Milestone: 1700 on Lichess Blitz

What makes climbing the rating ladder exciting, apart from the the bragging rights that come with reaching a new round number, is the opportunity to play against higher-rated opponents, get crushed by them, learn from the experience, and gradually improve to their level en-route to the next milestone. The cycle always begins with a feeling of hopelessness as the higher-rated players pick apart the opening, slice through the middlegame with razor-sharp tactics or navigate the endgame with near-flawless technique.

In this morning's game Lichess matched me against one Sergei121, rated 1769. It was an Advance French in which I blundered my knight on move 14 and opponent returned the favor two moves later. On move 21 I skewered his queen and rook, and it was effectively game over after that. My previous rated Blitz game, a week before, was against one Sergey4404, rated 1607. It was an Exchange French in which I blundered into a drawn endgame but opponent flagged. Lichess awarded me 47 points for beating Sergey4404 and 56 for beating Sergei121.

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1. Sergei121 (2026-05-25)

Position 1: Black to move

Assigned the black pieces, I replied to White's 1.e4 with the French 1...e6, and after 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 Nc6 White pinned my knight with 5.Bb5. The engine doesn't consider White's deployment of the bish to g5 an inaccuracy, but it evaluates the ensuing position as -0.3 and I was delighted at the prospect of trading off White's light-square bish.

I developed with 5...Bd7, and White exchanged with 6.Bxc6 bxc6. After White developed a knight with 7.Nf3, I created a passed d-pawn with 7...cxd4 8.cxd4 c5 9.0-0 cxd4 and felt comfortable going into the middlegame. White rechopped with 10.Nxd4 and we each developed knights with 10...Ne7 11.Nc3. I repositioned my knight with 11...Ng6, and White repositioned his rook with 12.Re1. So far, so good, but my advantage of -0.5 flipped to +0.6 upon playing 12...Qc7.

1. Why did I choose the move 12...Qc7?
Eliminating White's d-pawn weakened the pawn on e5, which was already attacked by my knight. 12...Qc7 added a second attacker in the form of my queen.

2. Why is my move not ideal?
Google Gemini explains that the development of my queen was premature, given that I still had a bish on f8 and hadn't castled. White could easily defend his pawn, and meanwhile my queen on the open c-file was exposed to White attacks.

3. Why is the better move better than my chosen move?
The engine's top recommendation was 12...Be7, developing my last remaining minor piece. From e7 the bish would also prevent 13.h4, which was White's best continuation after 12...Qc7. Gemini suggests b6 as a better square for the queen, in order to control d4, or staying on d8, in order to prep the ...f7-f6 pawn break.

Actionable takeaway: Avoid putting the queen on an open file where it can be easily targeted.

Position 2: Black to move

White defended e5 with 13.Qe2, and I attacked the knight on d4 with 13...Bc5. The knight retreated with 14.Nf3, and here I gave away a knight with 14...Nf4. White devoured it with 15.Bxf4 and my position was lost, but after 15...Qb6 White gave me a knight back with 16.Na4 Bxa4 and the eval bar stabilized at +0.4. White attacked my bish with 17.b3, I attacked White's queen with 17...Bb5, and when White's queen repositioned with 18.Qc2 the eval bar was at +0.1. It surged to +3.7 when I played 18...Rc8.

1. Why did I choose the move 18...Rc8?
I was setting up a disco on the queen with 19...Bxf2+.

2. Why is my move not ideal?
My plan wouldn't have worked because White's queen could chop on f2 and I would lose the bish; and it also overlooked 19.g4, attacking my bish, which was pinned to my undefended rook on c8.

3. Why is the better move better than my chosen move?
The engine's top move was 18...0-0, after which a rook could move to c8 thanks to the defense of the other rook.

Actionable takeaway: Beware enemy pawn pushes that can attack a pinned piece.

Position 3: Black to move

White, missing 19.b4, continued 19.Qd2, whereupon I castled with 19...0-0. White's 20.Rac1 gave me an advantage of -0.5, but 20...Ba6 -- even though it was the move that led to the skewer that won me the game -- flipped it to +0.1.

1. Why did I choose the move 20...Ba6?
I was setting up the skewer by giving my queen control of b4 so the dark-square bish could move there.

