Who Is Become-FM?
Some usernames are decorations. This one is a to-do list. Become-FM is an online chess grinder whose account name reads less like a nickname and more like a software update: Become-FM, currently installing, do not power off. The blitz chess climb began with a quiet five-game cameo in April 2025, then went fully vertical after a September comeback: from the 800s to the 1700s within a month, past 2300 by the end of October, and knocking on 2500 by November.
Since then the ascent has continued in aggressive bursts, including 284 blitz games in June 2026 alone, a pace best described as cardiovascular. The highlights along the way: a 49-game winning streak, a bullet rating that reached 2746 (2026-07-04) in the summer of 2026, and a blitz peak of 2629 (2026-10-09) in October 2026. The only extended stumble, an 11-game losing streak, was handled the way one handles a typo: quickly, quietly, and with minimal follow-up questions.
The Repertoire: 1.b3 First, Consequences Later
Ask about the first move and the answer arrives before the question does. In 2026 alone, the Nimzo-Larsen Attack was played 395 times as the opening move, comfortably outpacing 1.e4 (206) and the Bird Opening (197). With more than 300 bullet games and 150-plus blitz games as White featuring the Larsen, this is not an experiment; it is a lifestyle with a win rate attached. A taste of the setup:
The rest of the toolkit keeps the same mischievous energy. There is the Colle [redacted] Rhamphorhynchus Variation, a line whose middle word has apparently been classified for safety reasons, and which still wins roughly 65% of its blitz games. There is the Barnes Defense, met against 1.e4 with full knowledge that 1...f6 violates several opening principles and at least one neighborhood ordinance, and which still produced a 58.4% win rate in bullet. When extra chaos is required, the Amar Gambit (1.Nh3) makes a guest appearance, because questioning an opponent's openings is one thing, but questioning the concept of development is another.
For traditionalists there are escape hatches: the French Defense (58% in blitz) and the Caro-Kann Defense (57%) are the respectable workhorses, and Scandinavian players get punished to the tune of a 73% White win rate. The Petrov's Defense, however, sits at 42% and should be treated like a shy forest animal: admired from a distance, never poked.
Rivals, Nemeses, and One Perfectly Balanced Account
Every grinder has a social circle, and this one is well documented. frontporch has supplied 20 games of acquaintance, with the ledger reading 15-5, which is either a friendly rivalry or hostage taking depending on who is asked. Martha Fierro keeps things tenser at 8-5-3 across 16 meetings.
Then there is allexo: 15 games, 7 wins, 7 losses, 1 draw. Statistically flawless equilibrium; somewhere, a mathematician is citing this pairing in a paper about balance. The true nemesis is Armin Mušović, who owns the head-to-head at 6-3 and presumably enjoys every minute of it. Finally, iwantend, despite a username that reads like a plea, keeps producing series that refuse to end, currently 4-5 over nine games.
Style: Long Games, Short Goodbyes
The numbers describe a very specific creature. Wins average nearly 78 moves, endgames appear in about three-quarters of all games, and the early resignation rate is a microscopic 1.6%. Translation: Become-FM does not leave parties early, especially not while still holding material. The comeback rate is 81.9%, and even after losing a piece outright, nearly half of all games still end in victory, which is the kind of statistic that forces opponents to redefine the phrase "winning position."
Patience is only half the story. The other half is the clock: 350 wins have arrived by timeout, making the flag the second most dangerous weapon in the arsenal, right behind the queen, which has delivered 2,164 checks across analyzed games. One-sided losses are rare (2.6%), the tilt factor is a chilly 11 out of 100, and when Become-FM lands the first check of the game, the win rate climbs to 58%. In summary: the position gets worse, then better, then better again, and somewhere around move 77 the opponent's flag falls.
When to Play Become-FM (and When to Politely Decline)
The internal clock is real. Peak performance arrives at 22:00, where the win rate hits 60.7%, with a respectable 59.3% at 9 in the morning for the early-bird crowd. Tuesday is the strongest day of the week (53.7%), while Saturdays slump to 45.5%, presumably lost to actual social activities. The danger zone is the dead of night: a 4 AM session produces a 23.5% win rate, which is less a statistic and more a cry for help. Prospective opponents, schedule accordingly.
Fast Facts
- Battlefield of choice: blitz, with a lifetime record of 750 wins, 645 losses, and 104 draws.
- Bullet ledger: 352-320-49, headlined by a 2746 peak in July 2026.
- Rapid record: 207-156-38, proof that slower chess is survived rather than preferred.
- Longest winning streak: 49 games. Longest losing streak: 11, followed by immediate corrective action.
- Daily chess career: one game, one win, a rating of 400, and a perfect 100% record. Undefeated. Unbeaten. Unbothered.
- Against higher-rated opposition the win rate is 31.4%; against lower-rated players it balloons to 75.1%. The food chain is respected in both directions.
- Opening preparation runs a median of three to four moves deep, which is technically preparation and spiritually improvisation.
The FM Quest: Status Update
Is Become-FM an FM yet? The username remains helpfully in the conditional tense, which is part of the charm: the account is literally named after an unfinished sentence. But with a blitz peak of 2629 (2026-10-09), a bullet ceiling in the 2700s, and a graph that reads like a rocket's flight plan, the goal has shifted from distant dream to a matter of paperwork and patience. Until the certificate arrives, the name doubles as a warning label for anyone accepting a blitz challenge around 10 PM on a Tuesday.