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The bounce showed up 2026-07-03 → 2026-07-10 chess.com/nucos

Dead even at 16–16, up 15 anyway: a mid-week sag to 864 flipped into a five-win charge to 911.

The bounce that refused to come last week showed up: thirty-two games, a dead-even 16–16, and the rating up 15 to 903 anyway. The shape tells it, a slow bleed to an 864 floor mid-week, then a five-win streak, the season's best, hauling it to 911 before settling. Checkmates from both colors led the reel; the ugliest loss had mate on the board and fell on time. The season sits at 94–98–8 over 200 games, a 47% grind below the 995 peak. The 800s still fall (70%), the 900s stay a coin flip (40% over 144), and mornings (53%) beat evenings (40%). The work is unchanged: keep the won ones.

Record
16–16–0
32 games
Rating
903
+15 · off an 888 start
Best streak
5
in a row
Accuracy
85.9
mean
Win rate
50%
this stretch
16 won 0 drawn 16 lost
Rating · the arc · hover to read it
start 888 peak 911 now 903

A slow bleed to an 864 floor mid-week, then five straight wins to 911 before settling at 903. The dip reversed this time; the late games finally paid the rating back.

Openings — what's working
Caro-Kann Defenseblack · 61g · 49.2%
The Black workhorse, 49% over 61. Still the line that sings in rapid and merely survives at blitz speed, but it keeps the Black half honest. model game ↗
London Systemwhite · 61g · 49.2%
The daily driver from White, 49% over 61. Dependable to steer, leaky to convert; the wins come when the middlegame stays calm. model game ↗
Englund Gambitwhite · 7g · 57.1%
Opponents keep trying the Englund against the d4 move order: seven games, 57% my way. Long may they gambit. model game ↗
Games worth seeing
Win rate by opponent strength
800–899 · 53g 70%
900–999 · 144g 40%
1000–1099 · 3g 0%
Tendencies the coach noticed
The color gap closed

White scores 48% over 98, Black 46% over 102. The Black half caught up a step this season; the Caro-Kann keeps it level rather than ahead.

The 900s are the job

Below 900 the wins come easy (70% over 53); at 900–999 it is 40% over 144. The 1000s barely feature yet, three games all told.

Morning hands, evening nerves

Mornings run 53% over 58, evenings 40% over 48. The pattern has held for weeks: the early games bank the points the late ones spend.

Keep the won ones

A 38% season throwaway rate and 2.52 blunders a game. The five-win streak showed the ceiling; the giveaways still set the floor.

Season to date
2026-05-15 → 2026-07-10 200 games 94–98–8 peak 995 streak 5 scalp 999

Two months, 200 games, 94–98–8 at 47%, the 995 peak the mark to chase. The 800s fall (70%), the 900s are a coin flip (40% over 144), and a 38% throwaway rate is the standing tax. The climb resumes when the won ones stay won.

Past editions
The throwaways caught up · "A 2–7 slide to 881: winning positions handed back, and no late recovery this time."Back off the 886 floor · "Slid to 886 over the weekend, then clawed it back to 902: a 3–3–1 that refused to end on the floor."The slow bleed · "I drifted to rapid; blitz stayed at 900."Where it climbs · "Give me a real clock and the wall disappears."The relapse · "The wall came down to meet me."The correction · "The wall pushed back."The opening stretch · "The Sicilian is carrying me."