Avatar of Lennart Bjorksten

Lennart Bjorksten NM

Username: Bramblyspam

Location: Southern Washington

Playing Since: 2013-07-09 (Active)

Wow Factor: ♟♟♟♟♟

Chess.com

Daily: 2198
112W / 36L / 25D
Rapid: 1742
36W / 16L / 2D
Blitz: 2000
27W / 8L / 0D

Lennart Bjorksten: The National Master of Calculated Mayhem

Meet Lennart Bjorksten, also known in chess circles by the enigmatic handle Bramblyspam, a National Master who wields the 64 squares like a seasoned wizard wielding a wand. Lennart’s journey through the world of chess is the kind you tell over a cup of coffee—with a little laughter and admiration sprinkled in.

Starting with a modest Daily rating hovering around 1400 back in 2014, Lennart rapidly climbed the ranks, crossing the 2400 threshold by 2020—a level most mere mortals only dream about. This ascent wasn’t just a flash in the pan; it was a steady march marked by persistence, passion, and quite a few brilliant sacrifices.

Known for an enthralling playing style, Lennart thrives in the endgame where patience and precision are king. With an average game length of around 66 moves in victories, it’s clear “rush” isn’t in this player’s vocabulary. The win rates with White and Black pieces stand impressively at 64.58% and 52.33%, respectively, showcasing balanced prowess regardless of color. The handle "Bramblyspam" might sound mischievous, but on the board, this player is all class.

Fun fact: Lennart’s longest winning streak stretches to an impressive 10 games, though the longest losing streak also dares to loom at 13—reminding us that even great players sometimes take a tumble (or a dozen). Despite occasional setbacks, a comeback rate of over 77% tells you Lennart doesn’t just accept defeat gracefully—no, they rewrite the ending on the fly.

Lennart favors the mysterious and cleverly named opening "Top Secret," winning a robust 65.68% of Daily games with it. In faster time controls, the blitz win rate skyrockets to nearly 78%, proving that when the clock is ticking, Lennart’s instincts are razor-sharp (and maybe just a touch wizardly).

Everyone has their quirks, and Lennart’s best chess-playing hours span the early morning and evenings, with a smashing near-perfect 100% win rate at 9AM and 10AM hours—perhaps coffee fuels the chess brilliance. Tuesdays and Saturdays are also days to watch out for, where the win rate climbs over 70%, turning these days into prime time for victory celebrations.

Known opponents beware: Lennart is impervious to some, boasting 100% win rates against a slew of rivals such as 3sailorsgambit and everythingok. But even "thethomasdestroyer" is immune to breaking this player’s stride, reminding us that chess, like life, has its unpredictable twists.

Recent Triumph

In a tense match at the 2024 USTCL R2 between Team Iowa and Team Washington, Lennart donned the white pieces, navigating a Sicilian-like dance with subtle moves like 12. Qxh5 and culminating in a victorious resignation by the opponent on move 32. The precise maneuvering and strategic pressure was textbook Bramblyspam: relentless, patient, and crushing.

A Chess Personality Unlike Any Other

With a tilt factor modest enough to show emotional control and a penchant for never resigning early, Lennart’s calm under fire is unmatched. Whether it’s the fastest time controls or grueling daily games, the National Master marches forward, piece by piece, toward victory—sometimes in grand style, sometimes in quiet cunning.

In short, Lennart Bjorksten is a player who proves that chess mastery is not just about ratings or titles, but about character, resilience, and knowing exactly where to place your bishop when no one’s looking.


Coach's Avatar

Hi Lennart — Personalised Post-Match Feedback

The material below is based on your last six daily games (rating ~2300) and focuses on recurring patterns rather than one-off mistakes. Use it as a checklist before your next practice session.

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What you are already doing very well

  • Structured opening repertoire. As White you rely on the London-style setup (1.d4 Bf4 / 2.Bf4) and, as Black, you alternate between the Caro-Kann and Queen’s-Pawn systems. This consistency means you reach middlegames you understand, and it shows in your conversion rate against lower-rated opponents (5-0 in the sample).
  • Tactical alertness in long games. In your win against James Neal you spotted 18…d3 followed by 19…g5 and later exploited the loose back rank with Qxe7. Your ability to calculate 4-6 moves deep is evident once the position gets sharp.
  • End-game patience. Multiple wins were sealed only after 50+ moves. You resist the urge to rush, keep rooks active and improve the king first — textbook technique.

Main growth areas

  • Premature pawn storms against equal opposition. In your loss to johnbarleycorn you played 6.g4 and 9.Ne5 before completing development. Black calmly struck in the centre with …c5 and …f5, leaving your king stuck. Guideline: if your rook on a1 is still asleep, think twice before launching a wing pawn.
  • Under-estimating counterplay on the c-file. Two defeats (vs ventodiluna & PhaseShift) featured an open c-file where your queen or rooks were late to contest the entry square c7/c8. Train positions where you meet a rook on the seventh with active defence rather than passive retreats.
  • Middle-game plan depth. You often execute the first thematic break (e.g. 19.f5 vs Grigory_Nesterenko) but the follow-up is sometimes improvised. Try writing a 3-step plan in annotations: “open f-file → double rooks → land a knight on f6”. It will reduce moves like 23.Rf4?! that lost time.
  • Occasional oversight of intermediate moves. Missed intermezzi (e.g. 24…Bd8! in the ventodiluna game) flipped winning positions. Add a 2-second “zwischenzug scan” before committing to any capture or check.

