# Week 61: the Zukertort Chigorin Variation, a pinned knight and a comeback

> Week 61: 13 rapid games, 8 wins, 4 losses and a draw, 1251 → 1283 (+32). After three losses I went 8–1–1; my Zukertort Chigorin Variation went 2–2.

- URL: https://thechesscoach.netlify.app/journey/week-2025-w11/
- Updated: 2026-10-22
- Author: Ignacio Soler

Week 61, March 10 to 16, 2025, started badly and ended well: **13 rapid games, 8 wins, 4 losses and 1 draw, rating 1251 → 1283 (+32)**. The first three games were losses and dropped me to 1227, as low as I had been since January 10. Then I went **8–1–1 in the next ten**. With White, my main weapon was the setup Chess.com calls the Queen's Pawn Opening, Zukertort Chigorin Variation, which went 2–2 this week. Its two losses are the most useful part of the week, so that's where this post spends its time.

## The week in numbers

| | |
|---|---|
| Rapid games | 13 |
| Wins / losses / draws | 8 / 4 / 1 |
| Rating | 1251 → 1283 (+32) |
| Record with White / Black | 4–3 / 4–1–1 |
| Average accuracy | 79.4% |
| Blunders (mine) | 50 |
| Most played openings | Queen's Pawn Opening Zukertort Chigorin Variation (4), Modern Defense with 1 e4 (3), Pirc Defense (2) |

The comeback had some lovely games: 95.6% against **mtbco (1232)**, 94.9% against **DarkKnight7878 (1212)**, and a win in six moves against **ahmadkordi12 (1190)**, who resigned after 6.Bg3 in an equal position (97.8% accuracy, but nothing had really happened). It also had the most painful draw of the winter. In game 1381 against **Lyn2011212 (1267)**, a Pirc with Black, I reached a position the engine scored at −72.17 for me, and on move 66, with 29 seconds left, I had **mate in one** (Qf8#). I played Kg6, and the game ended in a draw by insufficient material. Fifteen of my 50 blunders this week came in endgames, more than in any other week this winter.

## What the Zukertort Chigorin looks like in my games

My White setup is London-style: 1.d4 d5 2.Bf4, then Nf3, e3, c3 and Nbd2. When Black answers with an early ...Nc6, Chess.com labels it Zukertort Chigorin. By the end of this week I had played it **175 times: 96 wins, 78 losses and 1 draw**. It is my most played opening and, by results, one of my better ones. This week's games:

- Game 1374 against **BeTungCuTi (1263)**: loss (below).
- Game 1382 against **Rajasonu (1244)**: win by checkmate, but with five blunders and 67.0% accuracy.
- Game 1383 against **Fooxxx122 (1295)**: loss. I was at +6.43 on move 39 with 66 seconds left; 39.Rxe8 brought it to +0.06 and 42.Qe1, with 48 seconds left, to −7.13.
- Game 1384 against **ahmadkordi12 (1190)**: the six-move win.

## Game 1374: a capture into a pin

The first game of the week ([game on Chess.com](https://www.chess.com/game/live/136110092472)). I was already worse, −2.35, and Black's pawn on c4 was attacking my queen on d3.

> **My queen on d3 was attacked by the pawn on c4, and Black's bishop on b5 was looking down the same diagonal**
> Position (FEN): `r2qk2r/5ppp/pp1ppn2/1b6/2pP4/3QPN2/PP1N1PPP/R3K2R w KQkq - 0 14`
> Played: Nxc4 — Nxc4 takes the pawn on c4 with the knight from d2
> Better: Qc2 — Qc2 steps the queen out of the attack

Taking the pawn looks like it solves the problem: the attacker disappears. But my knight lands on c4, on the diagonal between Black's bishop on b5 and my queen on d3. The bishop now sees the knight with the queen behind it, a **pin**: the knight can't move without losing the queen. The engine's reply is 14...d5, attacking the pinned knight with a pawn, and the evaluation went from −2.35 to −6.00. The engine's move was the humble Qc2, moving the queen away first. In the game Black played 14...Rc8, attacking the knight too, and after another blunder, 16.Rc1, the game was gone.

## Game 1375: the knight that stopped defending

The next day, with Black against **riteshtiger45 (1271)** in a Modern Defense ([game link](https://www.chess.com/game/live/136153687262)), the position was equal, −0.34.

> **My bishop on g4 was attacked by the pawn on h3 and the queen on g3, and only the knight on f6 was defending it**
> Position (FEN): `rn1q1rk1/ppp1ppbp/3p1np1/8/4P1b1/1B1P2QP/PPP2PP1/RNB1K1NR b KQ - 0 7`
> Played: Nh5 — Nh5 attacks the queen on g3, but stops defending the bishop on g4
> Better: Bd7 — Bd7 brings the bishop back to safety

Nh5 attacks White's queen. It also stops defending my bishop on g4, and the engine's answer is simply Qxg4: the queen takes the bishop. −0.34 became +7.36, and the game ended right there on move 8, marked abandoned. Bd7, retreating the bishop, kept the position equal.

