Simon Hooks

Simon Hooks (hooksylad)

Simon Hooks, affectionately known in the chess biome as "hooksylad," is a player whose career has been quite the evolutionary tale on the 64-cell petri dish. With a rapid rating fluctuating from a modest 686 in 2020 to peaking over 1018 in 2023, Simon has demonstrated the kind of adaptation skills that would make even Darwin giddy.

From rapid games to blitz bouts, Simon's resilience in the endgame is a hallmark of his playing style, featuring an endgame frequency around 66%—clearly, he loves to let the final stages of battle unfold like a slow, fascinating cellular process. He averages nearly 60 moves per win, proving his patience is as finely tuned as a biologist’s microscope.

His win rates hover near 50% when wielding the white pieces, but dip slightly when on black, showing a preference maybe as clear as a right- or left-handed claw for the opening battlefront.

Speaking of openings, Simon seems to have a genetic affinity for the King's Pawn Opening and its variations, winning just about half the time, but don't count out his accelerated London System or his sly Zukertort variations—both show win rates creeping above 49%. His Italian Game play shines especially in blitz, where he boasts a cheeky 56% win rate, emphasizing his tactical cleverness when under time pressure.

Simon’s comeback rate is a staggering 69%, and his win rate after losing a piece is a perfect 100%—clearly, he doesn't just crawl back from the brink; he pounces like a well-fed predator. However, a tilt factor of 14 reminds us that even the fittest of genetic strands sometimes falter under stress.

With a modest early resignation rate of 2.44%, he’s not one to give up without a fight—the true spirit of a chess organism thriving in competitive habitats.

On a lighter note, Simon’s activity peaks at dawn and morning hours—a nocturnal creature embracing the early sunlight for his matches, achieving win rates over 50% between 8 AM and noon.

All in all, Simon Hooks is a fascinating study in chess evolution: a resilient species mastering openings, endgames, and psychological battles alike, making every match a little ecosystem of strategic interplay.