Thomas Vincent - The Relentless ForkToKnight
Thomas Vincent, better known by his chess moniker ForkToKnight, is a stalwart of the online chess battlefield. Starting modestly with a daily rating around 800 in 2016, Thomas has demonstrated considerable persistence and growth, reaching a peak daily rating of 1474 in late 2017. Not one to shy away from a challenge, his blitz and rapid ratings have consistently hovered around the 1200–1300 range, with a bullet rating recently spiking up to a solid 1170 in 2025.
Style and Strategy
Known for his meticulous endgame prowess, Thomas boasts an impressive endgame frequency rate of 62.53%, clearly favoring long, strategic battles over quick skirmishes. With an average game lasting over 60 moves, he likes to wear down his opponents patiently, proving that sometimes slow and steady really does win the race.
His tactical awareness is highlighted by an exceptional 77.55% comeback rate, showing he’s not just a brute force player but a true tactician who can bounce back from setbacks — the Exeter of “I lost a piece but I’ll win the match anyway!”
Opening Preferences
Thomas is something of a mystery, playing many games with the enigmatic "Unknown Opening" in both daily and blitz formats, possibly to confuse his opponents or simply because he enjoys venturing down the path less traveled. When he reveals his cards, he's fond of the Pirc Defense - Modern Defense Geller System, an opening that fits his flexible and resilient playing style.
Streaks and Psychological Fortitude
With a longest winning streak of 13 games and a tilt factor of just 12, Thomas manages to keep his cool even when the pressure’s on. When the going gets tough, he keeps calm, collects his thoughts, and continues his assault — hardly one to throw the knight across the room in frustration.
Recent Battles
His latest recorded victory was on June 4, 2025, where playing White, Thomas maneuvered masterfully through the Pirc Defense, forcing his opponent to resign after 17 moves. Quick, clean, and effective — a snapshot of his chess personality. The game showed his typical calm, positional play enriched with timely tactical shots.
Fun Facts
- Thomas’s win rate is highest in the evening around 7 PM — clearly, the best time to avoid him unless you want a nightmare.
- He’s equally reliable playing White or Black, boasting nearly a 50% win rate with White and a respectable mid-40s win rate as Black.
- Despite being a patient player, Thomas does not suffer from "one-sided losses" often, maintaining a low rate of 4.06%, meaning when he loses, he often goes down fighting.
Putting it bluntly: Thomas Vincent aka ForkToKnight is the embodiment of patience, persistence and a sneaky tactical eye, making him a formidable opponent both in bullet time scrambles and marathon matchups. Just remember: never leave your pieces undefended... or you might just get forked!
Constructive feedback for Thomas Vincent
What you already do well
- Active piece play: Your bishops often hit the board early (e.g. 3.Bc4 against the Pirc and Sicilian) and you are not afraid to seize open diagonals. In the win vs. Snowy2022 you punished …d5 with 12.Bxd5!, keeping the initiative all game.
- Tactical alertness: 20.Nd6+!! against mwa1998 showed good pattern-recognition; you spotted a fork with only seconds left and forced resignation.
- Simple, repeatable repertoire: Whether White or Black you stay inside a small family of openings (Pirc/Scandinavian as Black, Italian-style systems as White). That is excellent for bullet time-controls because you avoid long think-tank moments.
Key areas to improve
- Time-outs & clock handling
Four of your last six losses were on time, often in won or equal positions. Bullet rewards pre-moves and quick, safe decisions more than perfect ones.- Adopt a “no move over 3 seconds” rule until the position simplifies.
- Practice premove drills (e.g. king recaptures, forced exchanges).
- King safety in the middlegame
Games vs. Topsellers2 (12.Bxh7+) and maoistao (Kf1-Ke2 wandering in the centre) illustrate how quickly uncastled kings get hunted.- Castle by move 8 in 90 % of games. When you cannot, ask “Is the centre closed enough to be safe?”.
- If you do play …f6 or …f5 in the Scandinavian, back it up with …g6 or …h6 to deny Bxh7+ ideas.
- Conversion of winning positions
The loss to WalkerAS reached a totally won rook end-game, yet you were mated on the back rank.- When up material, trade queens first, then rooks, then minor pieces— in that order.
- Give the king an escape square (h7/h2) the moment heavy pieces remain.
- Spend 5-10 minutes per day on basic rook end-game technique (Philidor, Lucena).
- Unnecessary queen adventures
Early Qd8-b6 in the Pirc and Qf6 in the Sicilian cost tempi and leave the back rank weak. Follow the “three minor pieces before the queen” guideline and your positions will play themselves.
Sample moment to review
This fragment vs. Topsellers2 shows why leaving g7 loose after …f6 invites a direct king hunt.
Action plan for the next two weeks
| Theme | Daily drill |
|---|---|
| Bullet clock | Play 5 one-minute games focusing only on moving in <3 s. |
| King safety | Do 10 puzzle-rush positions where the side to move mates an exposed king. |
| Rook end-games | Watch one 5-minute lesson, then win Lucena vs. engine three times. |
Stats & trends
Your current peak bullet rating: 1170 (2025-05-04). For a visual of when you play best, open the win-rate graphs:
•
– see which hour of the day gives you the highest score.• – track performance swings during the week.
Glossary term of the week
Study the idea of the zwischenzug – many of your tactics already rely on it, but recognising it one ply sooner will save clock time.
Keep the pieces active, the king safe, and the clock healthy. Good luck in your next session, Thomas!
