# Week 49: missing forcing moves in winning positions

> Week 49: 18 rapid games, 1099 → 1120 (+21), 10 wins and 8 losses. Six of the losses came from positions the engine rated as winning for me.

- URL: https://thechesscoach.netlify.app/journey/week-2024-w50/
- Updated: 2026-10-29
- Author: Ignacio Soler

Week 49 covers December 9–15, 2024: **18 rapid games, 10 wins and 8 losses**, with my rating moving from **1099 to 1120 (+21)**. Six of those eight losses came after the engine's winning-chance estimate reached at least 80%. This entry looks at missing forcing moves in winning positions, through three decisions from that week.

## Missing forcing moves in winning positions: the week in numbers

| | |
|---|---|
| Rapid games | 18 |
| Wins / losses / draws | 10 / 8 / 0 |
| Rating | 1099 → 1120 (+21) |
| Record with White / Black | 6–3 / 4–5 |
| Average accuracy | 75.9% |
| Blunders (mine) | 44 |
| Most played openings | Modern Defense with 1 e4 (3), Queen's Pawn Opening Zukertort Chigorin Variation (2), Modern Defense with 1 d4 (2) |

The split between wins and losses is striking. My average accuracy in the ten wins was 83.2%; in the eight losses it was 66.8%. The middle of the week was the best part: six wins in a row between games 1173 and 1178, with accuracies of 95.8, 83.9, 81.4, 92.9, 80.4 and 93.3. Right after that came four losses in a row, and three of them (games 1180, 1181 and 1182) were among the six "winning positions" I let go. Of my 44 blunders, 32 happened in the middlegame and only 6 with less than a minute on the clock, so I can't blame time trouble. Five of the eight losses ended with Chess.com marking the game as abandoned rather than finished on the board.

## Three moments where the win was right there

All three positions below come from the first three games of the week, and all three are what the engine calls a blunder (a move that changes the evaluation by a lot).

### Game 1169: a knight fork I didn't see

I had White against **fredbaho (1091)** in a Queen's Pawn Opening, Zukertort Variation ([see the game on Chess.com](https://www.chess.com/game/live/121363962020)). The engine rated the position +5.57 for me, which means I was clearly winning.

> **A knight check that also hits the rook on c8 wins material on the spot**
> Position (FEN): `2rqk2r/3b1ppp/p4n2/n3p3/2NN4/4P1P1/P1Q2PP1/2R1KB1R w Kk - 0 18`
> Played: Nf3 — Nf3 moves the knight from d4 to f3 and attacks the undefended pawn on e5
> Better: Nd6+ — Nd6+ gives check, attacks the rook on c8 and opens the queen's line to the same rook

I played Nf3, a normal-looking move that attacks a loose pawn. The engine wanted Nd6+, a **fork**: one piece attacking two things at once. The knight gives check, attacks the rook on c8, and by leaving c4 it also lets my queen on c2 look at that rook. The engine line is 18.Nd6+ Ke7 19.Nxc8+ Qxc8: I win a rook for a knight. After my Nf3 the evaluation dropped from +5.57 to −0.04, basically equal. I was lucky: my opponent answered 18...e4, the same knight check worked one move later, and I won by resignation.

### Game 1171: the capture with a threat

With Black against **kaunghtat (1099)** in a Pirc Defense ([game link](https://www.chess.com/game/live/121377837074)), I was the one with the big advantage: −4.82, winning for Black.

> **Taking on e4 hits the queen, and then the long diagonal opens towards the rook on a1**
> Position (FEN): `r4rk1/pp2ppbp/1q1p1np1/2pP4/2P1P3/4B2P/PP1Q1PP1/RN3RK1 b - - 3 14`
> Played: Nd7 — Nd7 moves the knight from f6 to d7, a quiet retreat
> Better: Nxe4 — Nxe4 takes the pawn on e4 and attacks the queen on d2

Nxe4 grabs a pawn and attacks the white queen at the same time, so White has no time to fix anything. The engine line continues 15.Qd3 Bxb2 16.Na3 Bxa1: once my knight leaves f6, the bishop on g7 sees all the way down the long diagonal, takes b2 and then the rook in the corner, which has no defender. I played the quiet Nd7 and the evaluation fell to −0.95. My very next move, 15...Ne5, was another blunder, 19...Nf3+ (+0.20 to +5.83) was the last one, and the game ended as abandoned. Peak winning chance in that game: 85.5%. Final result: zero.

### Game 1170: a pin that left my knight loose

This one is an opening mistake rather than a missed win, but it belongs here because it shows the same blind spot. With Black against **darkside_dv (1121)** in the Modern Defense ([game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/127525766817)), the position was −1.35, slightly better for me.

> **My knight on e4 had no defender, so the first job was safety, not attack**
> Position (FEN): `rnbqk2r/ppp1ppbp/3p2p1/8/2BPn3/2P2N2/PP3PPP/RNBQ1RK1 b kq - 0 6`
> Played: Bg4 — Bg4 attacks the knight on f3, with the queen on d1 behind it (a pin)
> Better: O-O — O-O castles: the king goes to safety and the rook comes into play

Bg4 creates a **pin**: the knight on f3 can't move without exposing the queen behind it. It looks active. But the engine's answer for White is Bd5, a bishop move to the center that attacks my undefended knight on e4 and the pawn on b7 with the rook behind it. Two targets at once again. The evaluation went from −1.35 to +2.22, and I later lost that game with 7 blunders.

