# Week 28: three time losses in 48 rapid games

> Week 28: 1018 → 991 in 48 rapid games (22 wins, 25 losses, 1 draw). Three losses on time, all from winning positions, and a missed mate in one.

- URL: https://thechesscoach.netlify.app/journey/week-2024-w29/
- Updated: 2026-10-29
- Author: Ignacio Soler

Week 28 (July 16–21, 2024): **48 rapid games**, 22 wins, 25 losses and a draw, and a drop from **1018 to 991**. There were three time losses in those 48 rapid games. Each included a position the engine assessed as winning for me. The clock records and key moves below put those results in context.

## Three time losses in 48 rapid games: the week in numbers

| | |
|---|---|
| Games | 48, all 10-minute rapid |
| Wins / losses / draws | 22 / 25 / 1 |
| Rating | 1018 → 991 (−27) |
| Average accuracy | 77.8 % |
| Blunders (Stockfish) | 106 (opponents: 109) |
| Most played openings | Zukertort Chigorin (4), Zukertort Variation (4), Giuoco Pianissimo (4), Queen's Pawn (3) |

Wednesday, July 17 was nineteen games: 10 wins and 9 losses. With Black I scored 13–12–1, with White only
9–13. My opponents and I blundered about equally (106 to 109), and in **twelve** games I had at least an
80 % chance of winning and didn't win.

The three time losses were #690 against mrchief117, #696 against proplayerA1 and #705 against Yavin0810.
All three are on that list of twelve. In #690 the story is extreme: at move 31 I had **mate in one**,
31.Qxe7#, and played 31.Qc8+ instead; on move 32 I missed a mate in two. After my 33rd move Stockfish had
me at +5.04 with 68 seconds left, and the clock ran out before I made move 34. On the way there I had
spent 72 seconds on move 24 and 68 seconds on move 30, and both of those moves were blunders.

One more pattern that is getting hard to ignore: in #736 against charly188 I had two pawns against a bare
king and a forced mate available, and my 55...f2 left White's king with no legal move. Stalemate, a draw.
That's the third time since early June that I've stalemated a beaten opponent.

## Three key positions

### The long think that cost the advantage

Game #690, White against mrchief117 (1027), the game I lost on time. I was winning, +5.78, and Black's
pawn on f5 and knight on d7 were both undefended.

> **Move 24: two loose black pieces, the pawn on f5 and the knight on d7**
> Position (FEN): `5k1r/p2np2p/1p5q/2p2p2/2Q2Pn1/2P1P3/PP1N4/2KR2R1 w - - 1 24`
> Played: Rh1 — Rook from g1 to h1, attacking the queen on h6
> Better: Qd5 — Queen from c4 to d5, attacking the pawn on f5 and the knight on d7, neither defended

I spent 72 seconds on 24.Rh1, which attacks the queen on h6. The queen simply moves, and Stockfish's
reply 24...Qc6 even attacks my rook on h1 along the long diagonal. +5.78 fell to +1.65. The engine's
24.Qd5 is a double attack on two pieces that have no defender. It's the kind of move that wins material
quickly and would have saved me clock time later. I still got back to a winning position, and that's
when the mate in one came and went ([game on Chess.com](https://www.chess.com/game/live/108261100316)).

### The knight in front of my queen

Game #692, Black against Monreb (1016), in a Center Game. I was better, −1.56, with my knight on e5
and my queen on e7, one behind the other.

> **Move 7: White's knight on f3 attacks my knight on e5**
> Position (FEN): `r1b1k1nr/ppppqppp/8/2b1n3/2Bp4/2P2N2/PP3PPP/RNBQ1RK1 b kq - 1 7`
> Played: Nf6 — Knight from g8 to f6, developing
> Better: Nxf3+ — Knight takes the knight on f3 with check, a trade

7...Nf6 develops a piece, but my knight on e5 was attacked by White's knight on f3. White can take it,
8.Nxe5, or play 8.Re1, attacking the knight with my queen right behind it on the e-file. The evaluation
went from −1.56 to +1.68. Stockfish's 7...Nxf3+ trades the attacked knight with check and keeps my edge.
I won this game anyway, but I gave away more than three points of evaluation with one natural move
([game on Chess.com](https://www.chess.com/game/live/108269078756)).

### A pawn move that uncovered a bishop

Game #693, Black against Subhasish_9 (1011). Move 4, equal (+0.50), and White's queen and bishop were
already out early.

> **Move 4: White's bishop on c1 is still blocked by the d2 pawn**
> Position (FEN): `r1bqkb1r/pppp1ppp/2n4n/4p3/2B1P3/2P2Q2/PP1P1PPP/RNB1K1NR b KQkq - 0 4`
> Played: Bc5 — Bishop from f8 to c5
> Better: Na5 — Knight from c6 to a5, attacking the bishop on c4, which has no defender

4...Bc5 develops, and allows 5.d4. That pawn would attack my bishop on c5, which has no defender, and by
moving it would open the line from White's bishop on c1 to my knight on h6. Two threats with one pawn move,
+0.50 to +3.67. My opponent played 5.d3 instead. It's the same idea that cost me my queen in game #477 in week 21: d2–d4 uncovering the c1
bishop. Stockfish's 4...Na5 attacks White's undefended bishop on c4 first. I won this game too, but the
pattern is now in my notes twice ([game on Chess.com](https://www.chess.com/game/live/108269364546)).

