Frank van Tellingen (Fravatel)
A Bullet Heart with a FIDE Badge
Frank van Tellingen, better known to the online chess world as Fravatel, is a Dutch FIDE Master who has built a towering reputation in the fastest lane of the game. His preferred time control is bullet, and his online record reads like a love letter to the one-minute board. He does not just play bullet; he lives it, with more than 47,000 analyzed games and counting.
The Bullet Marathon
Frank's bullet journey began in late 2014 near the 1300 mark, and through sheer volume and fearless attacking play he climbed into the 2700s. At his peak, Fravatel reached 2725 (2026-05-14) in bullet, a number that would make many titled players sweat. The chart below captures the long, glorious grind.
His marathon style shows up in the numbers:
- 23,152 bullet wins and counting
- Longest winning streak of 15 games
- Longest losing streak of 16 games, followed by a comeback
- Best playing hour around 2 a.m., when the world is quiet
Openings and Unorthodox Love
Frank is a serial e4 player. When he has White, the king pawn almost always appears. As Black he leans on the Alekhine Defense and the Sicilian Defense, while his White repertoire also thrives on the Bird Opening and the Caro-Kann Exchange. The opening chart below shows where his points come from.
He also enjoys the occasional unorthodox gambit, which keeps opponents guessing and post-game chat lively.
Rivalries and Repeat Customers
No biography of Fravatel is complete without his recurring rivals. His most played opponent is grandemas with 147 battles, a rivalry that has produced wins, losses, and plenty of drama. He has also traded blows with Leo Bispo, hannibal4, and Anselm Wagner, each of whom appears more than 100 times in his record.
Curious how a typical clash goes? Here is a sample from the Fravatel versus grandemas series: Watch the game.
Style, Stamina, and a Little Chaos
Frank plays with a sharp tactical eye. His comeback rate is 86.95 percent, meaning he rarely panics after losing material. He wins more with White, delivers checks early, and often steers the game into an Alekhine-style structure like the one below.
His legacy is simple: give him a clock, a king, and a queue of opponents, and he will keep the pieces flying until the server finally says goodnight.