Avatar of Ethan Vaz

Ethan Vaz IM

Username: jumpingknight20

Playing Since: 2020-04-10 (Active)

Wow Factor: ♟♟♟♟♟

Chess.com

Rapid: 2395
128W / 13L / 9D
Blitz: 2858
941W / 242L / 109D
Bullet: 2961
2256W / 484L / 128D

Ethan Vaz - International Master

Known in the chess world as jumpingknight20, Ethan Vaz is an International Master who has danced with the 64 squares like a grandmaster in the making. From humble beginnings climbing from a 1185 bullet rating in 2020 to a peak rating of an astonishing 2922 in bullet chess by 2024, Ethan's journey is nothing short of legendary. If chess had an adrenaline sport category, bullet would be Ethan’s arena—where lightning-fast decisions and razor-sharp tactics rule!

Rise to Online Stardom

Ethan's gameplay is characterized by a relentless winning streak of 74 games at one point, showing not just skill but an uncanny ability to maintain focus. Despite a “tilt factor” of 12 (proof that even IMs get a little flustered), Ethan’s comeback rate stands impressively at 81.34%, proving resilience is part of the brand.

Playing Style

  • Average moves per win: ~72 (patience meets precision)
  • Highly tactical with a 74.6% win rate after losing a piece — because Ethan truly believes in “the game is never over until the king falls.”
  • Endgame is Ethan’s favorite playground, engaging in these subtle battles in nearly 77% of all games.
  • Early resignation rate low at 1.41%, showing Ethan’s stubborn competitive spirit.

Favorite Openings (Shhh... Top Secret!)

Ethan guards his opening repertoire closely, with a mysterious 'Top Secret' opening dominating his bullet games (79.24% win rate over almost 3,000 games!). In blitz and rapid formats, he occasionally spices things up with the Alapin Sicilian (100% win rate in his limited games) and the Caro-Kann Defense, proving versatility across the board.

Notable Stats

  • Bullet wins: 2,156 with a razor-sharp 79.24% win rate
  • Blitz wins: 949, holding tough with a 72.34% win rate
  • Rapid wins: 122, smashing it with an 89.05% win rate

Scheduling a Match? Here’s When to Avoid Ethan

With a best playing hour around 20:00 (8 PM) and nearly a 95% win rate at that time, challenging Ethan at night is basically signing up for 15-0 defeat. But if you want a fighting chance, maybe aim for late evening (22:00 hour), where his win rate dips to 37.5%. A rare chink in the armor!

Recent Matches & Memorable Games

Ethan’s recent battles in Chess960 showcase his creativity and adaptability; from resignations by opponents to thrilling time wins, Ethan keeps foes on their toes. One of his recent wins featured a crafty Sicilian Defense where fans applauded his precise handling of the endgame, finishing with a smooth resignation victory.

Fun Facts

  • Favorite mode: Bullet chess — fast, furious, and just chaotic enough to keep things interesting.
  • Preferred color advantage: Has a slightly better success rate with White, winning about 79% of such games.
  • Psychology: Though not immune to frustration, Ethan frequently bounces back stronger, showing mental fortitude rare outside monks.

Whether you’re an aspiring player or just a fan of thrilling chess battles, Ethan Vaz’s journey shows a terrific mix of speed, strategy, and smart resilience — and if you play against jumpingknight20, be prepared for a wild ride!


Coach's Avatar

Recent Gameplay Strengths

Ethan, your recent bullet games showcase some strong points that contribute to your consistently high performance:

  • Opening Preparation: You show excellent familiarity with effective openings like the Sicilian Defense: Alapin Variation and the Scandinavian Defense which yield high win rates over 75% in these lines.
  • Tactical Awareness: In your winning games, you demonstrate effective tactical strikes such as timely piece sacrifices and creating passed pawns that force opponents into defensive positions.
  • Endgame Proficiency: Many of your games reach complex endgames, and you handle these confidently with precise moves, often converting favorable positions.
  • Time Management: Despite the bullet format challenges, you maintain solid time control allowing for consistent decision-making across the game phases.

Areas for Improvement

To enhance your bullet game results even further, consider focusing on these areas:

  • Midgame Strategy: There are moments where better positional understanding could help prevent passive positions, especially against aggressive opponents.
  • Clock Pressure Resilience: Some losses stem from time pressure leading to inaccuracies. Practice quick pattern recognition and pre-move techniques to save precious seconds without compromising quality.
  • Handling Complex Defenses: In games involving Alekhine's Defense or Caro-Kann variations, work on counterplay ideas and transitions to advantageous endgames.
  • Drawing Techniques: With relatively few draws, mastering defense to hold balanced positions under pressure can reduce unnecessary losses.
  • Blunder Reduction: Under bullet conditions, minimizing blunders by tuning your intuition during rapid calculations will increase your winning chances.