🆚 Opponent Insights
| Recent Opponents | ||
|---|---|---|
| beepollawr88 | 0W / 1L / 0D | |
| theprince581 | 1W / 0L / 0D | |
| aia7177 | 2W / 0L / 0D | |
| miki9798 | 0W / 1L / 0D | |
| wilburgorn | 0W / 1L / 0D | |
| alvarotyk | 1W / 0L / 0D | |
| memin51 | 0W / 1L / 0D | |
| thegamingmousey | 1W / 0L / 0D | |
| emptytea84 | 1W / 0L / 0D | |
| 13np13 | 0W / 1L / 0D | |
| Most Played Opponents | ||
|---|---|---|
| wehmsen | 18W / 59L / 7D | |
| yalinov | 2W / 10L / 0D | |
| matthewthe | 5W / 3L / 0D | |
| charles-love-maeanne | 3W / 2L / 0D | |
| fuji86 | 2W / 3L / 0D | |
Rating
| Year | Bullet | Blitz | Rapid | Daily |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 945 | 1119 | 1335 | |
| 2024 | 965 | 1102 | 1231 | |
| 2023 | 1019 | 1055 | 1314 | 1451 |
| 2022 | 602 | 1036 | 1206 | 1336 |
| 2018 | 1284 | 1390 | ||
| 2017 | 1259 | 1380 | 1434 | |
| 2016 | 1211 | 1354 | 1322 |
Stats by Year
| Year | White | Black | Moves |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 841W / 830L / 43D | 829W / 841L / 49D | 63.5 |
| 2024 | 286W / 308L / 25D | 294W / 293L / 24D | 63.3 |
| 2023 | 1082W / 1000L / 89D | 1031W / 1058L / 75D | 63.0 |
| 2022 | 278W / 262L / 21D | 255W / 291L / 12D | 63.4 |
| 2018 | 3W / 8L / 0D | 3W / 7L / 0D | 55.0 |
| 2017 | 314W / 276L / 22D | 292W / 308L / 23D | 64.1 |
| 2016 | 356W / 311L / 27D | 325W / 343L / 27D | 63.8 |
Openings: Most Played
| Blitz Opening | Games | Wins | Losses | Draws | Win Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scandinavian Defense | 2342 | 1114 | 1151 | 77 | 47.6% |
| Blackburne Shilling Gambit | 1354 | 677 | 624 | 53 | 50.0% |
| Sicilian Defense | 562 | 263 | 278 | 21 | 46.8% |
| Philidor Defense | 408 | 190 | 199 | 19 | 46.6% |
| Barnes Defense | 351 | 175 | 165 | 11 | 49.9% |
| Caro-Kann Defense | 349 | 180 | 155 | 14 | 51.6% |
| Amazon Attack | 315 | 152 | 148 | 15 | 48.2% |
| Sicilian Defense: Closed, Anti-Sveshnikov Variation, Kharlov-Kramnik Line | 288 | 133 | 149 | 6 | 46.2% |
| Italian Game: Two Knights Defense | 283 | 140 | 129 | 14 | 49.5% |
| Benoni Defense: Benoni Gambit Accepted | 270 | 124 | 133 | 13 | 45.9% |
| Bullet Opening | Games | Wins | Losses | Draws | Win Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scandinavian Defense | 606 | 309 | 280 | 17 | 51.0% |
| Blackburne Shilling Gambit | 141 | 59 | 77 | 5 | 41.8% |
| Amazon Attack | 116 | 55 | 58 | 3 | 47.4% |
| Amar Gambit | 100 | 47 | 51 | 2 | 47.0% |
| French Defense | 85 | 45 | 39 | 1 | 52.9% |
| Caro-Kann Defense | 80 | 36 | 40 | 4 | 45.0% |
| Barnes Defense | 56 | 34 | 21 | 1 | 60.7% |
| Barnes Opening: Walkerling | 54 | 31 | 23 | 0 | 57.4% |
| Sicilian Defense | 53 | 30 | 21 | 2 | 56.6% |
| London System: Poisoned Pawn Variation | 42 | 14 | 26 | 2 | 33.3% |
| Rapid Opening | Games | Wins | Losses | Draws | Win Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blackburne Shilling Gambit | 54 | 30 | 22 | 2 | 55.6% |
| Sicilian Defense: Closed, Anti-Sveshnikov Variation, Kharlov-Kramnik Line | 40 | 17 | 23 | 0 | 42.5% |
| Scandinavian Defense | 37 | 15 | 20 | 2 | 40.5% |
| Sicilian Defense | 37 | 20 | 17 | 0 | 54.0% |
| Philidor Defense | 20 | 9 | 10 | 1 | 45.0% |
| Elephant Gambit | 15 | 8 | 6 | 1 | 53.3% |
| Caro-Kann Defense | 14 | 6 | 6 | 2 | 42.9% |
| Amazon Attack | 12 | 8 | 4 | 0 | 66.7% |
| Barnes Defense | 11 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 63.6% |
| Sicilian Defense: Alapin Variation | 11 | 4 | 7 | 0 | 36.4% |
| Daily Opening | Games | Wins | Losses | Draws | Win Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blackburne Shilling Gambit | 12 | 4 | 7 | 1 | 33.3% |
| Sicilian Defense | 11 | 3 | 6 | 2 | 27.3% |
| Scandinavian Defense | 10 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 30.0% |
| Sicilian Defense: Closed, Anti-Sveshnikov Variation, Kharlov-Kramnik Line | 7 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 42.9% |
| Barnes Defense | 7 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 42.9% |
| Elephant Gambit | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 40.0% |
| Pirc Defense: Classical Variation | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 25.0% |
| Bird Opening: Dutch Variation, Batavo Gambit | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 25.0% |
| Czech Defense | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 50.0% |
| Modern Defense: Pterodactyl Variation | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 33.3% |
🔥 Streaks
| Streak | Longest | Current |
|---|---|---|
| Winning | 13 | 0 |
| Losing | 12 | 1 |