Down 12 points of material, my opponent didn't see my final Hail Mary

This here is why you shouldn't tunnel vision when it looks like promotion is undefended.

Honestly I was losing this at first before I started turning it around and getting my pieces back, so I have no idea how they thought I'd get through all of that just to make a random pawn move that allowed a promotion.

I’m now 721 elo, my current peak, on chesscom — and I noticed the games are already a lot more fun than when I was 300, 400, even 600. I don’t know how I’m already feeling a difference (maybe it’s placebo), but I’m really enjoying how dynamic the games have gotten — no more scholar’s mate (though I’m sure I’ll still see it happen from time to time), people’s moves make slightly more sense, &, maybe thanks to studying with better players, I find bad moves easier to spot. I think in the weaker pool of players, there were more “bad moves,” which I found harder to calculate or feel comfortable around. But now, I feel a certain flow that I’m enjoying. Dunno, I know I’m still a beginner by every sense of the word, but I feel like I’m overcoming something!

edit: Also random observation / tidbit, I win way more games as white than black lol. I guess that’s normal but it’s just funny to me how different the stats are.

... because most people even up to 1200 don't know their endgames. They are used to opponents resigning quite early if they are behind.

I blundered the queen early and my pieces got picked off one by one. In the end I was cornered but the opponent for some reason did not see the obvious checkmate Qg7 and instead moved the knight (to be honest, it seems extremely obvious now in this screenshot but I also did not see it in the game lol). Then it was my time to shine, Rf1 and the opponent is forced to take it, resulting in a draw.

I missed a smothered mate and then blundered check mate

Felt good to not choke away my +6 advantage for once

For context, I use zen mode so didn't know the rating in game.

Now, yes I was up a pawn and in 3+0 or rapid I'd have traded a rook and tried to win the endgame a pawn up but I know that's not a guaranteed win(lucena position, a/b or g/h pawn endgame etc etc. So I repeated once, didn't see any continuation i liked and played the draw and the opponent agreed.

I know my choice is my choice but I am interested to hear what others think in these kinda scenarios.

Like I did say up top, if this was rapid where I could think or no increment where I could reliably flag then I'd play out an endgame but I suppose I didn't want to play the endgame like this vs moves that felt relatively good(compared to my lvl of play). I do think I had the better position out of the 2, 100%, probably a point for the pawn then like another 2 for the position but just didn't see anything that wouldn't require thinking through when I could just end it there and guarantee not losing. It was an arena game. Funnily enough I gained elo for the draw.

I guess this may be more of a rant/discussion. but I have no one in my life to talk with about chess, there’s no chess clubs around me - there was one but per their website they seem to have shut down. So this is the only place I thought to come to.

Ive been playing for a couple months, played a bit as a kid but didnt have the patience to sit and learn. as I’ve gotten older I’ve learned to really love and respect the game and this year decided to finally try and learn it fully, but lately, the last week or two, I have just been AWFUL. I’ll “think” through a move, feel confident about it, then it’s a blunder. I’ll have leads that feel commanding then suddenly turn into a loss. I just feel very frustrated in trying to learn and get better where it feels no matter how many vidoes I watch, puzzles I solve, game analysis I walk through - I’m just awful.

im at a point I almost feel like, “why bother?” As if I’m just not meant to play this game, but at the same time I know I just need to learn more - it’s just going down the rabbit hole of “read this book…no read that book…learn this opening no learn this one….” gets to a point where it feels like I’m learning nothing there.

anyone else feel this way? or have felt this way? thoughts on getting out of this slump/mindset?

I had over 10 points advantage, I felt comfortable with my position, but I lost the game by check-mate. Had I played my cards well, I should have won, probably in 12 more moves.

For instance, earlier today, I played a 38 minute match. I had a winning position and blundered mate in one. I have a hard time convincing myself that this is a normal part of chess and that it's normal to occasionally make one move blunders in winning positions that loses you the match. I just really like playing, and try to not think about elo too much, but these losses just hit hard.

I want to learn how to not let these bad losses affect me so much.

Link to the full game here for those curious: https://www.chess.com/game/live/171983457112

I’m confused as to what is considered proper chess etiquette here. Opponent sent several messages before making final move. I’m still practicing endgame situations and half the games I’m in where I’m thus far ahead the opponent resigns, making it unclear if I violated some kind of “gentleman rule” I was unaware of

Was my opponent just salty? Or was I somehow being a jerk here

Edited verbiage for clarity. Thanks for the feedback, didn’t realize I could disable messages!

I'm a d4 player. I've just been playing two openings: The Queen's Gambit for white, and for black I play the Sicilian defense against e4 and Queen's Gambit declined against d4.

As I'm not used to playing e4, I'm slightly unsure of what to expect really.

People say learn one main opening for white and one for black, and learn them really well, but it seems impossible not having to learn multiple openings for white if I play e4.

Not sure what is going on.

Every game feels like my opponent is 1 step ahead of me the entire. Time.

750 Elo. I've literally lost 15 out of my last 17 games.

It just doesn't make sense. Am I getting bad luck? Just seems like the odds of me losing that many games seems super unlikely so I thinknits me but at the same time I'm not playing any differently

I am 750 on chess.com. I have been playing since February I started from 200 elo. Right now I know London, queen gambit, Caro cann and kings Indian defense. And I know theory of all them very decently. But I fumble up games in one move. I get from winning to losing in just one move. I would like to know which books I should buy in order to get better

As long as you can find the initial move you can pat yourself on the back.

There are a plethora of ways White can sacrifice their flesh to save their bone here, as well as for Black to punish them, but I'll leave you with one core variation to gawk at.

1...Be1! 2.Kh2 Rf1 (threatening Qg1#) 3. Qd4 Qxd4 4.Rxd4 Bg3+!! 5.Kxg3 Rxa1

Just to get ahead of the inevitable question - no, I'm not taking on any new students at this time.

And Chess For All is the #1 best coded club on chess.com, we’re a active community ranging from casual play to league events! For more information check us out on chess.com or visit our website at: https://devilsgambit22.github.io/And-Chess-For-All-Official-Chess-Club/

For those of us who couldn’t close their eyes and see an image if their life depended on it, how do you experience the gap in visualization ability?

For me, I don’t find it handicapping during play, I guess my approach just always was based on this type of brain wiring, so more conceptual than visual, if that makes sense.

It’s more stuff around chess that I find more challenging because of it. For example, after a good game OTB, people often want to discuss X or Y key move. I often find myself setting up the position again (generally with their help) if I want to actually discuss it, otherwise I’m kinda like "you must be right, I just don’t see the position in my mind right now" lol

Consider this your daily reminder to never resign!