Do a blunder check every move
Before you touch a piece, look at the square it's going to and ask if the opponent can take it for free. You have over 10 minutes at move 10, so you have time for this check.
← zinedine-zedog / Openings
Queen's Gambit
You get great positions from the Queen's Gambit, then give them back by hanging pieces.
Score51%+4% vs your average
Win chance after move 1269%+20% vs your average
Blunders per game1.49−0.19 vs your average
Clock left at move 109:45−8s vs your average
8
76
5
4
3
2
a1
b
c
d
efgh1. d4 d5 2. c4 dxc4 3. e4
What it says about you
You open 1.d4 and 2.c4, so the Queen's Gambit is your choice. That's a good sign: you want the centre and you're happy to offer a pawn to get it. Your opponents usually take the pawn with 2...dxc4, and you answer with 3.e4 to grab the whole centre. You already understand the main opening idea, which is controlling the centre with pawns.
How you play it
The start goes very well for you. Your win chance is about 67% at move 12 and 74% at move 20, compared with 47% and 50% across all your games. That's the best opening edge you have anywhere. Even so, you only score 46% here (12 wins, 14 losses, 2 draws), which is barely above your overall 44.5%. You play the opening quickly and still have around 618 seconds on your clock at move 10, but you make about 1.2 mistakes or blunders per game in the first 15 moves. Your losses are spread out: 5 decided in the opening, 4 in the middlegame and 3 in the endgame. So the problem is not one bad phase. It is the same habit showing up at every stage.
Last 90 days: 49 games, 51% score.
What you're missing
- 01
Hanging pieces is the main problem. In 6 of your 14 losses the decisive error was leaving a piece undefended, and in one recent endgame you played 37.Rd3+ and lost your rook, dropping from a 90% win chance to 11%.
- 02
You don't finish off won games. You reached a winning position (85% or better) in 22 games but won only 12 of them, so about 10 games slipped away from positions you should have won.
- 03
You're missing simple captures and checks early on. At move 8 you played a3 when you could just take the pawn with cxb5 (win chance went from 70% to 45%). At move 9 you played Qe2 when Bb5+ was available (56% to 16%).
- 04
You rush even when you have plenty of time. You had over 12 minutes left when you played both of those big endgame mistakes, and 2 of your losses were games you abandoned. Some of those games could have been saved.
How to improve it
- 01
Before every move, ask three questions: What did their last move attack? Is every one of my pieces defended? Can I capture something or give check?
- 02
When your pawn on c4 gets taken, don't chase it with lots of pawn moves. Develop your pieces instead (Nf3, Nc3, Bxc4), and you'll usually win the pawn back naturally.
- 03
Once you're ahead, trade pieces instead of attacking. Every trade makes the position simpler and gives the opponent fewer chances to trick you.
- 04
Stick to a simple setup: 1.d4 2.c4 3.e4 (if they take), then Nc3, Nf3, Bxc4 and castle kingside. Put your pieces there before you start anything fancy.
Where it goes wrong
Your losses in this opening, by where and how the decisive mistake happened.
Phase of the decisive mistake
What the mistake was
Variations you reach
| Accepted Central Variation | 6 | 17% |
| Accepted Central Variation Modern Defense | 6 | 50% |
| Accepted Old Variation | 5 | 20% |
| Accepted Rosenthal Variation | 4 | 25% |
| Declined Queen's Knight Variation | 3 | 83% |
| Declined | 3 | 33% |
Winning positions converted here: 58% (23 of 40).
Recent mistakes in this opening
Your move in red, Stockfish's in black.
876
5
43
2a1bcd
efg
hvs MateoVFelipeM (345) · 15-10-26 →
876
5
43
2a1bc
d
efg
hvs MateoVFelipeM (345) · 15-10-26 →
876
5
43
2a1b
c
d
ef
g
hvs MateoVFelipeM (345) · 15-10-26 →
876
5
43
2a1b
c
d
e
fgh
vs MateoVFelipeM (345) · 15-10-26 →
Next steps
Look for captures and checks first
Your recent misses (cxb5, Bb5+) were both simple forcing moves. Make it a habit to scan every capture and every check before choosing a quiet move.
Trade down when you're winning
You won only 12 of 22 winning positions. When you're up material, offer trades and keep your rooks defended, especially in the endgame.
Drill it
Puzzles built from your own mistakes in the Queen's Gambit, and every game you've played in it.
Breakdown written when you had 28 games in this opening; the numbers above are current.