# Week 113: three winning positions lost at 1200

> Week 113: 1227 → 1219 in 9 rapid games. Three of my five losses came from positions the engine rated as winning for me. Here is how.

- URL: https://thechesscoach.netlify.app/journey/week-2026-w15/
- Updated: 2026-10-29
- Author: Ignacio Soler

Week 113 covers April 6–12, 2026: **9 rapid games, 1227 → 1219**, **four wins and five losses**, with no draws. Three of those five losses included a position the engine assessed as winning for me. These three winning positions lost at the 1200 level give this entry its focus, with the actual moves and results below.

## Three winning positions lost at 1200: the week in numbers

| | |
|---|---|
| Games | 9 |
| Wins / losses / draws | 4 / 5 / 0 |
| Rating | 1227 → 1219 (−8) |
| Average accuracy | 80.2% |
| My blunders | 18 |
| With White / with Black | 3 wins, 2 losses / 1 win, 3 losses |
| Openings | Modern Defense (three move orders), Pirc, Old Benoni, four others once each |

The results read almost like a metronome: win, loss, win, loss, win, then two losses, a win and a loss.
My rating bounced between 1219 and 1235 the whole week and never left that band. The average accuracy of
80.2% hides a wide spread, from 96.3% in my best game to 51.3% in my worst.

The best one was game 2034 against Wiggins_Plays_Chess (1199). Seventy-six moves, no blunders at all, and
I won on time with only 4 seconds left on my own clock. Even there the engine found something I missed:
after my opponent's 17th move I had mate in two (queen to h5 with check, then queen to f7), and I played a
quiet knight move instead. I still won, but it's the same pattern you'll see below: the forcing move was
there and I didn't look at it first.

## Three moments where it turned

### Game 2035: the same pawn, taken with the wrong piece

Against gelagela19649 (1261), playing Black in the Modern Defense, I was completely winning on move 11.
The engine gave −6.14, which means Black is up by roughly six pawns' worth. White's pawn on d4 was
hanging, and there were two ways to take it.

> **Game 2035, move 11: two ways to take the d4 pawn**
> Position (FEN): `r2qk2r/ppp1ppbp/1nn3p1/4P3/2PP4/3B1Q1P/PP4P1/RNB2RK1 b kq - 0 11`
> Played: Nxd4 — Knight takes on d4 and attacks the queen, but the queen escapes with check on f7
> Better: Qxd4+ — Queen takes on d4 with check and also hits the bishop on d3 and the pawn on e5

I took with the knight, which attacks White's queen. It looks active. But White doesn't have to retreat:
the queen simply takes my f7 pawn next to my king, with check, and then grabs my bishop on g7. After my
move the evaluation was +6.99 for White. Taking with the queen instead gives check, and a check is a
double attack here: it also hits the bishop on d3 and the undefended pawn on e5. The game was over by
move 16 ([game 2035](https://www.chess.com/game/live/166993275036)).

### Game 2036: a queen move that unguarded my knight

Against hanumateja (1237), again with Black in the Modern, the position was about equal on move 18
(+0.05). My knight on e5 was protected by my pawn on d6. I moved my queen to d7 to attack the white
knight on b5.

> **Game 2036, move 18: my knight on e5 depends on the d6 pawn**
> Position (FEN): `r2q1rk1/4pp1p/3p2p1/1NpQn3/P7/1P3P2/5PPP/1R2RK2 b - - 0 18`
> Played: Qd7 — Queen to d7 attacks the knight on b5, but now sits on the same file as White's queen
> Better: Qc8 — Queen to c8 keeps the game about equal

The problem: with my queen on d7, the d6 pawn can no longer safely take anything on e5. If it does, the
d-file opens and White's queen on d5 takes my queen. So White's rook could just take my knight, and the
engine jumped to +6.59. Queen to c8 kept everything level. I was lucky: my opponent made five blunders in
the game and I won by resignation on move 39
([game 2036](https://www.chess.com/game/live/167065473300)).

### Game 2039: the bishop that was guarding a knight

With White against Allianzem (1229), in an Old Indian Defense, the evaluation was +0.26 on move 16. My
bishop on e2 was quietly guarding my knight on f3.

