# Week 64: why do I suddenly keep losing in chess? Two weeks, 8–14

> Week 64: 13 rapid games, 5 wins and 8 losses, 1282 → 1267 (−15). Over two weeks I went 8–14, and 8 of those losses came from winning positions.

- URL: https://thechesscoach.netlify.app/journey/week-2025-w14/
- Updated: 2026-10-22
- Author: Ignacio Soler

At the end of week 62 I was at 1307. Two weeks later I was at 1267. Week 64 itself, March 31 to April 6, 2025, was **13 rapid games, 5 wins and 8 losses, rating 1282 → 1267 (−15)**, and together with the week before it makes **8 wins and 14 losses in 22 games**. It felt sudden, which is why I looked at it the way I'd look at anyone's slump: why do I suddenly keep losing in chess, and what does the engine say changed?

## The week in numbers

| | |
|---|---|
| Rapid games | 13 |
| Wins / losses / draws | 5 / 8 / 0 |
| Rating | 1282 → 1267 (−15) |
| Record with White / Black | 4–4 / 1–4 |
| Average accuracy | 72.3% |
| Blunders (mine) | 29 |
| Most played openings | London System (2), Queen's Pawn Opening Zukertort Variation (2), Modern Defense with 1 e4 (2) |

The week had two losing streaks: four in a row from game 1416 to game 1419 (April 2 and 3), then three in a row from game 1423 to game 1425. My average accuracy was 72.3%, after 70.7% the week before. The clock wasn't the issue: **none of my 29 blunders came with less than a minute left**. And the wins were fine, including 92.1% in a London System against **AlexandrIu1961 (1291)** and 94.4% in an 11-move Modern Defense against **phtos2 (1245)**.

## What actually changed: winning positions

Here is the number that explains the slump. **Five of my eight losses this week came from positions where my winning chance had been 80% or more**, and in week 63 it was three of six. Over the two weeks, **8 of my 14 losses were games I had been winning**:

- Game 1417 against **Virgile45456 (1278)**: I was at +7.62 on move 11 and +7.41 on move 15, and lost (below).
- Game 1418 against **Shabs419 (1293)**: −4.22 for me on move 15; my queen took a pawn with 23...Qxb2 (−0.03 to +5.89) and I was mated.
- Game 1419 against **mz1275mgmailcom (1254)**: +7.05 on move 18; 18.Nxa6 brought it to −0.27, and 22.Qa1 (+5.57 to −4.74) lost it. I was mated.
- Game 1425 against **ASphotografer (1259)**: −14.55 for me on move 31, and 31...Qxf5+ turned it into +8.50.

I also checked something about streaks across all my games up to this week. After three losses in a row, I won 41.7% of the next games; my overall win rate was 46.8%. A small difference, but it's there.

## Game 1417: the double attack I didn't play

With White against **Virgile45456 (1278)** in a Queen's Pawn Opening, Zukertort Variation ([game on Chess.com](https://www.chess.com/game/live/136977905898)), Black's rook and knight were still at home on a8 and b8. I was winning, +4.44.

> **One queen move would have attacked the rook on a8, the knight on b8 and the bishop on d7 at once**
> Position (FEN): `rn1qk2r/p2bnppp/2p1p3/b2p4/p2P1B2/1QP1PN2/1P1N1PPP/R3KB1R w KQkq - 0 10`
> Played: Qxa4 — Qxa4 takes the pawn on a4 and attacks the bishop on a5
> Better: Qb7 — Qb7 attacks the undefended rook on a8, the knight on b8 and the bishop on d7

Qb7 is a **double attack**, really a triple one: the undefended rook on a8, the knight on b8 and the bishop on d7 with the knight on e7 behind it. The engine line is 10.Qb7 Qb6 11.Qxa8. I took a pawn on a4 instead, +4.44 became +1.86, and then it got stranger. On move 11 I was winning again (+7.62) and played 11.Bb5; the engine wanted 11.Qxa5. On move 15, at +7.41, I played 15.Qxa5 and lost my queen for a bishop after 15...Nxa5. The evaluation went to −5.13, and the game ended as abandoned after 16...Rxb2.

## Game 1416: a retreat that invited a pawn

With Black against **tfong2005 (1271)** in a Pirc Classical ([game link](https://www.chess.com/game/live/136947758588)), the position was nearly equal, +0.62 for White, after White pushed a pawn to e5 against my knight on f6.

> **The knight had to move; where it went decided whether White's next pawn push would hit anything**
> Position (FEN): `rnbq1rk1/pp2ppbp/2pp1np1/4P3/2BP4/2N2N2/PPP2PPP/R1BQ1RK1 b - - 0 7`
> Played: Nfd7 — Nfd7 retreats the knight from f6 to d7
> Better: Ne8 — Ne8 retreats the knight from f6 to e8

Both moves retreat the knight. After Nfd7, the engine's answer is 8.e6, a pawn move close to my king that attacks the knight on d7. +0.62 became +2.50, and my opponent played exactly 8.e6: after 8...fxe6 9.Bxe6+ my king was in check on move 9. With 7...Ne8 the knight would not have been in the pawn's way. I later fought back to a winning position (−2.87 on move 21), and 21...Ne4 turned it into +7.27.

