--- title: 1800 Reviews a 1700: The Slightly Less Blind Leading the Blind description: I'm only 100 Elo higher than my friend, Pastanoob11, so naturally I've decided I'm qualified to analyze his games. Let's see if I can find his mistakes without accidentally finding my own. image: https://image.lichess1.org/display?fmt=webp&h=550&op=thumbnail&path=wMGvv1E5msEj.webp&w=880&sig=a4e5ff21e4bae154d1bd40cf93d8e84d4fe2dadd --- ## Welcome! ## **Hi everyone! In this blog, we'll take a look at my 1700-rated friend's games and break down the ideas behind his moves, mistakes, and successes. As an 1800 myself, I'll try to find the small details that make up that 100 Elo difference, while probably discovering a few things I need to fix in my own games too.** With the introductions out of the way, let's get into the games! We'll be looking at the only three games my friend played that day, giving us an *honest* snapshot of his chess. Almost everything you'll read is **based on my own thoughts and analysis** as **an 1800-rated player**, so feel free to agree, disagree, or point out something I missed. Now, onto Game 1! https://lichess.org/study/FDkSO3WN/N2HFJwum A great start for my friend! He managed to take the first game and prove that maybe the 100 Elo difference isn't as big as I thought. But one game is only one game, and there's still plenty more to learn. Let's move on to Game 2! https://lichess.org/study/FDkSO3WN/Z1q0KvAH After Game 2, we have officially discovered the greatest enemy of every chess player: *our own premoves*. My friend found a creative way to lose a bishop without even moving it, but that's chess. Mistakes happen, and sometimes they're the most memorable part of the game. Now, onto Game 3! https://lichess.org/study/FDkSO3WN/ooOABddl And that's Game 3 done! This one showed a familiar chess struggle: getting so focused on your own idea that you forget to check what the opponent is doing. A few pieces fell victim to tunnel vision, but that's exactly the kind of mistake these reviews are meant to uncover. Let's wrap things up! ## ### Outro And that's a wrap on all three games! After reviewing them, I think the 100 Elo difference comes down less to knowing more chess and more to making fewer small mistakes. The ideas were often there, the challenge was turning those ideas into consistent moves. We found some clear areas to improve: avoiding tunnel vision, double-checking threats, and maybe being a little more careful with those confident premoves. Of course, analyzing someone else's games is easy. The real challenge is remembering all of this when I'm the one sitting at the board. While you're here, check out the study version to show appreciation to me: https://lichess.org/study/FDkSO3WN Goodbye! -Titus ## ### Credits #### **Created, written, and analyzed by** TitusPlaysChess123 — The slightly less blind reviewer #### **Starring** Pastanoob11 — The 1700-rated player under review #### **Featuring** Three games, countless decisions, and a few questionable moments #### **Special appearances by** * The premove that claimed a bishop * The tunnel vision that claimed a few more pieces * The engine, occasionally consulted for a second opinion #### **Special thanks to** Pastanoob11, for giving permission to use his games and being a good sport throughout the analysis.