Alex Steinberg: National Master of the 64 Squares
Known in the chess world by the username alexthechess, Alex Steinberg is a National Master who has been diligently hacking away at the 64 squares since at least 2013. A player who has mastered the art of navigating complex middlegame positions and thriving under pressure, Alex’s journey has been nothing short of impressive—and full of interesting fluctuations!
Journey Through the Ranks
Starting with a rapid rating of approximately 1432 in 2013, Alex quickly ascended the ranks to peak at an impressive 2213 by 2023 in Rapid. Blitz and Rapid play are Alex’s playgrounds, with Blitz peak ratings hovering near 1900 and Rapid peaks topping 2200—a true testament to tactical prowess and strategic endurance. By 2025, Alex was solidly perched with a Rapid rating of 2068.
A Style to Remember
Alex has a whimsical playing style characterized by a low early resignation rate of less than 1% and an impressive endgame frequency approaching 71%. Winning games tends to involve deep, thoughtful play averaging around 67 moves, showing patience and stamina when chasing victory. White pieces seem to bring out their best, boasting a win rate nearing 59%, but Black sides aren’t neglected either, holding a respectable 53% win rate.
Unflappable and Determined
Psychologically, Alex is as cool as a cucumber with a tilt factor of just 12—meaning even after setbacks, this master keeps composure. Tactical awesomeness is evident with a 100% win rate after losing a piece, and a staggering 82% comeback rate—because sometimes you just have to stare defeat in the face and say, “Not today!”
Notable Stats & Quirks
- Longest winning streak: 19 games—yes, they stumbled on the 20th, but who’s counting?
- Current winning streak: 3 games, riding the momentum.
- Favourite opening moves: Top Secret! (Definitely an opening to watch out for.)
- Best day to play: Saturdays with a near 58% win rate. Weekends must be for crushing opponents!
- Prime time: 7 AM, when the morning coffee kicks in, boasts a 60.56% win rate.
Alex’s Opponent Hall of Fame
Alex has faced a myriad of opponents, occasionally showing 100% win rates against frequent adversaries like 'arielme64' and '5milesout'—suggesting that either Alex knows their tricks or those opponents really need to mix it up a bit!
Whether in rapid accelerations or blitz battles, Alex Steinberg proves time and again to be a formidable presence on the chessboard—effortlessly blending strategic depth, tactical brilliance, and a dash of mysterious humor.
Keep your knights ready and your pawns cautious—Alex is always plotting the next move!
Performance Review for Alex Steinberg (alexthechess)
Quick Stats
Personal best so far: 2213 (2023-07-17). Keep aiming higher!
Activity snapshots:
What You’re Doing Well
- Resilient play with Black. Your recent win over arielme64 in the Alekhine’s Defence showcased precise knight manoeuvres and a clean mating net:
. - Central counter-play. Against the English you quickly strike with …d5/…c5, preventing White from enjoying an uncontested centre.
- Endgame resourcefulness. Your rook-and-pawn ending versus Clarence Rodriguez highlighted proper king activity and the power of an outside passed pawn.
Priority Areas for Improvement
- Opening focus as White
You rotate between 1.c4, 1.f4 and even 1.c3. Losses to andreas1991 and nihartics suggest uncertainty in unfamiliar structures. Pick one main system (e.g. English with g3) and study 10 model games to internalise typical plans. - Structural decisions
In the andreas1991 game 16.axb3 left you with doubled isolated pawns that became targets. Before exchanging pawns, run a quick “pawn-structure test”: Will this capture leave permanent weaknesses I can defend? - Time management
Two games (e.g. vs. st090828) were lost on the clock. Adopt the 40-20-20 rule for rapid: ~40 % of your time for opening & early middlegame, 20 % for the late middlegame, 20 % plus increment for the endgame, keeping 20 % as a buffer. - Tactical alertness in quiet positions
The premature 9.g4? in the Saragossa Opening allowed …Bxf4 and quick collapse. Train daily with intermediate-level puzzles focusing on deflection, in-between moves and zwischenzug.
Four-Week Study Plan
| Week | Main Goal | Concrete Tasks |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Solidify English Opening repertoire | Create a mini-repertoire file; annotate 3 GM games; play 10 training games from saved English positions. |
| 2 | Sharpen tactics | Solve 100 puzzles rated 2000-2300; review all failures; tag motifs such as fork & pin. |
| 3 | Endgame conversion | Study key rook-and-pawn endings; reproduce them against engine defence until fluent. |
| 4 | Practical time handling | Play 6 rapid games with a self-imposed 60-second “opening move limit”; review decisions and identify spots where you can trust intuition. |
Motivational Note
You already beat 2050-rated opponents and demonstrate crisp tactical vision when things get concrete. By streamlining your opening choices and refining clock management, reaching 2200 rapid is a realistic near-term goal. Keep analysing, stay curious, and enjoy the climb!
🆚 Opponent Insights
| Recent Opponents | ||
|---|---|---|
| brutalthrasher2 | 0W / 1L / 0D | View |
| gherrera68 | 1W / 1L / 0D | View |
| dmajorcleff | 2W / 1L / 0D | View |
| michaelmarcele | 1W / 1L / 0D | View |
| gr8-ride | 0W / 1L / 0D | View |
| dhruvastudy | 1W / 0L / 0D | View |
| mshiba | 1W / 0L / 0D | View |
| caballomaldito | 0W / 1L / 0D | View |
| jcoguy | 0W / 1L / 0D | View |
| sanesav | 1W / 1L / 0D | View |
| Most Played Opponents | ||
|---|---|---|
| johnnymenrocco | 17W / 15L / 1D | View Games |
| mkoleilat | 21W / 4L / 2D | View Games |
| chessnut1129 | 13W / 11L / 0D | View Games |
| lahoy | 19W / 4L / 0D | View Games |
| iakov_32 | 5W / 13L / 3D | View Games |
Rating
| Year | Bullet | Blitz | Rapid | Daily |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1626 | 2052 | ||
| 2024 | 1627 | 2038 | ||
| 2023 | 1731 | 2126 | ||
| 2022 | 1830 | 2155 | ||
| 2021 | 1803 | 1985 | ||
| 2020 | 1703 | 1867 | ||
| 2019 | 1719 | 1894 | ||
| 2018 | 1768 | 1924 | ||
| 2017 | 1647 | 1891 | ||
| 2016 | 1631 | 1872 | ||
| 2015 | 1838 | |||
| 2014 | 1917 | |||
| 2013 | 1729 | 1740 |
Stats by Year
| Year | White | Black | Moves |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 134W / 95L / 13D | 122W / 98L / 17D | 71.4 |
| 2024 | 153W / 112L / 14D | 133W / 136L / 11D | 67.8 |
| 2023 | 405W / 284L / 37D | 357W / 329L / 39D | 66.9 |
| 2022 | 256W / 161L / 17D | 218W / 198L / 20D | 68.7 |
| 2021 | 386W / 279L / 35D | 382W / 291L / 37D | 69.8 |
| 2020 | 596W / 408L / 46D | 511W / 471L / 58D | 68.1 |
| 2019 | 279W / 213L / 19D | 281W / 224L / 21D | 66.8 |
| 2018 | 177W / 108L / 6D | 144W / 144L / 8D | 65.2 |
| 2017 | 191W / 130L / 19D | 181W / 144L / 17D | 67.6 |
| 2016 | 90W / 54L / 9D | 77W / 59L / 13D | 73.3 |
| 2015 | 87W / 72L / 7D | 95W / 63L / 11D | 75.8 |
| 2014 | 381W / 227L / 19D | 353W / 242L / 24D | 70.1 |
| 2013 | 574W / 223L / 17D | 521W / 274L / 24D | 70.1 |
Openings: Most Played
| Blitz Opening | Games | Wins | Losses | Draws | Win Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alekhine Defense | 695 | 393 | 270 | 32 | 56.5% |
| Modern | 551 | 284 | 241 | 26 | 51.5% |
| Australian Defense | 373 | 203 | 153 | 17 | 54.4% |
| English Opening: King's English Variation | 312 | 182 | 122 | 8 | 58.3% |
| Benoni Defense | 307 | 160 | 130 | 17 | 52.1% |
| King's Indian Defense: Sämisch Variation, Bobotsov-Korchnoi-Petrosian Variation | 297 | 169 | 113 | 15 | 56.9% |
| English Opening: Four Knights System, Nimzowitsch Variation | 258 | 147 | 101 | 10 | 57.0% |
| Caro-Kann Defense | 228 | 106 | 116 | 6 | 46.5% |
| Modern Defense | 178 | 95 | 78 | 5 | 53.4% |
| Modern Defense: Averbakh System | 170 | 92 | 71 | 7 | 54.1% |
| Rapid Opening | Games | Wins | Losses | Draws | Win Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| French Defense | 182 | 110 | 65 | 7 | 60.4% |
| French Defense: Advance Variation | 180 | 116 | 58 | 6 | 64.4% |
| French Defense: Exchange Variation | 172 | 110 | 56 | 6 | 64.0% |
| English Opening: King's English Variation | 150 | 106 | 39 | 5 | 70.7% |
| Australian Defense | 132 | 88 | 42 | 2 | 66.7% |
| English Opening: King's English Variation, Four Knights Variation, Fianchetto Line | 108 | 67 | 36 | 5 | 62.0% |
| Benoni Defense | 108 | 60 | 44 | 4 | 55.6% |
| King's Indian Defense: Sämisch Variation, Bobotsov-Korchnoi-Petrosian Variation | 107 | 68 | 33 | 6 | 63.5% |
| English Opening: Symmetrical Variation | 95 | 61 | 31 | 3 | 64.2% |
| French Defense: Burn Variation | 84 | 42 | 39 | 3 | 50.0% |
🔥 Streaks
| Streak | Longest | Current |
|---|---|---|
| Winning | 19 | 0 |
| Losing | 12 | 5 |