# Week 39: sixty rapid games with no rating gain

> Week 39 of my chess journey: 60 rapid games, 29 wins, 29 losses, 154 blunders and 1044 → 1042. Playing more did not make me better at rapid chess.

- URL: https://thechesscoach.netlify.app/journey/week-2024-w40/
- Updated: 2026-10-29
- Author: Ignacio Soler

Week 39 covers **60 rapid games** from September 30 to October 6, 2024: **29 wins, 29 losses and 2 draws**, with my rating moving from **1044 to 1042**. I touched **1105** during the week and then gave the gain back. Sixty rapid games with no rating gain make a useful case for inspecting the moves behind the results.

## Sixty rapid games with no rating gain: the week in numbers

| What | Number |
|---|---|
| Games | 60 (#946–#1005) |
| Wins / losses / draws | 29 / 29 / 2 |
| Average accuracy | 79.5 % |
| Blunders (my moves) | 154 (2.6 per game) |
| Rating | 1044 → 1042 (-2) |
| Most played openings | Queens Pawn Opening Zukertort Chigorin Variation (7), London System (6), Englund Gambit (6) |

Those 154 blunders are not spread evenly. In my 29 wins I blundered 39 times, about 1.3 per game; in my 29 losses, 108 times, about 3.7 per game. And 109 of the 154 came in the middlegame. Even more painful: in 19 of the 31 games I didn't win, the engine had given me an 80 % or better chance of winning at some point.

## What sixty games showed about my repeated mistakes

I split the week by day to see whether volume itself hurt:

| Day | Games | Results | Avg. accuracy | Rating at the end |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon Sep 30 | 3 | 1 W, 1 L, 1 D | 82.2 % | 1044 |
| Tue Oct 1 | 14 | 8 W, 6 L | 78.5 % | 1059 |
| Wed Oct 2 | 8 | 4 W, 4 L | 81.5 % | 1059 |
| Thu Oct 3 | 14 | 9 W, 4 L, 1 D | 81.5 % | 1097 |
| Fri Oct 4 | 8 | 2 W, 6 L | 75.7 % | 1064 |
| Sat Oct 5 | 9 | 5 W, 4 L | 83.1 % | 1073 |
| Sun Oct 6 | 4 | 4 L | 69.2 % | 1042 |

Thursday was the high point: 14 games, 9 wins, and a peak of 1105 after [game 983](https://www.chess.com/game/live/119868900270). Friday undid most of it with six losses in eight games, and Sunday finished the job: four losses in a row at 69.2 % accuracy, three of them recorded as "game abandoned". In total 14 of my 29 losses were abandoned rather than resigned or played out.

The clock was not the issue. Only two of the 60 games ended on time, one win ([game 951](https://www.chess.com/game/live/119825151318), with 12 seconds left) and one loss. Ten-minute games gave me enough time; I didn't use it to check my moves.

The openings were familiar. With White I played my 1.d4–Bf4 setup in its usual disguises: "Zukertort Chigorin" seven times (3 wins, 4 losses), "London System" and, six times, the Englund Gambit (1.d4 e5), where I scored 4 wins and 2 losses. With Black against 1.e4 I lost all four games labelled "King's Pawn Opening" and won all three labelled "Giuoco Piano".

## Three winning positions that slipped

### Game 946: a knight check instead of the queen raid

With Black against abdoelbazly79 (1052), the engine had me at -6.29, "black is completely winning". My queen sat on a8 and White's queenside knight on b1 had never moved.

> **Game 946, move 18: the check looked strong, but the knight could be taken**
> Position (FEN): `q4rk1/5p1p/3p1pb1/1pn1p3/4P3/2PP2QP/4NPP1/1N2K2R b K - 1 18`
> Played: Nxd3+ — Nxd3+ — knight takes the pawn with check, but the knight can now be captured
> Better: Qa2 — Qa2 — queen to a2, attacking both white knights

A check is always tempting. But position.py adds the warning: "the knight can now be captured", and White's queen took it, 19.Qxd3, "clearly better for white". Qa2 instead attacks the knight on b1, which had no defender, and the knight on e2; the engine's line wins the b1 knight a move later. The [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/119805421314) ended in a draw by repetition.