Progress and Trends

Your rating trajectory over recent months is positive with a steady incline, indicating continual growth. The increasing slope in your 6-month trend suggests you are gaining stronger consistency and results.

  • Your win to loss ratio is impressive with over 2000 wins, showing resilience and adaptability.
  • Your strength-adjusted win rate above 52% is a solid indicator that you are performing well even against comparable opposition.
  • Keep building on your successful opening repertoire, especially your niche openings like the Nimzo-Larsen Attack where you have an almost 89% win rate.

Recommendations

To further improve your bullet play, here are some practice suggestions:

  • Review your losses focusing on clock management and spotting early positional imbalances.
  • Analyze midgame positions from your games to deepen your strategic understanding and decision-making speed.
  • Practice bullet-specific tactics drills to enhance calculation speed and reduce blunders.
  • Maintain and expand your opening knowledge, but also familiarize yourself with common responses to surprise your opponents.
  • Experiment with defensive techniques to hold difficult positions and secure draws when you cannot press for a win.

Keep Pushing Forward!

Your dedication and skill are evident. With focused refinement on time pressure resilience and midgame strategy, your bullet performance can reach even greater heights. Keep training consistently, and your steady rating gains will continue to reflect your progress. Good luck, Ethan!



🆚 Opponent Insights

Recent Opponents
premier05 1W / 0L / 0D
Most Played Opponents
Never_walk_alone 7W / 4L / 6D
killer2424 11W / 3L / 0D
cockroachdolly 6W / 6L / 0D
Sam Schenk 8W / 2L / 2D
Валерий Свиридов 0W / 12L / 0D

Rating

Year Bullet Blitz Rapid Daily
2025 2923 2858 2395
2024 2890 2835
2023 2866 2704 2307 2683
2022 2503 2493 2309
2021 2574 2546 2304
2020 2002 1925 1567
Rating by Year20202021202220232024202529231567YearRatingBulletBlitzRapid

Stats by Year

Year White Black Moves
2025 63W / 26L / 10D 55W / 30L / 10D 83.6
2024 89W / 25L / 7D 72W / 35L / 15D 92.4
2023 404W / 74L / 17D 393W / 70L / 21D 70.9
2022 508W / 111L / 31D 500W / 104L / 35D 76.4
2021 538W / 88L / 48D 509W / 131L / 38D 81.3
2020 92W / 28L / 8D 92W / 29L / 9D 92.7

Openings: Most Played

Blitz Opening Games Wins Losses Draws Win Rate
Sicilian Defense: Alapin Variation 192 137 37 18 71.3%
Sicilian Defense 45 35 8 2 77.8%
Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation 45 29 13 3 64.4%
Caro-Kann Defense 42 31 8 3 73.8%
Blackburne Shilling Gambit 34 25 6 3 73.5%
Scandinavian Defense 32 28 4 0 87.5%
Modern 30 23 5 2 76.7%
Giuoco Piano: Tarrasch Variation 29 22 3 4 75.9%
London System: Poisoned Pawn Variation 28 20 5 3 71.4%
Sicilian Defense: Closed 28 19 4 5 67.9%
Rapid Opening Games Wins Losses Draws Win Rate
Sicilian Defense: Alapin Variation 15 15 0 0 100.0%
Blackburne Shilling Gambit 6 5 1 0 83.3%
Scandinavian Defense 6 5 1 0 83.3%
Sicilian Defense: Closed 6 5 0 1 83.3%
Barnes Defense 6 6 0 0 100.0%
Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense 5 2 1 2 40.0%
Sicilian Defense 5 5 0 0 100.0%
Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation 4 3 1 0 75.0%
Caro-Kann Defense 3 2 1 0 66.7%
Philidor Defense 3 3 0 0 100.0%
Bullet Opening Games Wins Losses Draws Win Rate
Sicilian Defense: Alapin Variation 281 214 51 16 76.2%
Scandinavian Defense 141 116 18 7 82.3%
Modern 112 84 22 6 75.0%
Amar Gambit 110 97 6 7 88.2%
Sicilian Defense 109 86 18 5 78.9%
Sicilian Defense: Closed 86 61 22 3 70.9%
Caro-Kann Defense 84 69 13 2 82.1%
Nimzo-Larsen Attack 80 71 8 1 88.8%
Colle System: Rhamphorhynchus Variation 70 58 11 1 82.9%
Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation 64 50 12 2 78.1%
Daily Opening Games Wins Losses Draws Win Rate
Hungarian Opening: Wiedenhagen-Beta Gambit 1 1 0 0 100.0%

🔥 Streaks

Streak Longest Current
Winning 74 1
Losing 12 0