Overview
Alice Chovanec is a Woman Candidate Master and a determined tournament and online chess player known for her preference for rapid time controls. Competitive, tenacious, and sometimes a little dramatic at the board, Alice blends deep middlegame calculation with a fondness for long, technical endgames.
Online profile: Alice Chovanec. Preferred time control: Rapid. Peak Rapid rating: 1785 (2022-07-17).
Playing Style
Alice favors complex positions that stretch into long battles. She often takes her time; her average decisive game runs well beyond the typical blitz slog. Key style indicators from her games:
- High endgame frequency and long games: average moves per win ~78 and strong endgame play.
- Excellent comeback ability: a comeback rate near 75 percent and strong results after losing material.
- Checks and initiative: delivers checks frequently with the queen and rook and often benefits from being first to check.
- Low early resignation rate, so expect full fights to the finish.
Notable Openings and Repertoire
Alice is versatile as White and Black, with particular success in many mainstream queen pawn and Sicilian lines. Her rapid repertoire highlights:
- Sicilian Defense: Alapin Variation — used frequently with solid results (many games).
- Sicilian Defense: Kan Variation, Knight Variation — strong win rate in rapid play.
- Slav Defense and QGD setups — reliable and productive when she has the white pieces.
- QGD: 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e3 — a near perfect mini-run in several games.
- On the rare bullet occasion she even won with a Batavo Gambit against the Bird Opening.
Sample opening sequence from a typical sharp Sicilian she plays:
Career Highlights
- Impressive rapid climb with sustained peak performances and numerous streaks of wins in rapid events.
- Longest winning streak: 10 consecutive wins, showing the ability to maintain form across events.
- Outstanding head-to-heads: undefeated versus rustynusty with a 5-0 record.
- Strong record when first to check the opponent, converting initiative into wins most of the time.
Notable opponent and matchup patterns can be explored on the profile: Alice Chovanec.
Trends and When to Challenge Her
Alice tends to perform best in the mid afternoon. If you are hunting a favorable pairing, consider these habits:
- Best time of day to play: around 15:00 (strongest win rates).
- Strong results playing as both White and Black in rapid games; comfortable in long technical positions.
- Plays especially well against lower-rated opponents but remains dangerous against higher-rated players thanks to her comeback skills.
Opponent Patterns and Trivia
- Most-played opponents: rustynusty and jettspeed top the list.
- Notable records: 5 wins and 0 losses versus rustynusty; mixed results versus jettspeed.
- Fun statistical quirks: Alice’s AvgFirstCaptureMove is about move 7, and she frequently reaches decisive endgames rather than quick finishes.
Fun Facts
- Title: Woman Candidate Master (WCM). Appropriate for event programs and introductions.
- Average decisive game length often feels like a miniature marathon to opponents.
- Tilt factor is low, which means when things go wrong she usually stays calm and fights back.
- If you want to study a persistent, practical rapid player who loves endgames, Alice is a great model.
Interactive
Follow the rating curve or inspect a sample game:
- Rating trend:
- Profile: Alice Chovanec
- Sample short Sicilian: