Paolo Ciuffoletti: The National Master With a Tactical Flair
Paolo Ciuffoletti, also known in the chess realm as "Badlyplayed," has truly earned his stripes as a National Master. With a blend of tactical brilliance and psychological finesse, Paolo has dazzled opponents across blitz, rapid, and bullet formats — and not just by beating them, but often by making spectacular comebacks that would make even the toughest grandmasters raise an eyebrow.
Early Chess Journey and Style
Starting around 2017 with a blitz rating near 1555, Paolo quickly climbed the ranks, peaking around the 2300 mark in blitz — a level reserved for the elite. His playstyle is a fascinating amalgam of patience and precision; his games average about 58 moves for wins and a cautious 70 moves per loss, proving he's in it for the long haul. A frequent connoisseur of endgames, Paolo ventures deep into the game in over 70% of his matches.
A Blitz Maestro
With over 6,000 blitz games logged, Paolo’s love affair with fast chess is evident. His blitz win rate hovers just above 52%, quite a feat considering the rapid-fire decisions required. And when it comes to bullet, he’s no slouch either, cruising through games at an impressive 51% win rate. Oh, and he’s notorious for his longest winning streak of 15 games — because who doesn't like a little domination?
Tactical Wizardry and Mental Fortitude
One of Paolo’s chess superpowers is his 100% win rate after losing a piece — yes, you read that right. Paired with a comeback rate of over 77%, he turns disaster into opportunity like a magician pulling rabbits out of hats. Interestingly, his “tilt factor” is just 10, indicating a stable mindset even on tough days — though a little drama now and then keeps things interesting.
Psychological and Timing Edge
Paolo approaches chess not just as a game of pieces but of moments. His best performance? Early mornings at 6 AM, winning nearly 65% of the time — apparently, dawn is when his brain gears up for victory. Sundays might be for rest, but Fridays and Saturdays are prime-time for his peak winning days.
Offbeat Openings and “Top Secret” Strategies
We won’t divulge Paolo’s opening secrets — classified as “Top Secret” in his statistics — but trust that he’s got thousands of games under his belt employing them, with win rates over 52% in blitz and over 46% in rapid. He’s clearly got a few chess ninjutsu tricks that keep his opponents guessing.
Friendly Rivalries and Crushing Wins
Paolo enjoys a friendly rivalry with users like svchess00001956 (33 games) and oleg322 (22 games), showing competitive spirit without losing the camaraderie. And his win rates against recent opponents often hit 100%, hinting that “Badlyplayed” is more ironic than accurate!
In Summary
Whether it's a blitz bullet or a rapid showdown, Paolo Ciuffoletti plays with the heart of a lion and the cunning of a fox. He is the National Master who might just resign early — but only when it’s strategically brilliant, and usually after throwing a few tactical curveballs around. If you’re lucky enough to play him, expect a battle that’s as psychologically intense as it is chess-istically entertaining.
Beware the comeback king. The name is Paolo, but losing to him is anything but "badly played."
Positive Highlights
Paolo, your recent blitz games demonstrate several strengths worth highlighting:
- Strong Tactical Awareness: Your wins often involved tactical themes such as well-timed exchanges and exploiting opponents’ misplaced pieces. For example, in your Bird Opening game, you capitalized on your opponent’s weaknesses to gain a winning position.
- Opening Repertoire: Your comfort with the Bird Opening (Dutch Variation) and French Defense (Advance Variation) has translated into good results, showing solid preparation and understanding in these lines. Your 56%+ win rates in these openings confirm your proficiency.
- Endgame Technique: Several victories show good endgame technique, converting small advantages into full points. This skill has been key in your games.
- Consistent Improvement: Your rating trend is positive, with an 87 point increase in the last month and a continued upward slope over recent periods, which is an excellent indicator of your growth.
Areas for Improvement
To further elevate your blitz performance, consider focusing on these aspects:
- Time Management Under Pressure: In some losses, you were low on time in critical moments which contributed to errors or missed opportunities. Practice playing faster moves without compromising accuracy to avoid this.
- Defensive Technique: Some losses came from tactical oversights or allowing opponent’s threats to blossom. Review those games to identify recurring tactical vulnerabilities and work on defensive calculation and prophylaxis.
- Diversify Openings: While you excel in certain openings, some lines like the Sicilian Defense (Closed and Four Knights variations) show slightly below 50% win rate. Exploring alternative sidelines or deepening your theory here may improve outcomes.
- Handling Complex Positions: In games with complicated middlegame positions, your performance varied. Work on pattern recognition and strategic planning to confidently navigate these scenarios.
Next Steps and Training Recommendations
- Review and annotate your recent losses paying particular attention to time management and tactical mistakes.
- Use tactical training tools focusing on common motifs in your openings and middlegames.
- Study endgame fundamentals regularly to maintain and enhance your closing skills.
- Expand your opening repertoire gradually by adding new lines to replace less successful ones, focusing on surprises that suit your playing style.
- Play training games with a clock handicap to practice playing accurately under time pressure.
