Profile: Joshua Santiago Rezo Bakradze (aka bjoshua123)
Meet Joshua Santiago Rezo Bakradze, a chess player whose journey through the 64 squares is nothing short of a spirited adventure. Known online as bjoshua123, he’s faced battles, blunders, and brilliant moments that have shaped a uniquely tenacious style of play since 2013.
Rating and Style
Joshua’s chess rating peaked impressively across multiple time controls all in 2013: a bullet rating soaring up to 1373, blitz reaching 1307, rapid at 1154, and daily games maxing out at 1146. Far from a one-trick pony, Joshua thrives under pressure with a comeback rate near 70% – quite the Houdini on the board!
He tends to resign early about 9% of the time, proving he knows when to cut his losses – or maybe he’s just too polite to drag out a losing battle. His endgame frequency hovers around 54%, showing a willingness to slug it out deep into the game.
Opening Adventures
Joshua’s weapon of choice varies with pace: King’s Pawn openings bring him his best success in daily and rapid games (up to an 80% win rate in rapid), while the Queen’s Pawn Opening dominates in bullet with solid 53-54% win rates, plus a hefty dose of the Zukertort Variation to keep opponents guessing. He’s a fan of mixing some Philidor Defense crack into blitz battles and even sprinkles in the French Defense with remarkable effectiveness.
Competitive Spirit and Record
Over his chess career, Joshua has logged over a thousand bullet wins, nearly a thousand losses, and dozens of draws — a true warrior of the rapid-fire format. His longest winning streak was an epic 40 games, though a recent loss streak reminds us even the fiercest knights sometimes face dark days.
Facing tough opponents like bjohn123 and bonesy1116, Joshua has developed a nuanced approach but has some rivals who’ve managed to keep him in check (and vice versa). His record against “katalaz,” for example, is a clean slate thanks to his most recent victory where he triumphed on time after a clever Sicilian Defense skirmish.
Tactical and Psychological Prowess
What really sets Joshua apart? His mind-boggling 69.63% comeback rate – not many players can bounce back after losing material as well as he does. His resilience is legendary, even if he occasionally suffers from a tilt factor hovering around 24 (chess players, you know the feeling!). His best battles tend to happen bright and early at 7 AM — so mornings may truly be his time to checkmate the world.
Fun Fact
If you catch him playing at 7AM or 9AM, prepare for some serious chess fireworks — those hours boast a perfect 100% win rate for Joshua. Either he’s a morning person, or the caffeine kicks in just right before the games!
Summary
Joshua Santiago Rezo Bakradze is more than just a player; he’s a determined strategist with a knack for turning games around and a collection of fascinating opening experiments. His humble acceptance of defeat combined with relentless attacking spirit makes him a formidable and entertaining presence on the chessboard. Always evolving, always surprising, and sometimes tilting, his story in chess is a masterclass in persistence, wit, and the pure fun of the game.
You can follow some of his classic battles, like his recent win via the Sicilian Defense, on Chess.com, where he’s known as bjoshua123.