Week 88: stuck at 1200 chess for ten months, and sliding to 1168
Week 88 (September 29 to October 5, 2025) is what being stuck at 1200 chess looks like from the inside. I played 15 rapid games, won 5 and lost 10, and my rating went from 1206 to 1168. At one point it touched 1160, my lowest since December 2024. I first crossed 1200 at game 1237, on Christmas Eve 2024. Since then I've played 485 more games, reached 1334 once, and kept coming back to the same line.
The week in numbers
| What | This week |
|---|---|
| Rated rapid games | 15 |
| Score (W–L–D) | 5–10–0 |
| Rating change | -38 (1206 to 1168) |
| Average accuracy (Stockfish) | 73.2% |
| My blunders | 35 |
| Openings I played most | London System (3), Queen's Pawn Opening Horwitz Defense (2), Modern Defense with 1 e4 (2) |
The losses didn't come from a single disaster. My longest losing run was three games. The pattern was steadier and worse: in five of the ten losses, Stockfish says my best winning chance during the game was above 80%. I had the winning positions. I didn't keep them.
And once again the phases tell the story. My opening accuracy this week averaged 88.6%. My middlegame accuracy averaged 69.4%. Of my 35 blunders, 29 were middlegame moves, 4 were in the endgame and 2 in the opening, and none was played with a low clock. So this isn't time trouble, and it isn't openings. The London System went 0–3 this week, but in one of those losses (game 1720) I played at 90.0% accuracy. My Horwitz games as White, after 1.d4 e6, went 2–0.
What "stuck at 1200" looks like, in three positions
Against lamatur (1207) I was winning (-4.58; minus means Black, me, was better) in a Pirc. White had just played 14.b3, a pawn attacking my knight on c4, so I retreated it: 14...Nd6. The natural move, and Stockfish rated it a blunder (-1.40). The engine's order is different: first 14...Qxd1, trading queens, and after 15.Rxd1 the bishop takes the pawn on c3 and attacks the rook on a1. Only after White moves the rook (16.Rb1 in its line) does the knight go back to d6. Same retreat, two moves later, with a pawn in my pocket. In the game my opponent blundered back with 15.c4, I blundered again with 15...b5, and the game was lost by move 23.
This one is the purest version of the problem. Against CopyWhiteCat (1198) I was completely winning (+7.05). Black's knight on g3 attacked my rook on h1, so the rook had to move. I chose 21.Rh2 because it attacked Black's queen on f2. But the queen could simply take it, since nothing defended the rook on h2, and 21...Qxh2 is what happened. The evaluation went to -1.65. Stockfish's 21.Rhe1 puts the rook on e1, right next to my other rook on d1, which protects it. A winning position, gone because I picked the move that attacked something over the move that kept my piece safe.
The last one is subtler. Against Alekssseyy (1208), in the Pirc's Kholmov System, my knight was on a5. Its possible squares: b7 had my own pawn, c4 was covered by the bishop on d3, b3 by the pawn on a2. That left c6. With 17...c6 I took that square away from my own knight. Stockfish's reply for White was 18.b4, attacking the knight, and its line wins it. The evaluation went from -0.49 to +4.53. My opponent played 18.f4 instead, but I was checkmated later anyway.
The lesson of the week
Being stuck at 1200, for me, isn't about knowledge I don't have. All three moves above are things I'd explain correctly to a beginner: play the forcing trade first, don't leave a piece where it can be taken, don't block your own knight. I just don't check them during the game. The lesson I take from this week is about the moment of the decision: when I'm winning and one of my pieces is attacked, I stop and ask two questions before moving it. Where will it be safe? And is there something forcing I should play first?
All games this week
| # | Date | Colour | Opponent | Result | Opening | Accuracy | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1708 | 2025-09-29 | White | jpraina (1184) | Win | Queen's Pawn Opening Horwitz Defense | 89.9% | game |
| 1709 | 2025-09-29 | Black | lamatur (1207) | Loss | Pirc Defense | 50.2% | game |
| 1710 | 2025-09-30 | White | CopyWhiteCat (1198) | Loss | Queen's Pawn Opening Zukertort Chigorin Variation | 71.0% | game |
| 1711 | 2025-09-30 | White | Tsibenko_Alexandr (1179) | Win | Queen's Pawn Opening Zukertort Variation | 87.0% | game |
| 1712 | 2025-09-30 | Black | Alekssseyy (1208) | Loss | Pirc Defense Main Line Kholmov System | 47.8% | game |
| 1713 | 2025-09-30 | Black | VictorDanielF (1215) | Loss | Indian Game East Indian Przepiorka Variation | 67.4% | game |
| 1714 | 2025-10-01 | White | lakastah (1199) | Loss | Queen's Pawn Opening | 59.0% | game |
| 1715 | 2025-10-01 | Black | legiabaole (1168) | Win | Pirc Defense Harmonist Variation | 80.9% | game |
| 1716 | 2025-10-01 | Black | HOOD126 (1215) | Loss | Modern Defense with 1 e4 | 69.2% | game |
| 1717 | 2025-10-01 | White | mitio00 (1195) | Loss | London System | 54.8% | game |
| 1718 | 2025-10-02 | Black | Byuedog10 (1197) | Loss | Modern Defense with 1 e4 | 82.0% | game |
| 1719 | 2025-10-03 | White | Kameshp10 (1158) | Win | Queen's Pawn Opening Horwitz Defense | 79.8% | game |
| 1720 | 2025-10-04 | White | marta-0110 (1171) | Loss | London System | 90.0% | game |
| 1721 | 2025-10-04 | White | MorticianTV (1243) | Loss | London System | 81.4% | game |
| 1722 | 2025-10-05 | Black | PhongThanToc (1136) | Win | Nimzowitsch Defense Declined Williams Variation | 87.5% | game |
Previous week: week 87. Next week: week 89. The full series is on the journey page. If you're stuck at the same rating and review your games on Chess.com, see how many free game reviews you get there.
Frequently asked questions
How long have I been stuck at 1200?
I first reached 1200 at game 1237, on December 24, 2024. By the end of this week, at game 1722, I had played 485 more games, peaked at 1334 in January 2025, and finished the week at 1168.
Why am I stuck at 1200 in chess?
In my data it isn't the opening. This week my opening accuracy averaged 88.6% and my middlegame accuracy 69.4%, and 29 of my 35 blunders were middlegame moves. In five of my ten losses I had a winning chance above 80% at some point.
Did the London System stop working for me?
It went 0-3 this week. In one of those losses, game 1720, I played at 90.0% accuracy and still lost, so the score says more about the middlegame than about the opening.