Avatar of Alex Steinberg

Alex Steinberg NM

Username: alexthechess

Location: New York

Playing Since: 2013-03-15 (Active)

Wow Factor: ♟♟♟♟♟♟

Chess.com

Rapid: 2036
2469W / 1432L / 161D
Blitz: 1626
4648W / 3624L / 399D

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!


Coach Chesswick's Profile Photo
Coach Chesswick

Performance Review for Alex Steinberg (alexthechess)

Quick Stats

Personal best so far: 2213 (2023-07-17).  Keep aiming higher!

Activity snapshots:

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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

  1. 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.
  2. 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?
  3. 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.
  4. 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

WeekMain GoalConcrete 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
Rating by Year201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024202521551626YearRatingBlitzRapid

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%

🔥 Streaks

Streak Longest Current
Winning 19 0
Losing 12 5
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