## The lesson of the week

My time losses are not about playing too slowly in general. They're about where I spend the time. In
#690 I burned more than two minutes on two moves in a winning position, and both were blunders. So the
lesson I'm taking into the next weeks is a clock rule for 10-minute games: **when I'm clearly winning,
I look for checks, captures and loose pieces first, and if I find a simple win I play it without a long
think.** Long thinks belong to the positions where the evaluation is close. Winning positions need clean,
quick moves, and, as #736 showed, one last look at whether my opponent still has a legal move.

## All games this week

| Game # | Date | Colour | Opponent (rating) | Result | Opening | Accuracy | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 690 | Jul 16 | White | mrchief117 (1027) | Loss | Dutch Defense | 80.1 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/108261100316) |
| 691 | Jul 17 | Black | Ireland62 (1039) | Loss | Queens Pawn Opening | 95.9 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/108269040946) |
| 692 | Jul 17 | Black | Monreb (1016) | Win | Center Game Accepted | 59.4 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/108269078756) |
| 693 | Jul 17 | Black | Subhasish_9 (1011) | Win | Kings Pawn Opening | 86.6 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/108269364546) |
| 694 | Jul 17 | White | ARIS69169 (1019) | Win | Englund Gambit | 97.2 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/108269507920) |
| 695 | Jul 17 | White | The_Misha333 (1049) | Loss | Queens Pawn Opening Zukertort Chigorin Variation | 84.8 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/108269652502) |
| 696 | Jul 17 | Black | proplayerA1 (1135) | Loss | Bishops Opening Boi Variation | 77.5 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/108269836902) |
| 697 | Jul 17 | Black | valentkas (1000) | Win | Queens Pawn Opening Anti Torre Attack | 92.5 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/108270237814) |
| 698 | Jul 17 | Black | x-5673856552 (998) | Win | Slav Defense | 71.5 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/108270349632) |
| 699 | Jul 17 | White | ARTIST-99 (998) | Win | Indian Game London System | 53.5 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/108272578044) |
| 700 | Jul 17 | White | mr_goodday (1010) | Win | Queens Pawn Opening Zukertort Variation | 88.6 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/108273048132) |
| 701 | Jul 17 | White | Sam52366 (1033) | Win | Queens Pawn Opening Accelerated London System | 85.8 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/108273321082) |
| 702 | Jul 17 | Black | harryesnell (1057) | Loss | Scotch Game Classical Variation | 76.5 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/108273589900) |
| 703 | Jul 17 | Black | ZEYNEL14072010 (1084) | Loss | Scotch Game Classical Variation | 58.4 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/108275440506) |
| 704 | Jul 17 | White | JHWakeford (1013) | Win | Modern Defense with 1 d4 | 82.5 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/108275547124) |
| 705 | Jul 17 | White | Yavin0810 (1043) | Loss | Modern Defense with 1 d4 | 72.4 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/108275688872) |
| 706 | Jul 17 | Black | delliss777 (1036) | Loss | Ponziani Opening | 73.0 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/108276822394) |
| 707 | Jul 17 | Black | LaCausaEfecto (860) | Win | English Opening Kings English Variation | 98.3 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/114984537449) |
| 708 | Jul 17 | White | kadir0418 (971) | Loss | Queens Pawn Opening Accelerated London System | 90.7 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/114985077133) |
| 709 | Jul 17 | Black | locomanNYC (1021) | Loss | Giuoco Piano Game Giuoco Pianissimo Variation | 83.0 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/114986873255) |
| 710 | Jul 18 | Black | Martin_quij (1003) | Win | Birds Opening Dutch Variation | 95.0 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/108283904318) |
| 711 | Jul 18 | White | Faridarshin13 (1010) | Win | Queens Pawn Opening Zukertort Variation | 90.4 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/108283990896) |
| 712 | Jul 18 | Black | JoseMcMamo (1001) | Win | Giuoco Piano Game Giuoco Pianissimo Variation | 83.7 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/108284076688) |
| 713 | Jul 18 | White | 000Raj00 (1247) | Loss | Queens Pawn Opening Zukertort Variation | 83.4 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/115042098847) |
| 714 | Jul 18 | Black | AliEfe001 (1005) | Win | Scotch Game Classical Intermezzo Variation | 93.4 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/108288412204) |
| 715 | Jul 18 | White | Momcilo54 (1050) | Loss | Queens Pawn Opening Horwitz Defense | 81.6 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/108288492944) |
| 716 | Jul 18 | Black | psyrove (1027) | Loss | Unclassified | 75.1 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/108289656084) |
| 717 | Jul 18 | White | Chan_100 (1037) | Loss | Modern Defense with 1 d4 | 55.6 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/108290310408) |
| 718 | Jul 18 | Black | dex1erRrr (1025) | Loss | Ruy Lopez Opening Cozio Defense | 52.4 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/108290926370) |
| 719 | Jul 18 | Black | Apelcin114 (991) | Win | Giuoco Piano Game Giuoco Pianissimo Variation | 73.4 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/108292571316) |
| 720 | Jul 18 | White | Gercifu (1004) | Loss | Indian Game East Indian London System | 67.3 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/108293616702) |
| 721 | Jul 19 | White | Sayyadsaioo (1024) | Win | Queens Pawn Opening Horwitz Defense | 82.1 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/108299677204) |
| 722 | Jul 19 | Black | tikanapavan (1056) | Loss | Queens Pawn Opening | 80.9 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/108299773174) |
| 723 | Jul 19 | White | ChessLooser86 (999) | Win | Queens Pawn Opening Zukertort Chigorin Variation | 95.0 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/108300395058) |
| 724 | Jul 19 | Black | 12082008yanshu (1046) | Loss | Van t Kruijs Opening | 38.0 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/108300908060) |
| 725 | Jul 19 | Black | chovi7 (1027) | Win | Queens Pawn Opening Chigorin Alburt Defense | 94.9 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/108305012064) |
| 726 | Jul 19 | White | Miguecicho (1010) | Loss | Queens Pawn Opening Zukertort Chigorin Variation | 52.6 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/108305077892) |
| 727 | Jul 20 | Black | x-2489695963 (1013) | Win | London System | 82.0 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/108316706122) |
| 728 | Jul 20 | White | Bokazaki (1040) | Loss | Indian Game East Indian London System | 81.8 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/108316840992) |
| 729 | Jul 20 | Black | kamperrv (1003) | Loss | Queens Gambit Declined Modern Variation | 41.4 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/108319366018) |
| 730 | Jul 20 | Black | jackpaint (937) | Win | Kings Pawn Opening Leonardis Variation | 88.0 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/115240132361) |
| 731 | Jul 20 | White | Kernel131978 (983) | Loss | Queens Pawn Opening Zukertort Chigorin Variation | 78.6 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/115240714463) |
| 732 | Jul 21 | Black | jae65m (993) | Win | Giuoco Piano Game Giuoco Pianissimo Variation | 82.5 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/108332154472) |
| 733 | Jul 21 | White | shaurya_0211 (858) | Loss | Queens Pawn Opening Zukertort Variation | 66.1 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/115298917289) |
| 734 | Jul 21 | Black | KeerthanKnightmare (1007) | Loss | Ruy Lopez Opening Cozio Defense | 71.9 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/108336409948) |
| 735 | Jul 21 | White | spicypysces (976) | Win | Queens Pawn Opening Horwitz Defense | 94.3 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/108336459098) |
| 736 | Jul 21 | Black | charly188 (1019) | Draw | Scotch Game Classical Intermezzo Variation | 71.4 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/108336490942) |
| 737 | Jul 21 | White | dindarilhami13 (1013) | Loss | Queens Pawn Opening | 72.5 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/108339828292) |

