# Week 38: how to get better at chess calculation, from captures to stalemates

> Week 38 of my chess journey: 999 → 1044 (+45) in 38 rapid games, three captures I miscalculated and two stalemates when I had mate in two.

- URL: https://thechesscoach.netlify.app/journey/week-2024-w39/
- Updated: 2026-10-22
- Author: Ignacio Soler

Week 38 was a good week on paper: from September 23 to 29, 2024, I played **38 rapid games**, won **20**, lost **14**, drew **4**, and went from **999 to 1044**, touching **1076** on the way. But the four draws include **two stalemates in games where I had mate in two**, and the three key mistakes the engine picked are all captures I didn't calculate. If you are trying to work out how to get better at chess calculation, this week is a list of exactly the calculations I skipped.

## The week in numbers

| Stat | This week |
|---|---|
| Rating | 999 → 1044 (+45) |
| Games | 38 (#908–#945) |
| Wins / losses / draws | 20 / 14 / 4 |
| Blunders (my moves) | 80 (2.1 per game) |
| Average accuracy | 78.6 % |
| Most played openings | Queens Pawn Opening Zukertort Chigorin Variation (8), Queens Pawn Opening Accelerated London System (3), Giuoco Piano Game Giuoco Pianissimo Variation (3) |

The week's engine was my White repertoire. In the eight games Chess.com labelled "Zukertort Chigorin" (mostly 1.d4 d5 2.Bf4 Nc6 3.Nf3, plus similar move orders) I won seven and lost one, and overall I scored 12–4–3 with White. With Black it was 8–10–1. Only four of my 14 losses were recorded as abandoned this time; six ended by resignation and four by checkmate.

The ending was sour. After beating hastilychess (1077) in [game 941](https://www.chess.com/game/live/119787028942) I reached 1076, then lost my last four games of the week and finished at 1044.

## How to get better at chess calculation: three captures I didn't finish

Calculation, at my level, mostly means one thing: after my move, what is my opponent's best reply? Each of these moments is a capture where I stopped one move too early.

### Game 908: giving a bishop for a pawn and a check

With White against wadk101 (1001), in a London System, the position was about equal (+0.39). Black's pawn on b5 was defended by the pawn on a6, but my bishop could take it with check.

> **Game 908, move 8: the check on b5 cost a bishop**
> Position (FEN): `rn1qk2r/2p1bppp/p3pn2/1p1p1b2/3P1B2/1QP1PN2/PP1N1PPP/R3KB1R w KQkq - 0 8`
> Played: Bxb5+ — Bxb5+ — bishop takes the pawn with check, but the bishop can now be captured
> Better: Ne5 — Ne5 — knight from f3 to e5, about equal

Position.py's warning is in its first line: "but the bishop can now be captured". After 8...axb5 9.Qxb5+ I had two pawns for the bishop, and the engine's verdict was "black is winning" (-4.55). I had calculated the check, not the material. The engine's alternatives (Ne5, Nh4, a4) all kept "about equal". I lost the [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/119669777516).

### Game 909: a pawn fork while my queen was hanging

With Black against AmbmToni (973), a Scotch Gambit, I was "completely winning" (-7.11). White's queen on c5 and mine on e7 were facing each other on the same diagonal, and I had a pawn on c3.

> **Game 909, move 10: take the queen first, then the pawn**
> Position (FEN): `r1b1k1nr/ppppq2p/2n3p1/2Q5/4P3/2p2N2/PP3PPP/RNB2RK1 b - - 2 10`
> Played: cxb2 — cxb2 — pawn takes on b2, attacking the rook on a1 and the bishop on c1
> Better: Qxc5 — Qxc5 — queen takes the queen and pins the f2 pawn

cxb2 is a lovely-looking pawn fork: position.py lists a double attack on the rook in the corner and the bishop. But my queen was still attacked, and White took it first: 11.Qxe7+ Ngxe7 12.Bxb2. The evaluation went from -7.11 to +0.53. Taking White's queen first, Qxc5, simply wins it: nothing on White's side can take back on c5, and the engine's line goes on 11.Nxc3, "black is completely winning". I still won the [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/119684591604) by checkmate, 90 half-moves in.

### Game 910: two pawn captures, one with an attack on the queen

With White against Mittaaaa (994), I was "completely winning" (+6.85) and had two pawns to take with my bishop.