### Game 949: the king walk back to e8

With Black against joecanada83 (1016), White had sacrificed the bishop on f7 (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+), my king was on f7, and the engine had me well ahead at -3.83. White's knight on e5 had just given check and was attacking my knight on c6.

> **Game 949, move 5: take the knight, or move the king?**
> Position (FEN): `r1bq2nr/pppp1kpp/2n5/2b1N3/4P3/8/PPPP1PPP/RNBQK2R b KQ - 0 5`
> Played: Ke8 — Ke8 — king from f7 back to e8
> Better: Nxe5 — Nxe5 — knight takes the knight on e5

I moved my king back home. The engine simply takes the knight: after Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Kf8 7.Qxe5 d5 the engine still says "black is winning". After Ke8, White's best is Nxc6, a capture that also attacks my queen, and the score goes to about equal (+0.10). My opponent played 6.Qh5+ instead and I won the [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/119824832132) by resignation, but that was their mistake, not my skill.

### Game 950: moving the queen when the rook sacrifice won

With White against Prestocat (1054), in a London System, I was at +6.55. Black's pawn on b5 was attacking my queen on a4, and my rook on g1 faced the g7 pawn in front of Black's king.

> **Game 950, move 18: the queen was attacked, but Rxg7+ came first**
> Position (FEN): `r2qr1k1/1np1bppp/p3p3/1p1pN3/QP1P1B2/2P1P2b/P3BP1P/2KR2R1 w - - 0 18`
> Played: Qc2 — Qc2 — queen escapes from a4 to c2
> Better: Rxg7+ — Rxg7+ — rook takes the g7 pawn with check

I saved my queen. Position.py describes Rxg7+ as a rook capture of "one of the pawns protecting the king" with check, a double attack that also hits f7 and the bishop behind it, and adds "the rook can be captured, but the line shows why it still works": 18.Rxg7+ Kxg7 19.Rg1+ Bg5 20.Bxg5, "white is winning". After Qc2 the engine's number was -1.06. My opponent didn't punish it, and I won the [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/119824884940) by checkmate, with 7 blunders on my side along the way.

## The lesson of the week

All three key moments are the same mistake: in a winning position, I answered the most obvious thing on the board — give a check, run with the king, save the queen — instead of looking for the move that keeps the initiative. Doing that 60 times in a week doesn't build the habit; it repeats the mistake 154 times. If I want to get better at rapid chess, the lesson is to play fewer games and check each one with the engine before the next. The data says I did play much less over the next three weeks: 20 games, then 8, then 9.