## The lesson of the week

Looking at these three moments together, the pattern is simple: **when I was better, I played the calm move and skipped the forcing one.** Nd6+ was a check. Nxe4 was a capture that attacked the queen. In both cases I chose a move that "looked fine" and gave the advantage back. For the next weeks my rule is: when the position feels good, first list every check, every capture and every move that attacks something, for both sides, and only then pick a quiet move. If the engine's winning chance hits 80% and I still lose, the problem isn't the opening.

## All games this week

| Game # | Date | Colour | Opponent (rating) | Result | Opening | Accuracy | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1169 | Dec 9 | White | fredbaho (1091) | Win (resignation) | Queen's Pawn Opening Zukertort Variation | 87.9 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/121363962020) |
| 1170 | Dec 9 | Black | darkside_dv (1121) | Loss (resignation) | Modern Defense with 1 e4 | 71.2 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/127525766817) |
| 1171 | Dec 10 | Black | kaunghtat (1099) | Loss (abandoned) | Pirc Defense | 73.7 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/121377837074) |
| 1172 | Dec 10 | White | doquocan23 (1100) | Loss (checkmate) | Queen's Pawn Opening Zukertort Chigorin Variation | 59.8 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/121384390500) |
| 1173 | Dec 11 | White | springerarmin (1059) | Win (resignation) | Queen's Pawn Opening Zukertort Chigorin Variation | 95.8 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/121397884716) |
| 1174 | Dec 11 | Black | kaismontana1 (1066) | Win (resignation) | Nimzowitsch Defense Declined | 83.9 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/121403654022) |
| 1175 | Dec 11 | White | MPJazz (1092) | Win (checkmate) | London System | 81.4 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/121404678138) |
| 1176 | Dec 12 | Black | Telhaouii (1105) | Win (resignation) | English Opening | 92.9 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/127700996977) |
| 1177 | Dec 12 | White | paulvr68 (1151) | Win (resignation) | Modern Defense with 1 d4 | 80.4 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/127701019821) |
| 1178 | Dec 12 | Black | GaloPB (1146) | Win (resignation) | Modern Defense with 1 e4 | 93.3 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/127701634439) |
| 1179 | Dec 12 | Black | totoshel (1127) | Loss (resignation) | Pirc Defense Modern Defense Geller System | 87.2 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/127733997345) |
| 1180 | Dec 12 | White | Ech0000000000 (1110) | Loss (abandoned) | Modern Defense with 1 d4 | 44.6 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/127739381219) |
| 1181 | Dec 12 | White | chbrown1293 (1149) | Loss (abandoned) | Queen's Pawn Opening Accelerated London Steinitz Countergambit | 49.5 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/127769447013) |
| 1182 | Dec 12 | Black | DirtyWatters (1113) | Loss (abandoned) | Pirc Defense Classical Variation | 68.2 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/127783195419) |
| 1183 | Dec 13 | White | JK000000007 (1169) | Win (resignation) | Queen's Pawn Opening Horwitz Defense | 91.5 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/127816750173) |
| 1184 | Dec 14 | Black | jigarjj (1151) | Loss (abandoned) | Anderssen Opening | 80.0 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/127907397005) |
| 1185 | Dec 15 | Black | keanumatz (1096) | Win (time) | Modern Defense with 1 e4 | 54.8 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/127991973931) |
| 1186 | Dec 15 | White | Tepelke (1107) | Win (resignation) | Queen's Pawn Opening | 69.9 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/127998578879) |

The week before is [week 48](/journey/week-2024-w49/) and the next one is [week 50](/journey/week-2024-w51/). Every week of the series is on the [journey hub](/journey/), and if you want to review your own games like this, with the key moments explained in plain words, see [how Chess Coach analyzes a game](/features/ai-chess-analysis/).

For a general method beyond this week's games, see [the guide to reviewing lost winning positions](/answers/why-do-i-keep-losing-winning-positions-in-chess/).

## FAQ

### Which forcing moves did I miss in my winning positions?

In two of the three key moments the engine selected a check or a capture that also attacked something. I chose a quiet move instead; six of my eight losses that week included an earlier engine-assessed advantage.

### How many of your losses that week came from a winning position?

Six of my eight losses. In each of those six games my winning chance had reached at least 80% at some point; the peaks went from 85.5% to 96.7%.

### What is a knight fork?

A fork is one piece attacking two things at once. In game 1169 the knight move Nd6 would have given check and attacked the rook on c8 at the same time, so the rook was going to fall.

## Related

- [From 631 to 1385: my chess journey in 2,117 games](https://thechesscoach.netlify.app/journey.md)
- [Week 48 (Dec 2024): my best accuracy and an endgame king walk](https://thechesscoach.netlify.app/journey/week-2024-w49.md)
- [Week 50 (Dec 2024): 35 games, 83 blunders, two quick mates](https://thechesscoach.netlify.app/journey/week-2024-w51.md)
- [Free AI chess analysis of your games, explained](https://thechesscoach.netlify.app/features/ai-chess-analysis.md)
- [Why do I keep losing winning positions in chess?](https://thechesscoach.netlify.app/answers/why-do-i-keep-losing-winning-positions-in-chess.md)