Paul Usselman — "drdubius"
Paul Usselman, who online goes by drdubius, is a marathon Rapid specialist with a wry sense of humor and a stubborn fondness for the Sicilian. A steady d4 player by habit and a tactician by temperament, Paul has played over 15,000 Rapid games and turned the 30–60 minute battleground into his favorite arena. Preferred time control: Rapid.
- Preferred handle: drdubius
- Preferred time control: Rapid
- Rapid games played (approx.): 15,012 ()
- Career highlight (Rapid peak): 1954 (2025-11-25)
Playing Style & Strengths
If Paul were a chess piece he'd be a queen with a good sense of timing: aggressive, decisive, but willing to trade down into technical endgames. He finishes long games (average decisive length ~64–69 moves), often funnels play into complex middlegames, and shows a notable ability to come back from adversity.
- Endgame frequency: high — Paul often grinds to the finish (EndgameFrequency: 68.9).
- Avg moves per win: ~66 — patience wins here.
- Tactical resilience: strong comeback rate (~77.8%).
- Psychology: modest tilt factor (13) — when he flaps, he recovers quickly.
- Best hour to play: midday — the 12:00 window is surprisingly fruitful.
Notable Openings & Repertoire
Paul is a committed specialist on both sides of the board. As Black he loves the Sicilian Defense: O'Kelly Variation, and as White he often steers games into systems like the Slav Defense: Bonet Gambit (yes, he knows how odd that sounds—he toys with edges).
- Top Black weapon: Sicilian Defense: O'Kelly Variation — ~2,619 Rapid games (WinRate ≈ 52.16%).
- Reliable White systems: Slav Defense: Bonet Gambit — ~577 Rapid games (WinRate ≈ 53.03%).
- Other favorites: Sicilian Defense: Alapin Variation, Catalan Opening, London System: Poisoned Pawn Variation.
Head-to-Head & Memorable Records
Paul has a handful of recurring sparring partners and some lopsided mini-rivalries. He racks up wins steadily, and his match history reads like a roll call of familiar usernames.
- Most played opponents:
- gagik53 — 27 games (W15 / L8 / D4)
- mightyjoe001 — 24 games (W16 / L6 / D2)
- ratkomih — 20 games (W10 / L8 / D2)
- kayacik_19 — 18 games (W10 / L7 / D1)
- Streaks: longest winning streak = 13, longest losing streak = 13, current winning streak = 1.
- Overall Rapid record snapshot: thousands of wins and a career built on persistence and long games.
Memorable Games & Example
Paul enjoys messy, fighting lines that give both sides chances. Here is a short illustrative sequence (viewer-friendly snippet):
- Sample sequence (PGN viewer):
- Opening flavor: this sort of Sicilian middlegame is classic drdubius territory — messy, tactical, and entertaining.
Quirks, Habits & Fun Facts
Paul's profile mixes competitive seriousness with a wink. He has a few habits that make opponents smile (or groan):
- Early-resignation tendency: ~73% (he hates playing dead positions and will often tip the king rather than admire the fortress).
- Prefers 1.d4 openings in practice; his first-move data shows heavy d4 usage across years.
- Best time to catch him online: around noon — statistically his sharpest play.
- He keeps a few "surprise" gadgets in the repertoire—openings with curious names and unexpected traps.
Placeholders for Deeper Dive
Charts, peak stats and game viewers are embedded below for deeper inspection — tap to explore.
- Career Rapid rating chart:
- Peak Rapid citation: 1954 (2025-11-25)
- Openings glossary links: Sicilian Defense: O'Kelly Variation, Slav Defense: Bonet Gambit
- Sample opponent profile: gagik53
- Sample game viewer (short illustrative game included above via PGN):
Final Note
Paul "drdubius" Usselman is the kind of player who turns Rapid chess into an endurance sport with a punchline. Expect deep middlegames, an affection for the O'Kelly, and a knack for bouncing back — and if you beat him, he’ll probably congratulate you and immediately challenge a rematch.