> **Game 910, move 9: Bxc7 takes a pawn and attacks the queen**
> Position (FEN): `r2qkb1r/nQp2pp1/p3pn1p/3p4/3P1Bb1/2P1PN2/PP1N1PPP/R3KB1R w KQkq - 1 9`
> Played: Bxa6 — Bxa6 — bishop takes the pawn on a6
> Better: Bxc7 — Bxc7 — bishop takes the pawn on c7 and attacks the queen on d8

Both are pawn captures, but only one comes with a threat. Bxc7 attacks the queen on d8, and in the engine's line 9...Qc8 10.Bxa6 I win the a6 pawn anyway (+7.55). After Bxa6 Black got time for Bd6 and the score dropped to +3.08, still "white is winning". I won the [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/119689899440) by resignation, but the lesson is the same: compare captures by what they threaten, not just by what they take.

## Two stalemates with mate in two

The draws hurt more than the losses. In [game 912](https://www.chess.com/game/live/119696930598), with Black against Anish_Baraili (1031), I had promoted to a second queen. The engine shows mate in two on the board before my last move, and I played a queen move that left White's king with no legal moves: stalemate. I had 34 seconds on my clock, and 17 of my moves in that game were played with a low clock.

In [game 931](https://www.chess.com/game/live/119763345458), with White against rafaci (1041), it happened again: mate in two according to the engine, and my pawn capture left Black's king without a single legal move. This time I had more than two and a half minutes left, so I can't blame the clock.

(The fourth draw, game 939, went the other way: I had only my king left against a queen, my opponent's clock ran out, and the game was drawn because I had no material to mate with.)

## The lesson of the week

Every mistake on this page is a calculation I stopped one move too early. For captures, that means asking *what does my opponent capture next?* (games 908 and 909) and *which capture also creates a threat?* (game 910). For winning endgames, it means one extra question before every move: *after this, does my opponent have a legal move?* If the answer is no and they are not in check, it's stalemate. Two half-points from completely won positions would have been worth more rating than any opening I studied that month.