## All games this week

| Game # | Date | Colour | Opponent (rating) | Result | Opening | Accuracy | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 946 | Sep 30 | Black | abdoelbazly79 (1052) | Draw | Bishops Opening Boi Variation | 73.2 % | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/119805421314) |
| 947 | Sep 30 | White | Brighteyes82 (1034) | Win | Queens Pawn Opening Zukertort Chigorin Variation | 93.4 % | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/119809722706) |
| 948 | Sep 30 | Black | NightwingPrime (1065) | Loss | Kings Gambit | 79.9 % | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/119809926112) |
| 949 | Oct 1 | Black | joecanada83 (1016) | Win | Giuoco Piano Game | 83.0 % | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/119824832132) |
| 950 | Oct 1 | White | Prestocat (1054) | Win | London System | 67.1 % | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/119824884940) |
| 951 | Oct 1 | White | Myst1cX (1028) | Win | Indian Game East Indian London System | 96.8 % | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/119825151318) |
| 952 | Oct 1 | White | Disciple263 (1099) | Loss | Modern Defense with 1 d4 | 72.8 % | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/119827985142) |
| 953 | Oct 1 | Black | Nolanreeb (1049) | Win | Giuoco Piano Game | 92.9 % | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/119828825506) |
| 954 | Oct 1 | Black | saultene (1093) | Loss | Kings Pawn Opening | 64.0 % | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/119828922090) |
| 955 | Oct 1 | White | Prowar3 (1067) | Loss | Englund Gambit | 65.5 % | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/119829241560) |
| 956 | Oct 1 | White | Betaozao (1075) | Loss | Queens Pawn Opening Rossolimo Variation | 70.0 % | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/119830506748) |
| 957 | Oct 1 | Black | marmalade978 (1057) | Loss | Kings Pawn Opening Kings Knight Variation | 59.1 % | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/119831246808) |
| 958 | Oct 1 | White | prtkprajapati1895 (1035) | Win | Queens Pawn Opening Zukertort Variation | 90.9 % | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/119836160202) |
| 959 | Oct 1 | White | billythedealer (1015) | Win | Englund Gambit | 97.8 % | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/119836554088) |
| 960 | Oct 1 | Black | BenjaminHubschwerlin (1053) | Loss | London System | 63.5 % | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/119836701824) |
| 961 | Oct 1 | White | gmuziol (1037) | Win | Queens Pawn Opening Zukertort Chigorin Variation | 78.5 % | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/119837203624) |
| 962 | Oct 1 | Black | JimmyRaze (1033) | Win | Reti Opening | 96.6 % | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/119839102134) |
| 963 | Oct 2 | White | AdesolaAdenile (1088) | Loss | Queens Pawn Opening Horwitz Defense | 68.2 % | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/119846433242) |
| 964 | Oct 2 | Black | Cru_Sad_Er (1049) | Win | Bishops Opening | 87.1 % | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/119848458452) |
| 965 | Oct 2 | Black | NITYA1986 (1085) | Loss | London System | 75.1 % | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/119848542464) |
| 966 | Oct 2 | White | MeTator15 (1058) | Loss | Indian Game | 72.1 % | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/119852187566) |
| 967 | Oct 2 | Black | CavalloBaio (1044) | Win | Scotch Game Goring Gambit Declined | 90.4 % | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/119856660286) |
| 968 | Oct 2 | White | Bemster0 (1050) | Win | Queens Pawn Opening Horwitz Defense | 95.3 % | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/119856838554) |
| 969 | Oct 2 | Black | itsmedamnit1966 (1043) | Win | Queens Pawn Opening Chigorin Variation | 87.7 % | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/119856948580) |
| 970 | Oct 2 | Black | lianju21 (1079) | Loss | Giuoco Piano Game Main Line | 75.7 % | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/119857802584) |
| 971 | Oct 3 | White | Younisbhatti (1034) | Win | Queens Pawn Opening Polish Defense | 91.1 % | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/119863375770) |
| 972 | Oct 3 | White | nightpoet7 (1036) | Win | Indian Game London System | 94.3 % | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/119863615482) |
| 973 | Oct 3 | Black | lachlan153 (1063) | Win | Slav Defense | 84.6 % | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/119863660440) |
| 974 | Oct 3 | Black | 87cristina87 (1099) | Loss | Scotch Game | 73.6 % | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/119863905548) |
| 975 | Oct 3 | White | Ezkor (1078) | Win | Queens Pawn Opening Accelerated London System | 59.7 % | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/119864620736) |
| 976 | Oct 3 | Black | alescacchi95 (1089) | Win | English Opening Kings English Variation | 89.8 % | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/119864790578) |
| 977 | Oct 3 | White | GouravSingh1904 (1087) | Win | Englund Gambit | 77.5 % | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/119865767328) |
| 978 | Oct 3 | White | Ordnaz101 (1076) | Draw | London System | 84.9 % | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/119865931428) |
| 979 | Oct 3 | Black | otorky (1084) | Loss | Bishops Opening Boi Variation | 75.3 % | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/119866748212) |