Maintaining this approach will continue your positive rating trend and help convert draws and narrow losses into wins.
🆚 Opponent Insights
| Most Played Opponents | ||
|---|---|---|
| svchess00001956 | 14W / 17L / 2D | View Games |
| Artak1996 Artak | 11W / 11L / 0D | View Games |
| dimych01 | 9W / 13L / 0D | View Games |
| oleg322 | 7W / 13L / 2D | View Games |
| hgjghxweaaaajljkhjghg | 12W / 9L / 0D | View Games |
Rating
| Year | Bullet | Blitz | Rapid | Daily |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2223 | |||
| 2024 | 2215 | |||
| 2023 | 2231 | 2103 | ||
| 2022 | 1907 | 2257 | 2071 | |
| 2021 | 1980 | 2240 | 2265 | |
| 2020 | 1860 | 2136 | 2255 | |
| 2019 | 2210 | |||
| 2018 | 2149 | |||
| 2017 | 2087 |
Stats by Year
| Year | White | Black | Moves |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 227W / 156L / 19D | 187W / 197L / 29D | 66.1 |
| 2024 | 94W / 55L / 9D | 73W / 72L / 13D | 65.5 |
| 2023 | 59W / 103L / 8D | 36W / 113L / 17D | 73.7 |
| 2022 | 333W / 321L / 36D | 269W / 377L / 25D | 65.2 |
| 2021 | 251W / 175L / 20D | 221W / 210L / 25D | 65.3 |
| 2020 | 718W / 442L / 46D | 618W / 547L / 56D | 63.1 |
| 2019 | 463W / 329L / 32D | 416W / 344L / 63D | 65.9 |
| 2018 | 714W / 444L / 35D | 578W / 563L / 48D | 65.5 |
| 2017 | 197W / 120L / 13D | 167W / 145L / 13D | 66.6 |
Openings: Most Played
| Blitz Opening | Games | Wins | Losses | Draws | Win Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bird Opening: Dutch Variation, Batavo Gambit | 1226 | 689 | 479 | 58 | 56.2% |
| Sicilian Defense: Four Knights Variation, Cobra Variation | 790 | 395 | 344 | 51 | 50.0% |
| French Defense: Advance Variation | 577 | 320 | 237 | 20 | 55.5% |
| Sicilian Defense: Alapin Variation | 569 | 300 | 234 | 35 | 52.7% |
| Sicilian Defense: Closed, Anti-Sveshnikov Variation, Kharlov-Kramnik Line | 425 | 195 | 206 | 24 | 45.9% |
| Italian Game: Two Knights Defense | 334 | 205 | 115 | 14 | 61.4% |
| Sicilian Defense: Closed | 327 | 144 | 168 | 15 | 44.0% |
| Scandinavian Defense | 278 | 147 | 119 | 12 | 52.9% |
| Sicilian Defense | 248 | 110 | 126 | 12 | 44.4% |
| London System: Poisoned Pawn Variation | 243 | 118 | 108 | 17 | 48.6% |
| Rapid Opening | Games | Wins | Losses | Draws | Win Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bird Opening: Dutch Variation, Batavo Gambit | 39 | 23 | 15 | 1 | 59.0% |
| Sicilian Defense: Four Knights Variation, Cobra Variation | 32 | 13 | 18 | 1 | 40.6% |
| Sicilian Defense: Alapin Variation | 30 | 15 | 11 | 4 | 50.0% |
| Sicilian Defense: Closed, Anti-Sveshnikov Variation, Kharlov-Kramnik Line | 22 | 5 | 16 | 1 | 22.7% |
| Italian Game: Two Knights Defense | 15 | 10 | 4 | 1 | 66.7% |
| French Defense: Advance Variation | 9 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 44.4% |
| Slav Defense | 9 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 44.4% |
| Scandinavian Defense | 9 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 55.6% |
| Barnes Defense | 8 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 75.0% |
| Sicilian Defense: Closed | 7 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 28.6% |
| Bullet Opening | Games | Wins | Losses | Draws | Win Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bird Opening: Dutch Variation, Batavo Gambit | 181 | 102 | 74 | 5 | 56.4% |
| Scandinavian Defense | 130 | 66 | 57 | 7 | 50.8% |
| Sicilian Defense: Four Knights Variation, Cobra Variation | 113 | 62 | 49 | 2 | 54.9% |
| French Defense: Advance Variation | 86 | 54 | 30 | 2 | 62.8% |
| Amar Gambit | 82 | 37 | 42 | 3 | 45.1% |
| Sicilian Defense: Closed | 73 | 32 | 39 | 2 | 43.8% |
| Sicilian Defense: Alapin Variation | 73 | 41 | 30 | 2 | 56.2% |
| Modern | 64 | 35 | 28 | 1 | 54.7% |
| Sicilian Defense | 60 | 28 | 30 | 2 | 46.7% |
| Alekhine Defense | 54 | 25 | 27 | 2 | 46.3% |
🔥 Streaks
| Streak | Longest | Current |
|---|---|---|
| Winning | 15 | 0 |
| Losing | 10 | 0 |