(The third key moment, game 1414 against **AleksRadul (1291)**, an English Defense, was a knight move in a balanced position: 24.Ne4 attacked a pawn on c5, but after 24...cxd4 the evaluation was −5.17 for me. The engine preferred 24.Nf3.)

## The lesson of the week

The slump wasn't about openings, the clock or stronger opponents. **It was about what I did when I was winning.** In game 1417 alone I had three moves at +4 or more and let all three go. Losing a won position costs the same rating points as losing a bad one, and it costs a lot more confidence. The rule I'm taking from these two weeks: **when the position is clearly winning, every move gets a full check of the opponent's checks and captures, even the "obvious" ones**, because the obvious moves are where I gave the games back. And after three losses in a row, I stop and review one of them before playing again; my own numbers say the next game goes worse.

## All games this week

| Game # | Date | Colour | Opponent (rating) | Result | Opening | Accuracy | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1414 | Mar 31 | White | AleksRadul (1291) | Loss (abandoned) | English Defense | 71.9 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/136873608152) |
| 1415 | Apr 1 | White | AlexandrIu1961 (1291) | Win (checkmate) | London System | 92.1 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/136927650852) |
| 1416 | Apr 2 | Black | tfong2005 (1271) | Loss (abandoned) | Pirc Defense Classical Variation | 57.1 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/136947758588) |
| 1417 | Apr 3 | White | Virgile45456 (1278) | Loss (abandoned) | Queen's Pawn Opening Zukertort Variation | 48.2 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/136977905898) |
| 1418 | Apr 3 | Black | Shabs419 (1293) | Loss (checkmate) | Modern Defense with 1 e4 | 64.1 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/136985814894) |
| 1419 | Apr 3 | White | mz1275mgmailcom (1254) | Loss (checkmate) | Queen's Pawn Opening | 49.7 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/136996141952) |
| 1420 | Apr 4 | Black | phtos2 (1245) | Win (resignation) | Modern Defense with 1 e4 | 94.4 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/137020522450) |
| 1421 | Apr 4 | White | JhonyValenzuela (1263) | Win (resignation) | Queen's Pawn Opening Zukertort Variation | 84.4 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/137034501810) |
| 1422 | Apr 5 | White | evangentile123 (1271) | Win (resignation) | Queen's Pawn Opening Zukertort Chigorin Variation | 79.7 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/137054299804) |
| 1423 | Apr 5 | Black | Bruyne10 (1312) | Loss (abandoned) | Indian Game East Indian Przepiorka Variation | 81.5 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/137055241342) |
| 1424 | Apr 5 | White | Kkt1289 (1271) | Loss (checkmate) | London System | 84.2 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/137067214260) |
| 1425 | Apr 6 | Black | ASphotografer (1259) | Loss (abandoned) | Modern Defense Standard Line | 52.3 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/137092794974) |
| 1426 | Apr 6 | White | senatorq4545 (1254) | Win (checkmate) | Englund Gambit | 79.7 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/137103262434) |

Read the start of the slide in [week 63](/journey/week-2025-w13/), or see what came next in [week 65](/journey/week-2025-w15/). Every week is on the [journey hub](/journey/), and the "winning positions lost" count is something [Chess Coach can show for your games](/features/ai-chess-analysis/) too.

## FAQ

### Why do I suddenly keep losing in chess?

In my case the data pointed to one thing: I kept losing positions I was winning. Over two weeks I lost 14 games, and in 8 of them my winning chance had been 80% or more at some point. None of the blunders in those two weeks came with less than a minute left, so it wasn't the clock.

### How many games in a row did you lose?

Four, from game 1416 to game 1419 on April 2 and 3, 2025, and later three more in a row, games 1423 to 1425.

### What was your worst missed win that week?

Game 1425. On move 31 the engine rated my position −14.55, completely winning with Black, and 31...Qxf5+ turned it into +8.50 for White. The engine's move was 31...Qh1+.

## Related

- [From 631 to 1385: my chess journey in 2,117 games](https://thechesscoach.netlify.app/journey.md)
- [Week 63 (Mar 2025): 0–3 in the Pirc Geller System](https://thechesscoach.netlify.app/journey/week-2025-w13.md)
- [Week 65 (Apr 2025): 68 blunders in 24 games](https://thechesscoach.netlify.app/journey/week-2025-w15.md)
- [Free AI chess analysis of your games, explained](https://thechesscoach.netlify.app/features/ai-chess-analysis.md)