rookbook

Analyze my games · Reading · Glossary

Reading

Plain-English answers to the questions club players actually ask, written alongside Rookbook — a free chess.com game tracker that runs entirely in your browser.

Losing games you should have won

Why do I keep losing winning positions in chess?
Converting is harder than winning. The three habits that cause it, and why the fix is boring on purpose.

How to stop blundering in chess
Blunders happen in four predictable situations, not at random — including one that only shows up when you're ahead.

Why do I keep losing winning endgames?
A piece up should be close to a win. The three habits that cost simplified positions, and how to measure your own rate.

Why do I keep losing on time in chess?
Time losses usually start with one long think on move twelve, not a slow endgame.

Why do I miss checkmates?
Missing a forced mate costs less than it feels — and the reason you miss them is the reason you were winning.

Knight forks: how to spot the tactic that wins club games
The tactic that decides more club games than any other. How the pattern works, and four to solve.

Reading your own results

How to review your own chess games
The game you remember is rarely the game that cost you. Which games to pick, and what to look for.

Why am I stuck at the same chess rating?
Plateaus persist when your study and your actual leak don't match. How to find which one is yours.

Do you actually tilt at chess?
Most players believe they tilt. Measured across a few hundred games, most don't — and small samples are why.

How many chess games should you play a day?
Games per sitting matters more than games per day. Finding your own limit, and the two traps that mislead people.

Should I play rapid or blitz to improve?
Play slower is decent advice given without knowing anything about you. Four numbers in your own history settle it.

Why do I lose to lower-rated players?
A 40-point gap predicts almost nothing. What the rating actually expects, and how to tell whether your pattern is real.

Understanding the numbers

Why is accuracy missing on some chess.com games?
Why the score is sometimes blank, what it actually measures, and the two comparisons worth making.

How to find every checkmate you missed
A full guide to the Missed Mates page: what it scans, how one oversight is counted, and how to read every column.

Chess.com banned opponents: the cheaters you played
When an opponent is closed for cheating, your lost rating is usually refunded — quietly. How to see every one.

Is Chess.com down right now?
A live check of the Chess.com website and API, run from your browser — and how to tell a real outage from a problem on your own end.

Chess stats glossary and methodology
Every number Rookbook shows, defined — and how each one is worked out.