The Making of a Master
André Neves Fidalgo, known online as andrefidalgo5, is a National Master with an online chess journey that started humbly. His first recorded blitz games in 2011 hovered around 1300, and his early Daily games dipped to 991. Many players would have quit. He instead kept grinding. By 2016 he had crossed 2000 in blitz, and in 2025 he reached 2445 (2025-08-03). That is a climb of more than a thousand points, fueled by what his profile says is a love for Daily chess. He lists Daily as his preferred time control. The rating graph suggests otherwise.
Aggression, Gambits, and a Healthy Amount of Chaos
André is not afraid to play the board. As White he regularly opens with the English Opening, and as Black he gravitates toward the Sicilian Defense, especially the Accelerated Dragon with the Maróczy Bind. Mixed in are the Benko Gambit, the King's Indian Attack, and a Diemer-Duhm Gambit that wins 71% of the time when he gets to play it. He also has a perfect record in the Elephant Gambit, which is a great way to announce that you came for entertainment.
Opening theory says 2...d5 is unsound. André says the stats say it works.
Friends, Rivals, and 36 Games Against catoto
No biography is complete without a nemesis. For André, that nemesis is Ricardo Pereira, who has faced him 36 times and won 26 of those encounters. It sounds brutal, but André keeps coming back, which tells you everything about his resilience. He has better luck elsewhere: he owns a perfect 12-0 record against André Auxtero, proving that he is dangerous when the matchup suits him. Against catoto, though, the final boss remains undefeated in spirit.
The Numbers Behind the Chaos
André's stats paint a picture of a fighter who never stops. His longest winning streak is 20 games, his longest losing streak is 10, and when he loses a piece he still wins 48.7% of the time. His comeback rate sits at 83.11%, which means the game is never over until the last pawn stops moving.
- Endgame frequency: 79.34% of his games reach an endgame, so bring your endgame technique.
- His first capture arrives around move 7 on average, so the opening is not a nap.
- Best time to play: 08:00, where his win rate is perfect.
- Most common checking piece: the Queen. He delivers the first check 53.45% of the time and wins 59.47% of those games.
- White win rate 52.99%, Black win rate 49.36%, proving he is dangerous from either side of the board.