## All games this week

| Game # | Date | Colour | Opponent (rating) | Result | Opening | Accuracy | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 908 | Sep 23 | White | wadk101 (1001) | Loss | London System | 76.8 % | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/119669777516) |
| 909 | Sep 23 | Black | AmbmToni (973) | Win | Scotch Game Scotch Gambit Haxo Gambit | 71.7 % | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/119684591604) |
| 910 | Sep 24 | White | Mittaaaa (994) | Win | Queens Pawn Opening Zukertort Chigorin Variation | 91.4 % | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/119689899440) |
| 911 | Sep 24 | White | Arjunwho (976) | Win | Queens Pawn Opening Zukertort Chigorin Variation | 87.7 % | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/119690015406) |
| 912 | Sep 24 | Black | Anish_Baraili (1031) | Draw | Queens Pawn Opening Blackmar Gambit | 90.3 % | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/119696930598) |
| 913 | Sep 25 | Black | dylanmalcolm (993) | Win | Ruy Lopez Opening Cozio Defense | 90.9 % | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/119709575688) |
| 914 | Sep 25 | Black | adhiwibowoo (1015) | Loss | Queens Gambit Declined Baltic Pseudo Slav Defense | 68.3 % | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/119709608170) |
| 915 | Sep 25 | White | GL0B3X (1004) | Win | Queens Pawn Opening Zukertort Chigorin Variation | 97.1 % | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/119714025132) |
| 916 | Sep 25 | White | Yosward2024 (1036) | Win | Queens Pawn Opening Zukertort Chigorin Variation | 93.9 % | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/119717122116) |
| 917 | Sep 26 | Black | LAUKIKAT (1038) | Loss | Bishops Opening Boi Variation | 58.1 % | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/119729807536) |
| 918 | Sep 26 | Black | MostefaiSaidRabah (1022) | Win | Giuoco Piano Game | 85.8 % | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/119731738934) |
| 919 | Sep 26 | White | bogdan86qwerty (1008) | Win | Queens Pawn Opening Horwitz Defense | 91.7 % | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/119733265500) |
| 920 | Sep 26 | White | Joenuts23234 (1024) | Win | Queens Pawn Opening Accelerated London System | 98.2 % | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/119736641670) |
| 921 | Sep 26 | Black | tournacc (1041) | Loss | Slav Defense Modern Quiet Schallopp Defense | 87.1 % | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/119737397220) |
| 922 | Sep 26 | Black | GuilhermeSL33 (1032) | Win | Giuoco Piano Game Main Line | 61.9 % | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/119738122646) |
| 923 | Sep 26 | White | treekiller4125 (1053) | Win | Queens Pawn Opening Zukertort Chigorin Variation | 95.8 % | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/119738531776) |
| 924 | Sep 26 | Black | atomhuszti27 (1055) | Win | Bishops Opening Boi Variation | 79.3 % | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/119738652708) |
| 925 | Sep 27 | Black | MS0094 (1079) | Loss | Giuoco Piano Game Giuoco Pianissimo Variation | 55.7 % | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/119749366116) |
| 926 | Sep 27 | White | Mikhailpobeda (1045) | Loss | Queens Pawn Opening Accelerated London System | 97.7 % | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/119753673904) |
| 927 | Sep 27 | White | Rove85 (1063) | Loss | Queens Pawn Opening Zukertort Chigorin Variation | 81.6 % | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/119754006870) |
| 928 | Sep 27 | White | uovercast (1049) | Draw | Indian Game | 91.5 % | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/119754664610) |
| 929 | Sep 27 | Black | Abdul_Rauf_2005 (1013) | Win | Giuoco Piano Game Giuoco Pianissimo Variation | 60.8 % | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/119757607292) |
| 930 | Sep 27 | Black | Turash10 (1033) | Loss | Giuoco Piano Game | 69.9 % | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/119757750760) |
| 931 | Sep 27 | White | rafaci (1041) | Draw | English Defense | 75.1 % | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/119763345458) |
| 932 | Sep 28 | Black | shanoonmaldives (1044) | Loss | Giuoco Piano Game Giuoco Pianissimo Variation | 53.4 % | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/119768289570) |
| 933 | Sep 28 | White | Iamclaric (1030) | Win | English Defense | 97.6 % | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/119768341842) |
| 934 | Sep 28 | Black | BojanMAT (1039) | Win | Queens Pawn Opening Chigorin Variation | 66.4 % | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/119768556872) |
| 935 | Sep 28 | White | pep_jai (1017) | Win | Indian Game | 66.4 % | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/119769512104) |
| 936 | Sep 28 | Black | sobe_2009 (1037) | Win | Ruy Lopez Opening Morphy Defense Cozio Defense | 87.0 % | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/119773646014) |
| 937 | Sep 28 | White | Raza777kk (1029) | Win | Queens Pawn Opening Zukertort Chigorin Variation | 80.5 % | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/119773787212) |
| 938 | Sep 28 | Black | jannazai (1069) | Loss | Scotch Game | 75.6 % | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/119774494586) |
| 939 | Sep 28 | White | dadmuld (1053) | Draw | Queens Pawn Opening Krause Variation | 81.0 % | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/119781310904) |
| 940 | Sep 29 | White | atsiro (1069) | Win | Queens Pawn Opening Zukertort Chigorin Variation | 84.3 % | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/119786589254) |
| 941 | Sep 29 | White | hastilychess (1077) | Win | Queens Pawn Opening Horwitz Defense | 90.7 % | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/119787028942) |
| 942 | Sep 29 | Black | WojciechPaszkowski (1086) | Loss | Giuoco Piano Game Evans Accepted McDonnell Defense | 56.5 % | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/119787196198) |
| 943 | Sep 29 | Black | consultoramakur (1085) | Loss | Scotch Game | 55.3 % | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/119788995258) |
| 944 | Sep 29 | White | Ahireyogesh (1057) | Loss | Queens Pawn Opening Accelerated London System | 52.2 % | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/119792855024) |
| 945 | Sep 29 | Black | Sanaa990 (1071) | Loss | Queens Pawn Opening | 80.2 % | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/119800113396) |

Before this: [week 37](/journey/week-2024-w38/) · After this: [week 39](/journey/week-2024-w40/) · [The journey from 631 to 1385](/journey/) · [Review your own games like this](/features/ai-chess-analysis/)

## FAQ

### How do I get better at chess calculation as a beginner?

My week 38 games suggest starting small: for every capture, calculate the opponent's best reply, especially captures and checks. Two of my three key mistakes were captures that ignored a capture coming back.

### How do you stalemate by accident?

By making a move that leaves the opponent with no legal moves while they are not in check. In game 912 I had two queens and mate in two, and in game 931 I had mate in two again; both times I played a move that ended the game in a draw.

### Did my rating still go up this week?

Yes, from 999 to 1044, with a peak of 1076 after game 941. With White I scored 12 wins, 4 losses and 3 draws.

## Related

- [From 631 to 1385: my chess journey in 2,117 games](https://thechesscoach.netlify.app/journey.md)
- [Week 37 (Sep 2024): 93 blunders and stuck at 1000](https://thechesscoach.netlify.app/journey/week-2024-w38.md)
- [Week 39 (Oct 2024): 60 rapid games in one week for -2 points](https://thechesscoach.netlify.app/journey/week-2024-w40.md)
- [Free AI chess analysis of your games, explained](https://thechesscoach.netlify.app/features/ai-chess-analysis.md)