Last edition ended hopeful — the first up-week since the slide. It didn't hold. 18–23 over 41 games, −30, and 963 became 909: a new floor. The grim part isn't the 1000 wall anymore — I barely meet 1000s now. It's my own bracket: the 900s, the players I'm meant to trade with, went 42.9% across 147 games. I crush the 800s at 89% and lose the coin flip with everyone at my level. London still holds (53%); the Caro-Kann is now my most-played opening but won't crack 50% (41%); the Sicilian has all but vanished. The wall didn't push back this week. It came down to meet me.
Opened at 939, popped to 955 in the first sittings, then leaked to 899 before a tired bounce back to 909. Net −30 — the W22 recovery handed back, and then some.
White still pays the bills — 51% over 96 games. Black is the leak at 39% over 104. The 12-point gap is the season in one number, and the Caro-Kann hasn't closed it yet.
It's not the 1000 wall anymore — I barely reach it (34 games, 29%). It's the 900s: 43% across 147 games against my own bracket. The ceiling came down to my level.
By resignation (52%) and checkmate (32%), by flag only 9%. I'm not getting flagged — I'm getting outplayed. Same fix as ever: cleaner moves, not a faster mouse.
Mornings are the edge now — 54% over 54 games. Afternoons sag to 44%, evenings to 38% over 65. The later it gets, the worse I play. Tired evening chess is losing chess.
A losing month, plainly: 90–104 across 200 games, 45%. The window's peak slipped to 1040 and the floor kept giving — 909 now, the lowest these columns have logged. The 1000 wall started the correction; the 900s finished it.