(The third key moment, 25.Bxb5 in game 1376 against **NoobSavvy (1264)**, was the same idea with White: my bishop took a pawn on a square where it could be captured, +1.55 became −2.06, and I was mated with 5 seconds on my clock.)

## The lesson of the week

Both key positions punish the same habit: **I made a move that solved one problem and created a new one on the same line.** Nxc4 removed the pawn attacking my queen and put the knight in a pin on the diagonal to that queen. Nh5 attacked White's queen and took away the only defender of my bishop. So my rule for this week: when I'm about to capture or attack, I first look at the piece I'm moving and ask **what it was defending and which line it lands on**, especially when my queen is on that line.

On the opening itself, the Zukertort Chigorin did its job: 96–78–1 over 175 games is a decent record for me. The losses came later, from moves like these, not from the setup.

## All games this week

| Game # | Date | Colour | Opponent (rating) | Result | Opening | Accuracy | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1374 | Mar 10 | White | BeTungCuTi (1263) | Loss (abandoned) | Queen's Pawn Opening Zukertort Chigorin Variation | 80.2 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/136110092472) |
| 1375 | Mar 11 | Black | riteshtiger45 (1271) | Loss (abandoned) | Modern Defense with 1 e4 | 63.0 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/136153687262) |
| 1376 | Mar 12 | White | NoobSavvy (1264) | Loss (checkmate) | Indian Game East Indian London System | 68.3 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/136181655100) |
| 1377 | Mar 12 | Black | sribhav (1197) | Win (time) | Pirc Defense | 87.2 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/136185105292) |
| 1378 | Mar 12 | Black | DarkKnight7878 (1212) | Win (resignation) | Modern Defense with 1 e4 | 94.9 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/136199145754) |
| 1379 | Mar 13 | White | mtbco (1232) | Win (resignation) | Queen's Pawn Opening Zukertort Variation | 95.6 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/136233995360) |
| 1380 | Mar 14 | Black | Funky_Chess_Noob (1221) | Win (resignation) | Pirc Defense Main Line | 78.7 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/136238753842) |
| 1381 | Mar 14 | Black | Lyn2011212 (1267) | Draw (insufficient material) | Pirc Defense | 73.8 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/136259237554) |
| 1382 | Mar 14 | White | Rajasonu (1244) | Win (checkmate) | Queen's Pawn Opening Zukertort Chigorin Variation | 67.0 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/136272527518) |
| 1383 | Mar 14 | White | Fooxxx122 (1295) | Loss (abandoned) | Queen's Pawn Opening Zukertort Chigorin Variation | 68.0 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/136272913364) |
| 1384 | Mar 15 | White | ahmadkordi12 (1190) | Win (resignation) | Queen's Pawn Opening Zukertort Chigorin Variation | 97.8 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/136308808558) |
| 1385 | Mar 15 | Black | Wael2711ly (1279) | Win (time) | Modern Defense with 1 e4 | 80.2 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/136308893124) |
| 1386 | Mar 16 | White | AryanMaster76 (1256) | Win (abandoned) | Englund Gambit | 76.9 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/136345132652) |

Before this: [week 60](/journey/week-2025-w10/). After this: [week 62](/journey/week-2025-w12/). All weeks are on the [journey hub](/journey/), and Chess Coach can build the same per-opening record from [your own games](/features/ai-chess-analysis/).

## FAQ

### What is the Zukertort Chigorin Variation in your games?

It's the name Chess.com gave to my London-style setup with White (1.d4 d5 2.Bf4, then Nf3, e3, c3 and Nbd2) when Black answers with an early ...Nc6. Up to the end of this week I had played it 175 times, with 96 wins, 78 losses and 1 draw.

### What went wrong in your Zukertort Chigorin losses?

In game 1374 I captured a pawn with my knight onto a square where Black's bishop pinned it against my queen. In game 1383 I was at +6.43 on move 39 with about a minute left: 39.Rxe8 dropped the evaluation to +0.06 and 42.Qe1 to −7.13.

### Can a chess game be won in six moves?

It happened to me this week: in game 1384 my opponent resigned after 6.Bg3, in an equal position. The 97.8% accuracy of that game doesn't mean much; nothing had happened yet.

## Related

- [From 631 to 1385: my chess journey in 2,117 games](https://thechesscoach.netlify.app/journey.md)
- [Week 60 (Mar 2025): Black goes 1–4 in the Modern and the Pirc](https://thechesscoach.netlify.app/journey/week-2025-w10.md)
- [Week 62 (Mar 2025): back over 1300 after 53 games in the 1200s](https://thechesscoach.netlify.app/journey/week-2025-w12.md)
- [How many free game reviews on Chess.com? (2026 limits)](https://thechesscoach.netlify.app/answers/how-many-free-game-reviews-chess-com.md)