Josh Bursill

Josh Bursill (aka joshie2k2) - The Chess Journeyman

Meet Josh Bursill, a rapid chess warrior who’s been flexing his strategic muscles in the online arenas throughout 2025. Rated as high as 782 in rapid chess—a number almost as mysterious as his opening choices—Josh combines fierce determination with a healthy dose of resilience. His blitz peak may top out at 518, but don’t let that fool you; this player is all about long battles and grinding out wins, even if it means sweating through a few losses along the way.

Playing Style & Statistics

Josh plays with a style that emphasizes endurance—expect drawn-out games averaging over 60 moves in wins. He’s not one to give up early either, resigning only about 5.6% of his games prematurely, and he loves engagements that demand a keen endgame prowess, appearing in over half of his games. The comeback kid of the board, Josh boasts a staggering ~78% comeback rate when he's down and isn’t afraid to fight back after losing a piece.

Opening Repertoire Highlights

• Queen's Pawn Opening - Zukertort Chigorin Variation: Most successful opening with a nearly 66% win rate over 32 rapid games. When Josh dives into this complex setup, opponents beware!
• Scandinavian Defense: Perhaps his weapon of choice, carrying a 62.7% win rate across 59 games, showing his fondness for active and tactical play.
• Queens Pawn Opening - Chigorin Variation: Another favorite yielding about 59% wins in 64 matches, driving home solid pawns and piece activity.

Mood and Battle Rhythm

Josh’s chess clock runs best in the wee hours—his sweet spot is at 5 AM, where he apparently combines caffeine with uncanny focus. Saturdays and Thursdays are his days to shine, boasting win percentages of 56% and 57% respectively, while afternoons can be a bit rough with a steep dip around 3 PM (ouch, a 10.5% win rate). Maybe that’s nap time?

The Hilarious Ironies and Quirks

Ever heard of a player who wins just as much as they lose? Josh is a beautiful paradox with almost equal rapid wins and losses (354 wins and 353 losses). With some streaks lasting 9 wins or 9 losses, it seems he’s either on fire or hibernating. One can only hope his “tilt factor” of 9 remains at bay.

Recent Highlights

In his latest recorded battle, Josh employed a crafty symmetrical Queen's Pawn setup and forced his opponent to resign after 23 intense moves. His ability to eke out victories by resignation is a testament to his relentless pressure and psychological warfare on the board.

Rivalries & Opponents

Josh holds a perfect 100% win record against many of his regular opponents, including vinit-superior and yassin_al_iraqi123, proving he’s not just playing the game—he’s owning it. However, some players like yenerty and mgolden remind him that humility is the spice of chess life with a 0% win rate—you win some, you lose some, and sometimes you just learn a ton.

Summary

To sum up Josh Bursill is the player you root for when you want a rollercoaster of emotions, thrilling tactics, and crazy endgames. Whether you face him in blitz or rapid, expect unpredictability, stubborn defense, and an epic fight to the last pawn. Josh might not be a global grandmaster yet, but he’s definitely earning his stripes—and a few laughs—one chessboard at a time.