Action plan for the next month

  1. Micro-opening refresh: Prepare a secondary weapon versus 1.d4 — a solid Slav or Nimzo — to avoid being forced into Caro-Kann structures via transposition.
  2. Tactics diet: 30 puzzles/day filtered for “intermediate moves” and “defensive tactics”. Aim for 85 % accuracy under 3 minutes each.
  3. Model game study: Annotate two games by Ulf Andersson where he slowly squeezes on the c-file; copy his manoeuvres (Rc1-c7, Nc3-b5-d6).
  4. Practical test: Play five 15 | 10 games focusing on not advancing a flank pawn until all pieces are developed. Review with engine for “premature push” alerts.

Illustrative snippet

The turning point of your last loss:


White’s queen is far from the king-side, allowing …f4 ideas. Instead, 17.Qf3! would consolidate and keep the pawn plus. Save this diagram for your flash-card set.

Stats at a glance

Peak Daily rating: 2434 (2020-09-11)
Typical result when you move between 01:00-03:00 UTC: -12 Elo ▼ — consider playing at a fresher hour.

Keep up the disciplined work, and remember: small structural improvements compound quickly in 3-day games. Good luck!



🆚 Opponent Insights

Recent Opponents
5milesout 0W / 2L / 0D
Most Played Opponents
Andrey Ostrovskiy 8W / 42L / 5D
Jason Cigan 3W / 3L / 2D
Andrei Belozerov 2W / 3L / 1D
ginka1 1W / 2L / 1D
mrfishboy 3W / 1L / 0D

Rating

Year Bullet Blitz Rapid Daily
2025 2198
2024 2337
2023 2337
2022 2291
2021 2340
2020 2390
2019 2370
2018 2276
2017 1742 2121
2016 1742 2103
2015 2073 2035
2014 1814 1773 1972
Rating by Year20142015201620172018201920202021202220232024202523901742YearRatingRapidDaily

Stats by Year

Year White Black Moves
2025 1W / 1L / 0D 0W / 2L / 0D 72.8
2024 2W / 1L / 0D 2W / 0L / 1D 50.8
2023 2W / 0L / 2D 2W / 1L / 1D 79.1
2022 1W / 0L / 0D 0W / 1L / 0D 84.0
2021 5W / 1L / 1D 3W / 3L / 1D 61.4
2020 7W / 2L / 2D 8W / 2L / 1D 68.2
2019 9W / 1L / 3D 9W / 2L / 1D 67.9
2018 4W / 0L / 0D 4W / 1L / 0D 59.0
2017 4W / 3L / 0D 5W / 10L / 2D 58.9
2016 10W / 8L / 4D 8W / 30L / 4D 66.7
2015 3W / 3L / 1D 4W / 4L / 1D 74.2
2014 46W / 14L / 3D 45W / 12L / 4D 73.3

Openings: Most Played

Daily Opening Games Wins Losses Draws Win Rate
Caro-Kann Defense 13 10 2 1 76.9%
Amazon Attack: Siberian Attack 11 5 2 4 45.5%
Caro-Kann Defense: Exchange Variation 6 3 2 1 50.0%
London System: Poisoned Pawn Variation 6 4 0 2 66.7%
Amazon Attack 5 3 2 0 60.0%
Bogo-Indian Defense 5 2 2 1 40.0%
English Opening: Drill Variation 5 3 1 1 60.0%
Caro-Kann Defense: Two Knights Attack, Mindeno Variation 4 2 2 0 50.0%
Unknown 4 4 0 0 100.0%
English Opening 4 4 0 0 100.0%
Rapid Opening Games Wins Losses Draws Win Rate
Caro-Kann Defense 16 7 8 1 43.8%
Döry Defense 7 2 4 1 28.6%
Australian Defense 6 5 0 1 83.3%
King's Indian Attack 5 0 5 0 0.0%
Caro-Kann Defense: Exchange Variation 5 3 2 0 60.0%
Nimzo-Indian Defense: St. Petersburg Variation 4 1 3 0 25.0%
Slav Defense 4 1 3 0 25.0%
London System: Poisoned Pawn Variation 3 0 3 0 0.0%
QGD: 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e3 3 1 2 0 33.3%
Slav Defense: Bonet Gambit 3 1 2 0 33.3%
Blitz Opening Games Wins Losses Draws Win Rate
Caro-Kann Defense 8 7 1 0 87.5%
Döry Defense 3 2 1 0 66.7%
QGD: 3.Nc3 Bb4 2 1 1 0 50.0%
Modern 2 2 0 0 100.0%
Budapest: 3...Ng4 4.e3 2 2 0 0 100.0%
Caro-Kann Defense: Exchange Variation 2 2 0 0 100.0%
English Opening: Caro-Kann Defensive System 1 1 0 0 100.0%
Nimzo-Indian Defense 1 1 0 0 100.0%
Semi-Slav Defense: Accelerated Meran Variation 1 1 0 0 100.0%
Caro-Kann Defense: Bronstein-Larsen Variation 1 1 0 0 100.0%

🔥 Streaks

Streak Longest Current
Winning 10 0
Losing 11 3