Arno Sterck: The FIDE Master with a Knack for Bullet Brilliance
Meet Arno Sterck, also known by the online alias ArnoSack, a true connoisseur of the 64 squares and a proud bearer of the prestigious FIDE Master title. Arno’s chess journey is a tale of gritty perseverance, tactical wizardry, and quite an enviable bullet rating that rockets close to the 2500 mark—enough to intimidate many a grandmaster (or at least give them a good challenge).
From Humble Beginnings to Bullet Stardom
Starting off with a Bullet rating in the modest 1000s back in 2019, Arno rapidly evolved, crushing his way through over 170 games in his favorite opening — which remains a "Top Secret" weapon. With a win rate hovering above 60% in Bullet chess, Arno has demonstrated not just speed but precision, often delivering checkmates faster than you can say "Queen’s Gambit."
Master of Multiple Time Controls
It’s not just Bullet where Arno shines: in Blitz, he boasts a remarkable record with nearly 300 wins and a win-rate north of 56%, and even in Rapid, his play is solid and consistently reliable. Daily chess? A perfect 100% win rate over 16 games — basically, Arno could probably beat you with one hand tied behind his back while playing in slow motion.
A Chess Style Worth Admiring (and Emulating)
Arno’s style is a blend of endurance and tactical insight. With an average of around 70 moves per game, this isn’t a player who rushes blindly — they grind every game to the bitter end, and with an astounding comeback rate of nearly 83%, it’s clear that giving Arno an advantage is just a temporary illusion. Losing a piece? Not a problem. Arno’s win rate after losing material is an undefeated 100%—the kind of resilience that’s pure chess sorcery.
Psychological Fortitude and Fun Facts
Though even Arno has his tilt moments (every player does), their tilt factor is relatively low, ensuring they bounce back quickly from setbacks. Interestingly, Arno’s performance peaks during the early afternoon and evening hours, with a staggering 69% win rate at 1 PM and a near-perfect 92% after midnight — making nocturnal games highly recommended for fans hoping to catch them at their best!
Arno vs. The World
Facing a diverse range of opponents, Arno has an impressive collection of rivalries and victories. Favorites on the win board include puz2010, monalize, and geminithegreat, all conquered with a flawless record. Even some of the trickier opponents have a tough time cracking Arno’s defenses.
In Summary
Arno Sterck is a player who combines quick wit, secret openings, and tactical resilience, all wrapped up with a touch of humor and a relentless fighting spirit. Whether blitzing through rapid-fire bullet games or mastering the long haul of daily chess, Arno is a force to reckon with—a FIDE Master who knows how to have fun while outsmarting their challengers.
Feedback for Arno Sterck
Current Snapshot
• Peak rapid rating: 2250 (2020-04-27)
• Favourite first move with White: 1.e3 leading to flexible Van ’t Kruijs set-ups.
• Typical Black repertoire: early …Bc5 / …Nge7 lines in the open games.
What’s working well
- End-game persistence: The 120-move win against
geminithegreatshowed excellent technical patience (converting the f-pawn). - Central pawn breaks: Timely e4/e5 thrusts (e.g. move 15 of your win vs Semyon Puzyrevsky) convert space into play.
- Piece activity awareness: In several wins you quickly reposition pieces to the most active files/ranks (Re1–Re5 & Rg5+ ideas).
Recurring pain-points
- King safety in the early middlegame
• Loss vs Félix Bouchard: castled king was hit by 17.Ng5! …h6 18.Nxe6! resulting in forced mate.
• Loss vs Suresh Harsh: g-pawn advance (23…g5 / 24…f4) left your own back-rank weak. - Loose tactics around your queen
Early queen forays (Qf6, Qb5, Qe2) were exploited by opponents with tempi-gaining moves. Practice the motif tempo. - Time-management
Several resignations occurred in equal or drawable endings (e.g. rook + pawn vs rook). Aim to keep ≥2 minutes entering move 25.
3-Week Action Plan
- Daily 15-minute tactics drill
Focus on defensive puzzles and motifs like back-rank mates, double attacks, and exposed king. - King-safety audit of your own openings
Annotate 5 recent games. After each move ask “What can my opponent do to my king next move?” If an answer is unclear, mark it for engine review. - Structured time practice
Play 3 games of 5 + 5 each day with a simple rule: 30 seconds reserved before move 20. Use the clock as a tactical resource, not an afterthought.
Opening Tweaks
• Keep 1.e3 but add a quick c4 & Nc3 plan versus …e5 to reach a reversed Queen’s Gambit structure you already handle well.
• As Black, experiment with the Classical …Be7 lines in the Ruy Lopez instead of …Bc5 to reduce early tactics on f7/c7.
• Build a go-to defence vs 1.d4 (consider the Queen’s Gambit Declined) so you aren’t forced into unfamiliar pawn sacrifices.
Next Review
After 30 rated games, export your PGN and run through the same checklist. Compare blunder rate, clock usage and king-safety scores. Feel free to send me the file for another round of feedback!
