Philip Fallon

Profile of Philip Fallon (aka Chesterford)

Philip Fallon, known on the battlefield of bishops and pawns as Chesterford, is a witty tactician with a penchant for the closed Sicilian and a knack for clever endgames. He began his blitz journey in 2011 at a modest rating of 1386, quickly climbing the ranks with a fierce determination that would make even a queen tremble.

Over the years, Philip has danced gracefully across the 1800s and flirted with the elusive 1900 mark, peaking at an impressive 1985 blitz rating in late 2023. A master of adaptation, he’s shown equal parts patience and aggression, thriving in endgames (with an endgame frequency of over 70%) and boasting a tactical comeback rate of 83.6%—because who doesn’t love a good comeback story?

Philip’s opening repertoire reads like a well-curated playlist of classic hits, with a particular fondness for the Closed Sicilian Defense Traditional Line, where he has played over 100 games with a win rate exceeding 63%. Other favorites include the Italian Game and Philidor Defense, where tactical fireworks and strategic complexity are standard.

When not plotting his next move, Philip shows an almost comical resilience to tilt (with a tilt factor of only 7) and a curious paradox: he performs best around 11 AM, though he holds a strange 90% win rate in the intimidating 11 o'clock hour—a mysteriously lucky time for him.

His psychological approach? If he’s lost a piece, expect him to fight back fiercely with over a 57% win rate after such setbacks. But be warned: resignations happen quite often in his games (over 40% of his wins come from opponents throwing in the towel), perhaps due to his tendency to grind down players in long, strategic duels lasting upwards of 60 moves.

In recent action, Chesterford sealed victory against the opponent "renlig" with a masterful squeeze using the Closed Sicilian Defense on May 29, 2025, winning by resignation after a clever positional assault. Another recent match saw him checkmate "Puccini1" in a Kings Gambit Declined Classical Variation, proving that not all risks end in disaster.

Though not invincible (he's suffered a few tough losses, too), Philip’s consistent performances against a spectrum of opponents demonstrate his versatile skill and sharp strategic mind. Opponents beware: this is a player who can turn tumult into triumph, a king of clever calculation with a sly smile from behind the chessboard.

Philip Fallon—bringing humor, heart, and holes-in-the-defense to the world of chess since 2011.