Week 92: a ninety-nine-point rapid rating gain

Week 92 (October 27–November 2, 2025): 43 rapid games, 27 wins, 15 losses and 1 draw, with my rating moving from 1202 to 1301. That ninety-nine-point rapid rating gain was my second-largest weekly gain in the series at that point. Stockfish also counted 116 blunders in my moves, so the engine review gives important context to the result.

A ninety-nine-point rapid rating gain: the week in numbers

Most played openings: Modern Defense with 1 e4 (5), Nimzowitsch Defense Declined Williams Variation (4), Queen's Pawn Opening Zukertort Chigorin Variation (4).

I played every day, between 3 and 9 games. The busiest day was Friday, October 31, with 9 games (5 wins, 4 losses). The two 7-game days at the weekend went 4–3 and 5–2. I never lost more than two games in a row, and the longest winning run was five. As White I scored 13 wins, 8 losses and 1 draw; as Black 14 wins and 7 losses.

The clock played a part: I won four games on time and lost two that way. And for the first time since June, my rating crossed 1300, with 1301 after game 1786 and a high of 1309.

Where did the 116 blunders happen? 71 in the middlegame, 26 in the endgame, 19 in the opening. Forty-four of them came on move 15 or earlier. In nine games Stockfish says I had a winning chance above 80% and didn't win. So the +99 hides a lot of the same problems as the weeks before. The difference is that this week, more often, the last blunder of the game was my opponent's.

Three moments behind the ninety-nine-point gain

r . . q . r k .
p p p . . p . p
. . . p . b p B
n . . . p . . .
. . P P b . . P
. . P . . . P .
P . . Q . P . .
R . . . R B K .

Against N_Miras (1307), my first game of the week, I was completely winning (-6.39; minus means Black, me, was better). Two of my pieces were attacked: the bishop on e4 by the rook on e1, and the rook on f8 by the bishop on h6. I couldn't save both. Stockfish's choice is to save the bishop with 17...Bf5 and let the rook go: after 18.Bxf8 Qxf8 it still rates Black as completely winning. I tried to solve both problems with a counterattack, 17...Nxc4, hitting the queen. But the knight could simply be taken, 18.Bxc4, and the evaluation went to -0.17. A move later I blundered again and lost the game. When two pieces are attacked, sometimes the right decision is to choose which one to lose.

r . . . k . . r
p p p q . p . p
. . . p . p p b
. . . P n . . .
. . . Q P . . .
. . N . . N . .
P P P . . P P P
R . . . . R K .

Against Llvt22 (1193), my knight on e5 was attacked twice, by the knight on f3 and the queen on d4. I played 11...Qg4, attacking the knight on f3 and pinning the g2 pawn. Stockfish rated it a blunder (-1.40 to +0.38). Its best reply for White, 12.Nxe5, takes my knight and attacks my queen at the same time. The engine's move was 11...Nxf3+: trade the attacked knight with check, and after 12.gxf3 the queen comes to h3 and takes the pawn on f3 in its line. In the game White did play 12.Nxe5, then blundered with 13.Qxe5+, and I won on move 13.

q . . . k b . r
. . p . . p p p
. . n . p n . .
. p . p . b . .
. . . P . B . .
. Q P . P N . .
. P . N . P P P
. . . . K B . R

This is the move I keep thinking about. Against MegaDutch (1216), in a London System, I was winning (+3.98). I played 11.Qa3, which attacks Black's queen on a8 and the bishop on f8. It also puts my queen on the same diagonal as that bishop, with nothing in between. Stockfish's best reply for Black is 11...Bxa3: the bishop takes my queen, and the evaluation is -7.48. My opponent didn't see it and played 11...Qb7. The engine's move for me was 11.Bxb5, taking a pawn and pinning the knight on c6 to the king. I lost this game anyway, later, after six blunders in total.

The lesson of the week

In rapid chess at my level, you can gain 99 points in a week while blundering almost three times per game, because the other player blunders too. That's not a method; it's a warning. The one habit I'd keep from this week is narrow and practical: every time my queen moves, I check the new square against every enemy piece, especially bishops on long diagonals. 11.Qa3 would have lost my queen in one move, and only my opponent's blunder saved it.

All games this week

Previous week: week 91. Next week: week 93. The full journey is on the journey page. Reviewing 43 games in a week is a lot; here's how many free game reviews Chess.com gives you.

For a general method beyond this week's games, see the rapid improvement guide.