2. Why is my move not ideal?
This is an example of how Blitz ingrains bad habits. My dark-square bish was a powerful piece. White missed my pin threat, but had he parried with 21.Be3 he could have forced the dark-square bishes off the board.

3. Why is the better move better than my chosen move?
The engine's top move was 20...Ba3, attacking White's c1-rook and giving my rook exclusive control of the only fully open file on the board.

Actionable takeaway: When there is only one open file on the board, look for ways to dominate it.

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2. Sergey4404 (2026-05-18)

Position 4: Black to move

Assigned the black pieces, I replied to White's 1.e4 with the French 1...e6, and after 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 exd5 we were in an Exchange French. We each developed a minor with 4.Nf3 Bd6, and White wasted a tempo with 5.Bb5+ c6 6.Ba4. I tried trapping White's bish with 6...a5, but 7.c3 gave the bish an escape square. In spirit of the Guru Variation I developed my kingside knight with 7...Ne7, and we each castled with 8.0-0 0-0. White targeted h7 with 9.Qd3, and I attacked the queen with 9...Bf5. The queen retreated with 10.Qd2, and I set up a queen-and-bish battery targeting h2 with 10...Qc7. White offered a trade of light-square bishes and I accepted with 11.Bc2 Bxc2 12.Qxc2.

There was one open file on the board and with 12...Re8 I activated my rook along it. White couldn't develop his knight to c3 on account of the pawn there and on d2 it would block the dark-square bish, so 13.Be3 got the bish off the back rank. We both developed our knights with 13...Nd7 14.Nbd2, and I further improved my knight with 14...Nf6. The engine wanted 15.Bg5 from White, with pressure on my f6- and d7-knights, but he played on the open file with 15.Rae1. From me the engine wanted 15...h3, to restrict White's bish, and I probably didn't play it because of how used I am to having a pawn on f6. Instead I advanced my other knight with 15...Ng6. White reduced the scope of my bish with 16.g3, and now I did play 16...h3. White continued 17.a3, and I prepared to stack on the e-file with 17...Re7. White's 18.b4 boosted my advantage to -1.3, but 18...a4 dropped it back -0.6.

1. Why did I choose the move 18...a4?
My pawn on a4 took away the b3-square from White's queen and knight, and it kept the a-file closed so my a8-rook was free to swing to e8.

2. Why is my move not ideal?
ChatGPT lists three reasons why I was better off maintaining the pawn tension than resolving it: space advantage, superior piece coordination and a healthier pawn chain. On the other hand, the engine approves of 18...axb4 or 19...axb4. I think the thrust of GPT's argument is that by resolving the pawn tension on the queenside I made life easier for White. What I was worried about was 19.bxa4, where White gets a semiopen b-file to play on and I have to deal with rechopping on a square I don't want to send a piece to.

3. Why is the better move better than my chosen move?
The engine's top recommendation was 18...Qd7, increasing the scope of my queen and eying h3. My minors were poised for a kingside attack, hence that was where my play should have been focused.

Position 5: Black to move

White continued 19.c4, which I chopped with 19...dxc4 to iso his d-pawn. White rechopped and attacked my bish with 20.Nxc4, and I fixed my pawn chain with 20...b5. We exchanged minors with 21.Nxd6 Qxd6, and White's natural-looking 22.Rc1 boosted my advantage from +0.1 to -1.2. I correctly challenged on the c-file with 22...Rc8, and White got his queen off the c-file with 23.Qd2.

I centralized my knight in front of White's iso d-pawn with 23...Nd5, whereupon White infiltrated with 24.Rc5. I correctly stacked with 24...Rce8, and White incorrectly stacked with 25.Rfc1. Seeing as I had +1 attackers on White's e3-bish, I chopped with 25...Nxe3. White, rather than rechop with 26.fxe3, went for an in-between 26.Rxc6 with an attack on my queen. The eval bar surged to -5.2, but after 26...Qd7 it receded to -3.5.

1. Why did I choose the move 26...Qd7?
My queen was under attack and had to vacate the sixth rank. It seemed to make no difference where the queen went, as long as it wasn't to c7.

