# Week 79: why do I keep blundering pieces? A queen and a bishop in one day

> Week 79: 1241 → 1217 in 5 rapid games (1 W, 4 L). Why do I keep blundering pieces? A queen and a bishop hung on the same day, both from winning positions.

- URL: https://thechesscoach.netlify.app/journey/week-2025-w31/
- Updated: 2026-10-22
- Author: Ignacio Soler

Why do I keep blundering pieces? Week 79 asked that question twice on the same Monday. From July 28 to August 3, 2025, I played **5 rapid games**, won **1**, lost **4**, and dropped from **1241 to 1217** (−24). On July 28 I hung my queen in the morning and a bishop in the evening, both in games where I'd been winning shortly before. The rest of the week was two losses to players rated 1388 and one win against a 1033. That win, game 1626 against DAN131424, was the opposite kind of game: Black pushed ...f6, ...g5, ...h6 and ...f5 in the first five moves, and I won by checkmate on move 20 with 88.6% accuracy.

## The week in numbers

| | |
|---|---|
| Games | 5 (3 White, 2 Black) |
| W / L / D | 1 / 4 / 0 |
| Rating | 1241 → 1217 (−24) |
| Average accuracy | 76.3% (my opponents: 84.0%) |
| Blunders | 9 (my opponents: 4) |
| Openings | Pirc Geller System, Horwitz Defense, Nimzowitsch Williams, Accelerated London, Zukertort Chigorin (1 each) |

This week my opponents were clearly more accurate than me, 84.0% against 76.3%, and made less than half as many blunders. All four losses ended with the game abandoned.

## Moment 1: the check I didn't give, then the queen

Game 1623 against alayyam2222 (1238), Black, Pirc Geller System ([game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/141195709220)). White's 9.Qf3 was a blunder, and the engine had me at −6.20, completely winning.

> **Move 9: White's king is still on e1. Is there a check that also attacks something?**
> Position (FEN): `r1bqkb1r/ppp2p1p/2n3p1/3p2N1/2B5/3P1Q2/PPP2PPP/R1B1K2R b KQkq - 1 9`
> Played: f6 — Pawn to f6 attacks the knight on g5 (about equal after White castles)
> Better: Qe7+ — Queen to e7 with check, also attacking the knight on g5 (Black is completely winning)

**Qe7+** gives check on the e-file and attacks the knight on g5 at the same time. White has to answer the check first, and in the engine's line the bishop that blocks it stops guarding the knight. My f6 also attacked the knight, but without check, so White had a free move. He used it to take my d5 pawn with his bishop. I took back with my queen, 10...Qxd5, on a square where White's queen on f3 could simply take it, and nothing of mine defended it. 11.Qxd5. The evaluation: +7.42. I left the game on the spot.

## Moment 2: the bishop on a6

Game 1624 against GurkiranSB (1248), White, the same evening ([game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/141215208668)). This time I was the one winning, +5.07.

> **Move 22: I'm winning. The a6 pawn looks loose**
> Position (FEN): `1rq2rk1/5ppp/p3bn2/2p1N3/8/1PQ1P3/P3BPPP/R2R2K1 w - - 1 22`
> Played: Bxa6 — Bishop takes the pawn on a6 and hits the queen on c8, but the queen simply takes the bishop
> Better: Rac1 — Rook from a1 to c1 (White is winning)

Bxa6 even attacks Black's queen, which is probably why it looked good. But the queen on c8 attacks a6 along the diagonal, and my bishop had no defender there. One move: +5.07 to −2.63. **Rac1** kept the win. I lost the game, again abandoned, five moves later.

## Moment 3: unpinning at the wrong moment

Game 1625 against SoyFerky (1388), Black ([game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/141257890960)). White's bishop on b5 pinned my knight on c6 to my king.

> **Move 6: White's bishop pins my c6 knight. Unpin, or castle first?**
> Position (FEN): `r1bqk2r/ppp1ppbp/2np1np1/1B6/3PP3/2N2N1P/PPP2PP1/R1BQK2R b KQkq - 2 6`
> Played: Bd7 — Bishop to d7, unpinning the knight, but White's e-pawn can now push to e5 and hit my knight on f6
> Better: O-O — Castles (about equal)

Bd7 breaks the pin, which feels like the right reflex. But the engine's reply is e5, attacking my knight on f6, and the evaluation went from +0.31 to +2.22. **Castling** moves my king off e8, so the knight on c6 is no longer pinned at all. SoyFerky missed e5, but beat me later anyway.

## The lesson of the week

Two pieces hung, and both were captures. That's the pattern behind most of my piece blunders: a capture feels safe because I'm taking something, so I skip the question I'd ask for a quiet move. The fix is the same blunder check every time, before letting go of the piece: is the square I'm moving to attacked, and is my piece defended there? Queen to d5: attacked by the queen on f3, not defended. Bishop to a6: attacked by the queen on c8, not defended. Two seconds each, with more than seven minutes on my clock both times.

And from game 1623, the bonus question: before an ordinary attacking move, is there a check that attacks the same thing?

## All games this week

| Game # | Date | Colour | Opponent (rating) | Result | Opening | Accuracy | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1623 | Jul 28 | Black | alayyam2222 (1238) | Loss | Pirc Defense Modern Defense Geller System | 60.1% | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/141195709220) |
| 1624 | Jul 28 | White | GurkiranSB (1248) | Loss | Queen's Pawn Opening Horwitz Defense | 68.3% | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/141215208668) |
| 1625 | Jul 29 | Black | SoyFerky (1388) | Loss | Nimzowitsch Defense Declined Williams Variation | 81.4% | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/141257890960) |
| 1626 | Jul 30 | White | DAN131424 (1033) | Win | Queen's Pawn Opening Accelerated London System | 88.6% | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/141297228306) |
| 1627 | Aug 3 | White | Knight-Rocks83 (1388) | Loss | Queen's Pawn Opening Zukertort Chigorin Variation | 83.1% | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/141448873640) |

← [Week 78](/journey/week-2025-w30/) · [Week 80](/journey/week-2025-w32/) → · [The journey hub](/journey/) · Find the hanging pieces in your own games with [AI chess analysis](/features/ai-chess-analysis/).

## FAQ

### Why do I keep blundering pieces?

In my week 79 it happened twice on the same day, both times with a capture: my queen took on d5 where White's queen could take it, and my bishop took on a6 where Black's queen could take it. Both squares were attacked and nothing defended my piece there.

### What is a blunder check?

A last look before you let go of a piece: is the square attacked, and is my piece defended there? It takes seconds. In both of my week 79 piece blunders I still had more than seven minutes on my clock.

### Can you beat a 1388 when you're rated 1220?

Not that week. I lost to SoyFerky (1388) and Knight-Rocks83 (1388), the two highest-rated opponents I faced. My only win came against DAN131424 (1033).

## Related

- [From 631 to 1385: my chess journey in 2,117 games](https://thechesscoach.netlify.app/journey.md)
- [Week 78 (Jul 2025): the knight forks I missed three times](https://thechesscoach.netlify.app/journey/week-2025-w30.md)
- [Week 80 (Aug 2025): back to 1200, seven months later](https://thechesscoach.netlify.app/journey/week-2025-w32.md)
- [Free AI chess analysis of your games, explained](https://thechesscoach.netlify.app/features/ai-chess-analysis.md)