# Week 126: a Pirc Defense draw by perpetual check, a bishop up

> Week 126: one rapid game, a Pirc Defense draw at 1216 → 1216. I was a bishop up, left it loose, then allowed a perpetual check.

- URL: https://thechesscoach.netlify.app/journey/week-2026-w44/
- Updated: 2026-11-01
- Author: Ignacio Soler

This week my record has exactly one rapid game, and it was a **Pirc Defense draw**: on October 30, 2026 I played Black against **Alexander_Bukharov (1223)**, won a whole bishop in the middlegame, and still finished with half a point. My rating went in at 1216 and came out at 1216. One game, zero wins, zero losses, one draw.

It is also the first game in this record since July 9, 2026, the last day of [week 125](/journey/week-2026-w28/). The data doesn't say why there is a gap of almost four months, so I won't invent a reason. What it does show is a game that is very easy to review, because almost everything instructive happens in six moves.

## Pirc Defense draw: the week in numbers

| | |
|---|---|
| Games | 1 (game 2117) |
| Wins / losses / draws | 0 / 0 / 1 |
| Rating | 1216 → 1216 (±0) |
| My accuracy (Stockfish) | 74.3% (White: 75.3%) |
| My blunders / mistakes / inaccuracies | 3 / 2 / 2 |
| Opening | Pirc Defense Classical Variation (B08) |
| How it ended | Draw by repetition after White's 37th move |

The split by phase tells the story better than the average. In the first 12 moves, which the analysis counts as the opening, my accuracy was 85.1%. In the 24 middlegame moves it was 70.8%, and all three of my blunders are there. My best winning chance during the game, by the engine's estimate, was 95.4%. So this was not a hard-fought draw between equals; it was a win that I let go.

The opening itself was quiet. White developed with Nf3, Bc4, Nc3 and castled; I fianchettoed my bishop on g7 and castled too. My two opening mistakes came on moves 11 and 12 (11...e6 and 12...Qf6, where the engine wanted me to capture instead). Then, on move 14, White recaptured on e5 with the knight, and the evaluation jumped from −0.32 to −6.89 in my favour. A few moves later I had collected material and was a full bishop up. The rest of this post is about how I spent that bishop's worth of advantage.

## Three key positions from game 2117

All three positions are from the same game ([replay it on Chess.com](https://www.chess.com/game/live/186246005000)). Evaluations are from White's point of view, so a big negative number is good for me.

### Move 26: attacking the rook, forgetting my bishop

I had queen, rook and bishop against queen and rook, with four pawns each. White's queen had just taken my pawn on a6.

> **Game 2117, move 26: my bishop on b2 has no defender**
> Position (FEN): `4r1k1/4q2p/Q5p1/1p2p3/8/6P1/1bP2PP1/4R1K1 b - - 0 26`
> Played: Qb4 — Queen from e7 to b4; attacks the rook on e1, which has no defender
> Better: Bc3 — Bishop from b2 to c3; attacks the rook on e1 and gets the bishop out of trouble

My move attacked White's rook, which looks active. The problem was the piece I didn't move. The engine's best reply for White was a queen move to a2: a check that also attacks my bishop on b2. With that reply on the board, Stockfish's evaluation went from −6.65 to −0.28, about equal. Stockfish's choice, Bc3, attacks the same rook with the bishop itself, so the loose piece becomes the attacker. White didn't find the check and played 27.Rf1 instead, which put me back at −6.51.