| 980 | Oct 3 | White | AB326 (1087) | Loss | Queens Pawn Opening Accelerated London System | 71.3 % | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/119866781182) |
| 981 | Oct 3 | White | MohamedAGhaidi (1073) | Win | London System | 86.3 % | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/119868353766) |
| 982 | Oct 3 | Black | FitnessCoach7 (1087) | Win | Giuoco Piano Game | 89.7 % | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/119868575970) |
| 983 | Oct 3 | Black | NNSSSSNN (1081) | Win | Three Knights Opening | 97.1 % | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/119868900270) |
| 984 | Oct 3 | Black | MattPhan (1136) | Loss | Queens Pawn Opening | 65.1 % | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/121703422447) |
| 985 | Oct 4 | White | Zealulapah (1101) | Loss | Queens Pawn Opening Horwitz Defense | 94.2 % | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/119880100108) |
| 986 | Oct 4 | White | koencyy (1092) | Win | Englund Gambit | 94.4 % | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/119885507496) |
| 987 | Oct 4 | Black | Jef2660 (1081) | Win | Queens Gambit Declined Three Knights Barmen Variation | 79.0 % | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/119885672370) |
| 988 | Oct 4 | White | Doni_grossbaby (1134) | Loss | Queens Pawn Opening Zukertort Chigorin Variation | 78.6 % | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/121779583103) |
| 989 | Oct 4 | Black | ElMaqta (1096) | Loss | Kings Pawn Opening | 43.5 % | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/119886768266) |
| 990 | Oct 4 | Black | Haribuset (1102) | Loss | Slav Defense Modern Exchange Variation | 60.4 % | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/119888024360) |
| 991 | Oct 4 | White | Mbando18 (1068) | Loss | Indian Game | 87.1 % | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/119889978778) |
| 992 | Oct 4 | Black | abjohnstone (1075) | Loss | Giuoco Piano Game Giuoco Pianissimo Variation | 68.1 % | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/119896920922) |
| 993 | Oct 5 | White | SangarF (1059) | Loss | Englund Gambit | 70.2 % | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/119903003766) |
| 994 | Oct 5 | Black | erbayyyy (1069) | Win | Ruy Lopez Opening Cozio Defense | 90.3 % | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/119905028244) |
| 995 | Oct 5 | White | Ashishu10 (1090) | Loss | English Defense | 75.1 % | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/119907970186) |
| 996 | Oct 5 | Black | radityahmad498 (1048) | Loss | Kings Pawn Opening | 74.4 % | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/119910454652) |
| 997 | Oct 5 | White | Finnigan1919 (1031) | Win | Queens Pawn Opening Zukertort Chigorin Variation | 94.2 % | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/119915420130) |
| 998 | Oct 5 | Black | sourlr (1043) | Win | London System | 93.6 % | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/119915459778) |
| 999 | Oct 5 | White | callmekilz (1043) | Win | Englund Gambit | 85.1 % | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/119915642054) |
| 1000 | Oct 5 | Black | tspack8 (1075) | Win | Anderssen Opening | 85.9 % | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/119915916328) |
| 1001 | Oct 5 | Black | Nikola_Farkas (1103) | Loss | Queens Pawn Opening Zukertort Variation | 79.1 % | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/119915955614) |
| 1002 | Oct 6 | White | Nishant1518 (1105) | Loss | Queens Pawn Opening Zukertort Chigorin Variation | 55.0 % | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/119922193580) |
| 1003 | Oct 6 | White | zeta1974 (1081) | Loss | Queens Pawn Opening Zukertort Chigorin Variation | 58.6 % | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/119927048554) |
| 1004 | Oct 6 | White | HRDSTL (1044) | Loss | Queens Pawn Opening Zukertort Chigorin Variation | 81.9 % | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/119928674368) |
| 1005 | Oct 6 | Black | Luliii123 (1088) | Loss | Kings Pawn Opening | 81.5 % | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/119934357536) |

Previous: [week 38](/journey/week-2024-w39/) · Next: [week 40](/journey/week-2024-w41/) · [Journey hub](/journey/) · [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

### What happened when I played sixty rapid games with no rating gain?

I won 29, lost 29 and drew two, finishing at 1042 after starting at 1044. Stockfish counted 154 blunders, including 109 in the middlegame.

### How many rapid games a day is too many?

I can only speak for my own data: on the two days I played 14 games my average accuracy was 78.5 % and 81.5 %, and on the last day, after a long week, I lost all four games at 69.2 % accuracy.

### Was the clock the problem in my rapid games?

Mostly not. Only two of the 60 games ended on time, one win and one loss. The problem was blunders in the middlegame, 109 of the 154.

## Related

- [From 631 to 1385: my chess journey in 2,117 games](https://thechesscoach.netlify.app/journey.md)
- [Week 38 (Sep 2024): 1044, two stalemates and bad captures](https://thechesscoach.netlify.app/journey/week-2024-w39.md)
- [Week 40 (Oct 2024): a knight hung in a won endgame](https://thechesscoach.netlify.app/journey/week-2024-w41.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)