2. Why is my move not ideal?
By lining up with my rook on e7, I invited 27.Rc7 and 28.Rxe7, ending the impact of my doubled rooks on the e-file.

3. Why is the better move better than my chosen move?
The engine's top move was 26...Qd5, and White has to choose between chopping my knight on e3 and losing his knight to 27...Qxf3.

Actionable takeaway: Always scan for undefended pieces.

Position 6: Black to move

White continued 27.Rc7, and I again missed 27...Qd5. Instead, 27...Qe6 allowed 28.Rxe7 Rxe7, and from here the game was basically a draw. Black at last rechopped with 29.fxe3, and I restored material equality with 29...Qxe3 30.Qxe3 Rxe3. White's 31.Kf2 activated his king with a tempo on my rook, and I munched a pawn with 31...Rxa3. White pushed 32.d5, and I attacked with 32...Rd3. White defended with 33.Rc5, and I mobilized a second attacker with 33...Ne7. White munched a pawn with 34.Rxb5, I munched a pawn with 34...Rxd5, White checked with 35.Rb8+, and my king got out of danger with 35...Kh7.White targeted my a-pawn with 36.Ra8, and I attacked b4 with 36...Nc6.

White munched with 37.Rxa4, and after 37...Rb5 38.Ke3, I munched with 38...Rxb4 and we exchanged rooks with 39.Rxb4 Nxb4. White attacked my f7-pawn with 40.Ne5 and I checked with 40...Nd5+, prompting 41.Ke4. I checked again with 41...Nf6+, and White's king advanced with 42.Kf5. I defended f7 with 42...Kg8, and White pushed 43.h4. I prepped a g-pawn push with 43...Nh7, and after 44.g4 g6+ White's king retreated with 45.Kf4. I checked again with 45...g5+, and White's 46.Kf5 spiked my advantage from -0.2 to -3.1.46...gxh4 created a passer, which White immediately attacked with 47.Nf3. I pushed on with 47...h3, and the eval bar surged to -4.5. White's king gave chase with 48.Kf4, and my 48...Kg7 dropped my advantage back down to -0.3.

1. Why did I choose the move 48...Kg7?
In the endgame king activity is crucial, and White's king was in the thick of the action while mine was on the back rank.

2. Why is my move not ideal?
The tempo I spent improving my king allowed White's king to attack my pawn on h3.

3. Why is the better move better than my chosen move?
Calculation. White's king was going after my pawn on h3. My only way to defend it was 48...Ng5. It looks like 48...Ng5 fails because White controls g5 twice, but if 49.Nxg5 hxg5 50.Kxg5 my h-pawn promotes.

Position 7: Black to move

White went after my h-pawn with 49.Kg3 and declined my offer to trade knights with 49...Ng5 50.Ng1. The winning move for me here was 50...Kf6, but I advanced my king with 50...Kg6. White chopped with 51.Nxh3 and I exchanged the knights off with 51...Nxh3 52.Kxh3.

The game continued as a dead draw with 52...Kg5 53.Kg3 f6 54.Kf3 h5 55.gxh5 Kxh5 56.Kf4 Kg6 57.Kg4 f5+ 58.Kf4 Kf6 59.Kf3 and 59...Ke5. Then White continued 60.Kg3, and the eval bar surged to -80.2. What White needed to play was 60.Ke3 to prevent my king from shouldering my pawn. I correctly replied 60...Ke4, and when White continued 61.Kf2 the eval bar showed #-15. When I pushed 61...f4, it plummeted to 0.0.

1. Why did I choose the move 61...f4?
Advancing my pawn seemed like the most natural way to make progress toward promotion.

2. Why is my move not ideal?
My move allowed 62.Ke2, blocking my king from advancing to the third rank. I could push 62...f3+ and after 63.Kf2 Kf4 64.Kf1 it appears I've made progress, but whichever side my king advances to the third rank on Black takes the opposition and my king cannot advance to the second rank.

3. Why is the better move better than my chosen move?
The winning move was 61...Kf4, forcing White's king to either choose a side or fall back and allowing my king to keep clear the squares ahead of my pawn.

Actionable takeaway: The actionable takeaway is to properly understand opposition.