Previous: [week 27](/journey/week-2024-w28/) · Next: [week 29](/journey/week-2024-w30/) · Every week:
[the journey hub](/journey/) · See where your own clock goes: [review your own games like
this](/features/ai-chess-analysis/).

For a general method beyond this week's games, see [the clock-review guide](/answers/why-do-i-keep-losing-on-time-in-chess/).

## FAQ

### What happened in my three time losses in 48 rapid games?

All three included a position where the engine's winning-chance estimate reached at least 80%. In game 690 the record also shows long individual decisions before the eventual time loss.

### Can you lose on time in a winning position?

Yes. In 10-minute games without increment the clock ignores the evaluation: I lost game #690 on time after my 33rd move, with Stockfish rating my position +5.04 and 68 seconds left on my clock.

### Does playing more games help you improve?

Not by itself, in my data. I played 48 games this week, 19 of them on July 17 alone, and still lost 27 points.

## Related

- [From 631 to 1385: my chess journey in 2,117 games](https://thechesscoach.netlify.app/journey.md)
- [Week 27 (Jul 2024): from 1090 to 1018 with my London setups](https://thechesscoach.netlify.app/journey/week-2024-w28.md)
- [Week 29 (Jul 2024): 1–6 with White and three opening blunders](https://thechesscoach.netlify.app/journey/week-2024-w30.md)
- [Free AI chess analysis of your games, explained](https://thechesscoach.netlify.app/features/ai-chess-analysis.md)
- [Why do I keep losing on time in chess?](https://thechesscoach.netlify.app/answers/why-do-i-keep-losing-on-time-in-chess.md)