesscoach.netlify.app/features/ai-chess-analysis.md)
- [How to get better at rapid chess: play, review, repeat](https://thechesscoach.netlify.app/guides/how-to-get-better-at-rapid-chess.md)