> **Game 2039, move 16: what was my bishop on e2 doing?**
> Position (FEN): `1r1q1rk1/1pp1npbp/p1b3p1/2P2p2/3P4/Q1N1PN1P/P3BPP1/R4RK1 w - - 1 16`
> Played: Bc4 — Bishop to c4 pins the f7 pawn, but stops guarding the knight on f3
> Better: Rfd1 — Rook to d1 keeps the game about equal

Bishop to c4 pins Black's f7 pawn to the king, which felt aggressive. But Black's bishop on c6 can now
take my knight on f3, and I have to take back with the g-pawn, which opens the shelter in front of my own
king. The engine's line after that was clearly better for Black (−2.40 in the game). I blundered twice
more, and by move 29 I had 55 seconds left and lost
([game 2039](https://www.chess.com/game/live/167079791864)).

## The lesson of the week

Checks first, in both directions. In game 2034 I missed a mate in two that started with a check. In game
2035 I missed a check that won more material, and my move allowed a check that won the game for my
opponent. When the position is good, the extra ten seconds I spend should go to one question: what are
the checks and captures, mine and theirs, after this move? Two of these three turning points would have
disappeared with that habit, and the third (game 2039) is its cousin: before moving a piece, ask what it
was protecting.

The other three losses don't need a board to explain. Game 2037 I lost with 96.2% accuracy: the record
shows it was abandoned at move 13 while I was well ahead. In game 2042 I was winning early, made six
blunders and got checkmated on move 37.

## All games this week

| Game # | Date | Colour | Opponent (rating) | Result | Opening | Accuracy | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2034 | Apr 6 | White | Wiggins_Plays_Chess (1199) | Win | Modern Defense with 1 d4 | 96.3% | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/166946194196) |
| 2035 | Apr 7 | Black | gelagela19649 (1261) | Loss | Modern Defense with 1 e4 | 51.3% | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/166993275036) |
| 2036 | Apr 9 | Black | hanumateja (1237) | Win | Modern Defense | 83.0% | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/167065473300) |
| 2037 | Apr 9 | Black | BM_MASTER_69 (1247) | Loss | Pirc Defense | 96.2% | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/167076581446) |
| 2038 | Apr 9 | White | giorgosntz (1208) | Win | Old Benoni Defense | 80.6% | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/167079214086) |
| 2039 | Apr 9 | White | Allianzem (1229) | Loss | Old Indian Defense | 79.4% | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/167079791864) |
| 2040 | Apr 12 | Black | Rom142000 (1244) | Loss | Nimzowitsch Defense Declined, Williams Variation | 73.9% | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/167202027394) |
| 2041 | Apr 12 | White | VictoriousD71 (1221) | Win | Queen's Pawn Opening, Horwitz Defense | 88.1% | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/167216034784) |
| 2042 | Apr 12 | White | Gonzlez1234 (1244) | Loss | Queen's Pawn Opening, Zukertort Chigorin Variation | 72.7% | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/167216429954) |

Previous: [week 112](/journey/week-2026-w14/) · Next: [week 114](/journey/week-2026-w16/) · All weeks:
[the journey hub](/journey/). Every evaluation here comes from Stockfish; if you want to review your own
games like this, see [how Chess Coach's AI chess analysis works](/features/ai-chess-analysis/).

For a general method beyond this week's games, see [the guide to reviewing lost winning positions](/answers/why-do-i-keep-losing-winning-positions-in-chess/).

## FAQ

### How did I lose three winning positions around 1200?

Three of my five losses in nine games included an earlier position the engine assessed as winning. In game 2035 a knight capture missed the stronger queen capture with check, and the following move reversed the assessment.

### Can you lose a chess game with high accuracy?

Yes. In game 2037 my accuracy was 96.2% and I still lost: Chess.com recorded the game as abandoned at move 13, while the engine had me well ahead.

### How many blunders does a 1200 player make per game?

In this week I made 18 blunders in 9 rapid games, two per game on average, with an average accuracy of 80.2%. One game had none and one had six.

## Related

- [From 631 to 1385: my chess journey in 2,117 games](https://thechesscoach.netlify.app/journey.md)
- [Week 112 (Apr 2026): counting attackers before I capture](https://thechesscoach.netlify.app/journey/week-2026-w14.md)
- [Week 114 (Apr 2026): 46 blunders in 12 games, still +9](https://thechesscoach.netlify.app/journey/week-2026-w16.md)
- [Free AI chess analysis of your games, explained](https://thechesscoach.netlify.app/features/ai-chess-analysis.md)
- [Why do I keep losing winning positions in chess?](https://thechesscoach.netlify.app/answers/why-do-i-keep-losing-winning-positions-in-chess.md)