Stuck at 400-500 rating ? some simple game analysis might help

Have you ever wondered what the true reasons are that is preventing your rating climbing above 400 or  500 in Rapid?  I have been stuck in this frustrating cycle for over a  year now , climbing over 500 one week only to fall to 400 the next.

 I thought it was about time that I discovered exactly why I seem to be unable to climb out of the 400-500 rating in the rapid 10 category.

 I already knew that I often blunder pieces in games due to inattention and also often run out of time in complicated positions. I also knew that on many occasions I could lose up to 8x consecutive games in a row because I was really much too tired or stressed to play that day but would simply not quit until I got a win.   (I now appreciate the strong driving force  behind gambling addiction!)

 Then there are the numerous new members who join at a 400 rating but are clearly rated way above that level and wipe me out effortlessly. Lets also not forget that there are sadly a great many cheaters in Rapid  category .

 So in an effort to see exactly where I was going wrong I selected the last 28 games that I have played this Month and broke them down into wins and losses .

 8 x  wins playing White

8 x  wins playing Black

11 x losses playing White

9 x  losses playing Black

 A surprisingly even spread throughout with no obvious insight into my wins or losses.

 Next I looked at games where I ran out of time ...

10 x games out of 28 !...

That really was a surprise and clearly something that will need some urgent action. I might try setting my watch to sound an alarm at 8 minutes or play with a clock in front of the monitor.

 Lastly I looked at how many times I blundered the Queen or missed a clear checkmate.

 Queen Blunders  x 10

Missed checkmates     x 4

 The 14 x missed checkmates and Queen Blunders amount to half of the last 28 games played and was a real shocker.

 So now that I know exactly why I cannot progress my rating I have decided the following plan of action.

1. Check for hanging Queen and major pieces before every move
2. Check for possible checkmates before every move
3. Watch the clock and speed up or trade when under time pressure say 8 minutes
4. Stop playing after 2x consecutive losses when clearly I’m either too tired or inattentive to play that day.

 Hopefully this may be helpful to other players that, like me, are stuck at 400 or 500 rating.

Agreeeed