John Faustgen

John Faustgen (aka gophers211)

Meet John Faustgen, a relentless chess enthusiast whose rapid rating journey is a rollercoaster worthy of a thriller novel. Starting strong with a peak rating of 1030 in April 2025, John quickly discovered that the climb in chess is more of a winding path than a straight highway. By June 2025, his rating settled around the mid-500s — still impressive for someone clearly playing like a cunning gopher stalking its opponents.

Playing Style & Strengths

John is a bold tactician, known for his love of the Scandinavian Defense, especially the Mieses-Kotrc variations — where he boasts respectable win rates (up to 63.64% in the closed variation). If openings were pizzas, John always orders a slice of Scotch Game and Petroff's Defense on the side, both giving him a decent win rate above 50%.

While his games often feature careful maneuvering (average moves per win: 58), John’s resilience shines in his 61.54% comeback rate — a true testament that losing a piece doesn't mean the game is lost. Though sometimes tempted by early resignations (6.7% rate), he clearly fights valiantly in the endgame nearly half the time.

Battle Scars & Highlights

With 182 wins and 194 losses in rapid, John’s journey is filled with valuable lessons and occasional brain-rattling defeats. His longest winning streak of 10 games shows he can be a formidable foe, while the longest losing streak of 9 warns us all not to be complacent.

John’s favored time to bring the heat? 9 AM sharp — his absolute prime time to checkmate his rivals. And speaking of rivals, he has tangled most frequently with “margincall-123” and “johnmaster1988,” showing neither friendship nor mercy in their skirmishes.

Psychological Quirks

With a tilt factor of 9, John occasionally lets the frustration boil over when the tides turn against him. But who doesn’t? His winning percentage soars when playing on Saturdays (66.67%), so maybe weekends are when he wakes up as the sneaky gopher to outwit his opponents.

Recent Battles

John’s last victory was a calculated triumph in the Scandinavian Defense against lE-DUC-ANH-VN, won by resignation after a gritty fight. However, not every match ends in glory — he recently suffered a swift loss against rajubhai199308 where early sacrifices left him tangled and toppled by a sneaky knight.

Final Thoughts

John Faustgen may not be conquering grandmaster realms just yet, but in the realm of rapid chess, he is a spirited competitor armed with tactical awareness and a stubborn gopher’s grit. With plenty of lessons learned and resilience to match, expect him to keep popping up on the chessboard, doubling down on his Scandinavian adventures and maybe even breaking that 1,000 barrier again. The chess world better keep an eye out!