### Move 27: the same loose bishop, a second time

> **Game 2117, move 27: my queen on b4 is the only guard of the bishop on b2**
> Position (FEN): `4r1k1/7p/Q5p1/1p2p3/1q6/6P1/1bP2PP1/5RK1 b - - 2 27`
> Played: Qd2 — Queen from b4 to d2; attacks the pawn on c2, which has no defender
> Better: Bd4 — Bishop from b2 to d4; pins the pawn on f2, which cannot move without exposing its king

Here my queen on b4 was the one piece guarding the bishop, along the b-file. I moved it away to attack a pawn. Bd4 would have put the bishop in the centre, where it pins White's f-pawn to the king. After my Qd2 the evaluation went to +0.21. The engine's best reply was to take my b5 pawn with the queen, which then attacks both my bishop on b2, now with no defender, and my rook on e8: a double attack. The check on a2 was also available again. White played 28.Qc6 and missed both. On move 29 I finally played Bd4, the same move the engine had wanted a move earlier.

### Move 31: the pawn grab that opened my back rank

> **Game 2117, move 31: my rook on f8 is guarding my back rank**
> Position (FEN): `5r1k/7p/6p1/3Qp3/3b4/6P1/2Pq1PPK/5R2 b - - 4 31`
> Played: Rxf2 — Rook takes the pawn on f2; attacks the rook on f1 and pins the pawn on g2
> Better: Qg5 — Queen from d2 to g5

This was the one that cost me the game. Taking on f2 looks wonderful: the rook attacks the rook on f1 and pins the g2 pawn to the king. But my rook had been sitting on f8, the only piece covering my back rank. After it left, White played 32.Qd8+, a check that also attacked my bishop on d4 and, behind it, my queen. From there White's queen kept checking my king: e7, h4, e7, e8, e7. I couldn't escape, and the game was drawn by repetition. The evaluation went from −7.08 to 0.00.

The stored analysis preferred Qg5. When I checked the position again, several other quiet moves were also judged completely winning for Black, including a queen check on h6, a king move to g7 and taking the c2 pawn with the queen. There were many ways to keep the win. Taking on f2 was one of the few that didn't. I still had 189 seconds on my clock after that move; my opponent had over six minutes.

## The lesson of the week

When I'm winning, the danger isn't the opponent's plan. It's checks and loose pieces. Before every move in a won position I want to ask two questions: which of my pieces has no defender, and what checks does my opponent get after my move? In game 2117 the first question would have saved me on moves 26 and 27, and the second on move 31. Grabbing material can wait; a piece up is enough.

A draw at 1216 against a 1223 player doesn't move the rating. The review is where the value is: the same mistake twice in a row, then a different one at the end.

## All games this week

| Game # | Date | Colour | Opponent (rating) | Result | Opening | Accuracy | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2117 | 2026-10-30 | Black | Alexander_Bukharov (1223) | Draw | Pirc Defense Classical Variation | 74.3% | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/186246005000) |

Previous week: [week 125, two rapid wins without blunders](/journey/week-2026-w28/). There is no next week yet; the [journey hub](/journey/) has the full series from 631. If you also keep throwing away won games, my answer on [why I keep losing winning positions](/answers/why-do-i-keep-losing-winning-positions-in-chess/) looks at the pattern across many games, and you can [review your own games like this](/features/ai-chess-analysis/).

## FAQ

### How did a Pirc Defense draw happen from a winning position?

In game 2117 I was a bishop up and Stockfish had Black at about −7. On move 31 I took a pawn with my rook, the rook left my back rank, and White's queen gave checks until the game was drawn by repetition.

### Why is one game a whole week here?

Because it is the only rapid game in my record for that week: October 30, 2026. The previous game in the record was on July 9, 2026. I don't add games that weren't played.

### What was the biggest repeated mistake in this game?

Not looking after my bishop on b2. On moves 26 and 27 White had a queen move that attacked it together with a check or a second target, and each time Stockfish's evaluation dropped to about equal. White missed both.

## Related

- [From 631 to 1385: my chess journey in 2,117 games](https://thechesscoach.netlify.app/journey.md)
- [Week 125: two rapid wins without blunders](https://thechesscoach.netlify.app/journey/week-2026-w28.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)
- [Free AI chess analysis of your games, explained](https://thechesscoach.netlify.app/features/ai-chess-analysis.md)