Grayson Faircloth

Grayson Faircloth (aka grokson)

Grayson Faircloth, better known in the chess world by the enigmatic username grokson, is a Rapid dynamo who prefers to take his time thinking but still manages to keep the pressure on with a mix of cunning and aggression. In the thrilling year of 2025, Grayson ramped his Rapid rating from a humble 233 all the way to an eye-popping peak of 733, proving that patience really is a virtue—at least in his case!

Playing Style & Strengths

A fan of the Italian Game, where he boasts a smashing 62% win rate in Rapid, Grayson loves ignoring convention with tactical strikes that frequently catch opponents off guard. His preferred time control? You guessed it: Rapid. When everyone else is speed-blitzing, Grokson is calmly plotting his next move, juggling an average of 54 moves per win—which means he truly enjoys the long game.

He's not just a one-trick pony either; the Scandinavian Defense and King's Pawn Opening also appear regularly in his repertoire. But beware—if you face his Italian Game attack, prepare for 8 moves of cunning checkmate magic—his most recent one comes straight from a blitzkrieg involving a slick queen sacrifice.

Statistics at a Glance

• Peak Rapid Rating: 733 (May 2025)
• Peak Blitz Rating: 699 (Feb 2025)
• Peak Bullet Rating: 576 (May 2025)
• Win-Loss-Draw Record (Rapid): 589-552-78
• Win-Loss-Draw Record (Blitz): 199-200-23
• Win-Loss-Draw Record (Bullet): 2-4-0
• Longest Winning Streak: 8 games
• Longest Losing Streak: 10 games (ouch!)

Preferred Openings

In Rapid games, Grayson is a proud practitioner of the Italian Game (winning nearly two-thirds of his battles), but he is also no stranger to the Scandinavian Defense and various King's Pawn openings. Against faster opponents, he’s got a decent 67% win rate with the Italian Game in Blitz, proving his attacks don't slow down even when the clock ticks fiercely.

Psychological Profile & Playing Quirks

Despite a tilt factor of 10 (meaning he might occasionally channel his inner drama queen), Grayson bounces back admirably from adversity with a high comeback rate (~75%). He's a calculated strategist who averages a decisive game length of about 60 moves, showing he’s in for the long haul, not a quick flash in the pan.

Interestingly, his best time to play is around noon—so watch out lunchtime challengers, grokson might be brewing more than just coffee!

Recent Highlights:

• Victorious checkmate using the Italian Game on June 8, 2025 against Stefanitza21.
• Masterful resignation win via the Caro-Kann Defense against JaydenZeqiLi.
• Another crushing checkmate with the Scandinavian Defense over KnightsOfProfit.

Fun Fact

If you think chess players don’t have a sense of humor, you haven’t seen Grokson resign early only 3% of the time—and maybe that’s because he’s too stubborn to give up or just enjoys the suspense of his own losing streaks!

In the meantime, keep an eye out for Grokson's next move — on and off the board, he’s always ready to shake up the game.

"Life’s too short to play boring chess games."