Good luck, and enjoy the journey — your creativity is already a strong trademark.🆚 Opponent Insights
| Most Played Opponents | ||
|---|---|---|
| lolated8 | 11W / 8L / 1D | |
| singapourfeuj | 7W / 5L / 0D | |
| haerrin | 8W / 2L / 1D | |
| theturtlemoves | 2W / 5L / 3D | |
| Bogdan Lalic | 0W / 4L / 3D | |
Rating
| Year | Bullet | Blitz | Rapid | Daily |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2356 | |||
| 2024 | 2397 | 2170 | ||
| 2023 | 2408 | 2332 | ||
| 2022 | 2241 | 2138 | ||
| 2021 | 2132 | |||
| 2020 | 2144 | 2160 | 1200 | |
| 2019 | 1734 | 2041 | ||
| 2017 | 2024 | |||
| 2016 | 1947 | |||
| 2015 | 1956 | 1538 | ||
| 2014 | 1861 |
Stats by Year
| Year | White | Black | Moves |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 0W / 0L / 0D | 0W / 1L / 0D | 45.0 |
| 2024 | 4W / 3L / 0D | 3W / 2L / 0D | 96.7 |
| 2023 | 27W / 19L / 2D | 24W / 22L / 5D | 80.4 |
| 2022 | 6W / 1L / 0D | 2W / 5L / 0D | 95.1 |
| 2021 | 3W / 2L / 0D | 4W / 3L / 0D | 68.0 |
| 2020 | 40W / 24L / 11D | 37W / 25L / 9D | 76.2 |
| 2019 | 62W / 32L / 1D | 51W / 38L / 2D | 68.4 |
| 2017 | 2W / 1L / 0D | 2W / 1L / 0D | 66.8 |
| 2016 | 2W / 0L / 0D | 0W / 2L / 0D | 79.0 |
| 2015 | 88W / 44L / 5D | 72W / 53L / 8D | 65.4 |
| 2014 | 12W / 3L / 0D | 9W / 5L / 0D | 69.0 |
Openings: Most Played
| Bullet Opening | Games | Wins | Losses | Draws | Win Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colle System: Rhamphorhynchus Variation | 17 | 11 | 6 | 0 | 64.7% |
| Amar Gambit | 10 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 80.0% |
| Modern | 9 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 55.6% |
| Hungarian Opening: Wiedenhagen-Beta Gambit | 9 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 77.8% |
| Nimzo-Larsen Attack: Classical Variation | 8 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 62.5% |
| London System: Poisoned Pawn Variation | 8 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 50.0% |
| Czech Defense | 7 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 42.9% |
| Amazon Attack | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 33.3% |
| Modern Defense | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 80.0% |
| English Opening: Agincourt Defense | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 75.0% |
| Rapid Opening | Games | Wins | Losses | Draws | Win Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Italian Game: Two Knights Defense | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
| Blackburne Shilling Gambit | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 25.0% |
| Ruy Lopez: Bird's Defense Deferred | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 33.3% |
| Amar Gambit | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 33.3% |
| English Opening: Caro-Kann Defensive System | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 33.3% |
| Diemer-Duhm Gambit (DDG): 4...f5 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0.0% |
| Semi-Slav Defense: Accelerated Meran Variation | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 66.7% |
| Sicilian Defense: Moscow Variation, Haag Gambit | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
| Giuoco Piano: Tarrasch Variation | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0.0% |
| Slav Defense | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 50.0% |
| Blitz Opening | Games | Wins | Losses | Draws | Win Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon Attack: Siberian Attack | 27 | 17 | 9 | 1 | 63.0% |
| Ruy Lopez | 19 | 10 | 7 | 2 | 52.6% |
| Amazon Attack | 15 | 11 | 4 | 0 | 73.3% |
| Bird Opening: Dutch Variation, Batavo Gambit | 15 | 8 | 5 | 2 | 53.3% |
| Scotch Game | 15 | 9 | 5 | 1 | 60.0% |
| Blackburne Shilling Gambit | 14 | 9 | 4 | 1 | 64.3% |
| London System: Poisoned Pawn Variation | 14 | 9 | 5 | 0 | 64.3% |
| Italian Game: Two Knights Defense | 14 | 5 | 9 | 0 | 35.7% |
| English Opening: Agincourt Defense | 12 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 50.0% |
| Philidor Defense | 12 | 5 | 7 | 0 | 41.7% |
| Daily Opening | Games | Wins | Losses | Draws | Win Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scotch Game | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
| Barnes Opening: Walkerling | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
| Amazon Attack | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
| English Opening: Symmetrical Variation | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
| Bird Opening: Dutch Variation, Batavo Gambit | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
| KGA: Fischer, 4.Bc4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
| Sicilian Defense: Alapin Variation | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
| Ruy Lopez: Closed | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
| Blackburne Shilling Gambit | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
| Italian Game: Classical Variation, Ghulam-Kassim Variation | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
🔥 Streaks
| Streak | Longest | Current |
|---|---|---|
| Winning | 11 | 0 |
| Losing | 9 | 2 |