Cyril Ortega: The Alapin Workhorse
Some players dabble. Cyril Ortega, known on the leaderboards as cyril62, commutes. With more than 35,000 games on record, Cyril treats online chess less like a hobby and more like a second job, complete with overtime, an unknown uniform policy, and one extremely loyal coworker: the Sicilian Defense: Alapin Variation.
Yes, the Alapin. Over 5,000 blitz games and counting with the humble 2.c3 setup. When most players meet it, they shrug. When Cyril's opponents meet it, they sigh, cancel their evening plans, and brace for a very long conversation about pawn structure.
A sample of the machinery in motion:
The Grind Is Real
Three numbers define Cyril's play. First, an 88.94% comeback rate, meaning when disaster strikes, Cyril does not panic, Cyril negotiates. Second, an endgame frequency near 80%, which tells you everything: these games go long. Third, an average winning length of roughly 71 moves, so opponents routinely win the opening battle and the middlegame skirmish, then lose the actual war somewhere past move 60.
His longest winning streak stands at 17 games, presumably fueled by coffee and spite. His longest losing streak was 15, and he survived that the same way. A resignation rate of just 1.34% seals the story: Cyril does not quit, he simply plays another move and dares you to find a plan.
Dawn Patrol
The most telling stat of all: Cyril's best hour is 6:00 AM, with results that spike before the sun has fully committed to the day. By dinnertime the numbers sag, so challenge him at breakfast at your peril and kindly offer the rematch after dessert. Remarkably, his tilt factor sits at a zen-like 15, and his results vary by barely one percentage point across the entire week. This is a man with a schedule and no mood swings.
Rivals and Rivalries
No grinder's biography is complete without nemeses. Cyril's most frequent dance partner is 2011KING, with nearly 100 meetings and an almost perfectly balanced score of 47 wins against 43 losses. Then there is Rogelio Jr Antonio, who owns a decidedly lopsided personal edge, a rivalry Cyril maintains out of either loyalty or an inability to resist one more rematch.
The Repertoire, Warts and All
Beyond the Alapin empire, Cyril logs serious mileage with the French Defense, where the Burn and Advance Variations deliver quietly excellent results, including a flawless 6-0 record in rapid play. The Caro-Kann Defense is another brick-laying favorite, sitting comfortably above 51%.
In the spirit of honesty, two confessions. The Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation has been played nearly 1,500 times at a sub-45% clip, which is less a repertoire choice and more a fifteen-year vendetta. And the Amazon Attack: Siberian Attack, a line whose name alone deserves a trophy, stubbornly hovers near 44% despite 935 attempts. Some people gamble. Cyril doubles down on evidence.
Final Word
Cyril Ortega is not hunting for brilliancies. He is the personification of the long game: steady, resilient, allergic to resignation, and armed with an Alapin repertoire deep enough to fill a small library. He has won by checkmate 2,848 times and lost on time nearly 6,800, which means he fights to the very last tick of the clock, every single game. If you face him, bring snacks. If you face him at 6 AM, bring a plan.
- Over 16,500 blitz wins and counting
- First capture on average around move 7, patient rather than bloodthirsty
- Stronger with White (50.17%) than Black (43.76%), like nearly everyone, but with the data to prove it
- Peak blitz mark: 2626 (2025-11-24), set in November 2025
- Career rating arc: