Avatar of Ben Harman

Ben Harman

Username: benlharman

Location: Austin, TX

Playing Since: 2023-03-09 (Active)

Wow Factor: ♟♟

Chess.com

Daily: 1310
107W / 15L / 2D
Rapid: 826
502W / 459L / 60D
Blitz: 461
612W / 603L / 73D
Bullet: 422
279W / 284L / 38D

Ben Harman: The Tenacious Tactician of the Chessboard

Known in the chess world by the handle benlharman, Ben Harman is a player whose journey through the ranks has been nothing short of a rollercoaster—with more ups than downs thankfully!

Rating and Style

Ben's peak rapid rating soared close to 1000 in April 2024, a testament to his steady improvement and dogged determination. His daily chess prowess is even more impressive, peaking above 1260 in mid-2025, showing an affinity for longer, thought-provoking games with a clinical touch—checkmate is his favorite word.

His sacred battlegrounds are rapid and daily games, where he boasts over 500 wins in rapid and an outstanding 93 daily wins, with a penchant for neat endgames—68% of his games reach this intriguing phase. Average moves per win hover around 59, proving patience is a virtue in Ben's book, while his average moves per loss creep up to 73, showing he fights to the bitter end.

Signature Moves and Openings

Ben has a mysterious love affair with the "Unknown Opening" in rapid chess, playing nearly a thousand games and winning just over half—because who doesn't like a surprise? However, he also experiments fearlessly with the Top Secret opening, even if the win rate there is a more humbling 38%. In daily games, Ben shines with classic opening choices, mastering the Scotch Game, Sicilian Defense, and the Vienna Game, often finishing with a flawless 100% win rate in these lines. Clearly, Ben knows how to handle his openings like a seasoned spy handling classified intel.

Playing Patterns and Personality

Despite being prone to the odd tilt (his tilt factor rests at a modest 17), Ben's comeback rate is a staggering 75%—so don't count him out just because he loses a piece early! He’s also known to resign early only about 2.7% of the time, indicating a fighter who prefers to battle on rather than surrender.

His psychological battlefield is as vivid as his real one: Ben's best fighting time is around 9 a.m., though ratings suggest he’s best suited for mornings and early afternoons. He wins more often when he’s white (about 52%), but isn't too shabby playing black either.

Memorable Victories and Battles

Ben's most recent triumph was a beautifully executed checkmate in a Daily game against an opponent rated 800, leveraging the Vienna Game. His final move Qg2# was the grand finale, sealing his reputation as a killer strategist with timing sharper than a grandmaster’s knife.

Losses happen to the best of us, and Ben’s recent setbacks include a tough Sicilian duel where checkmate was unfortunately served to him. But true to form, he keeps bouncing back with grace (and probably a cup of coffee).

Quirks and Fun Facts

  • Ben plays a mean daily game but occasionally struggles in blitz and bullet formats—rapid and daily chess are his comfort zones.
  • His opponents better beware—Ben has a win streak record of 14 games, a streak long enough to make any rival sweat.
  • His current streaks show he’s on a positive rampage with 3 consecutive wins and zero current losses. Momentum is on his side!
  • Oddly, his win rate at 10 a.m. clocks a perfect 63%, while his play at 9 a.m. boasts a ridiculous 100%. We guess that early morning chess magic is real.

In Summary

Ben Harman is an evolving chess warrior—entering the arena with measured moves and a cunning mind, often surprising his foes with unexpected openings and relentless endgame finesse. His journey is a blend of spikes and dips on the ratings board, but his passion and tactical awareness more than compensate for any slip-ups.

Whether you're facing him or spectating, Ben’s games promise drama, strategy, and the occasional checkmate that dances across the board like a perfectly choreographed ballet. If you see benlharman online, prepare for a battle of wits and maybe a pun or two on the side.


🆚 Opponent Insights

Recent Opponents
anand1712 0W / 2L / 0D
damianeitor 1W / 0L / 0D
rottweilert 0W / 1L / 0D
kerremmmm 0W / 1L / 0D
padalinog 1W / 0L / 0D
Most Played Opponents
bigwhoop76 15W / 0L / 0D
gabsensei22 3W / 1L / 0D
mlcjr220 0W / 4L / 0D
shrimp_doggo 2W / 2L / 0D
sanmarcelino-007 3W / 0L / 0D

Rating

Year Bullet Blitz Rapid Daily
2025 557 861 1291
2024 470 880 926
2023 602 445 855 1011
Rating by Year2023202420251291445YearRatingBlitzRapidDaily

Stats by Year

Year White Black Moves
2025 321W / 274L / 33D 313W / 280L / 34D 67.9
2024 99W / 94L / 9D 93W / 97L / 9D 68.6
2023 175W / 126L / 20D 158W / 147L / 22D 68.5

Openings: Most Played

Rapid Opening Games Wins Losses Draws Win Rate
Unknown Opening 922 465 407 50 50.4%
Top Secret 97 37 50 10 38.1%
Daily Opening Games Wins Losses Draws Win Rate
Unknown Opening 74 61 13 0 82.4%
Top Secret 29 21 7 1 72.4%
Sicilian Defense 3 3 0 0 100.0%
Philidor Defense 2 2 0 0 100.0%
Scotch Game 2 2 0 0 100.0%
Philidor Defense Nimzowitsch Variation 1 1 0 0 100.0%
Sicilian Defense McDonnell Attack 1 1 0 0 100.0%
Bishops Opening 1 1 0 0 100.0%
Queens Pawn Opening Accelerated London System 1 1 0 0 100.0%
Caro Kann Defense Advance Variation 1 1 0 0 100.0%
Blitz Opening Games Wins Losses Draws Win Rate
Unknown Opening 908 430 426 52 47.4%
Top Secret 122 59 57 6 48.4%
Philidor Defense 18 9 8 1 50.0%
Scotch Game 16 6 9 1 37.5%
Kings Pawn Opening Kings Knight Variation 10 8 1 1 80.0%
Kings Pawn Opening 8 3 5 0 37.5%
Sicilian Defense 7 4 3 0 57.1%
Kings Pawn Opening Leonardis Variation 6 3 2 1 50.0%
Philidor Defense Exchange Variation 5 3 0 2 60.0%
Queens Pawn Opening Zukertort Variation 5 3 2 0 60.0%
Bullet Opening Games Wins Losses Draws Win Rate
Unknown Opening 1 0 1 0 0.0%

🔥 Streaks

Streak Longest Current
Winning 14 0
Losing 17 1