Rommel Delos Santos

Rommel Delos Santos (aka kaenlang)

Meet Rommel Delos Santos, better known in the chess world as kaenlang — a rapid chess player whose rating rollercoaster ride between 193 and a peak of 811 in just a few months would make even the most daring thrill seekers jealous. By the year 2025, Rommel had amassed over 500 rapid games, showcasing a warrior spirit on the 64-square battlefield with 276 wins and a resilient 26 draws.

Rommel’s style? Fiercely tactical, with a flair for comebacks! His comeback rate stands at an impressive 77%, proving that giving up is just not in his vocabulary. One misstep? No worries, his win rate after losing a piece (~45%) says he’s a fighter to the end. He does have a slightly unfortunate tilt factor of 7, so don’t be surprised if a string of bad games sees him muttering chess puns under his breath.

When it comes to openings, Rommel shines brightest with classical choices: his trusty Philidor Defense boasts a winning rate of nearly 62%, and the Scandinavian Defense and French Defense pairs are his secret weapons, each scoring victories over 66% of the time. Not to mention the King’s Pawn Opening family, where he has fought over 120 games, winning just over half.

Rommel’s average game length hovers around 56 moves, suggesting he likes to play the long game — perhaps a hint that he enjoys his coffee breaks as much as grinding down opponents. He is slightly more successful with Black pieces than White, flipping the usual advantage on its head with a 50.36% win rate versus 49.64%.

The charts also reveal the optimal times to challenge Rommel: Fridays and Saturdays don’t see his best play, but catch him around 22:00 (his best time of day), and you might just face a very formidable opponent—not to mention the peculiar peak winning rate at 22:00 (~77%).

If you want to get a glimpse of Rommel’s brilliance, check out his most recent victory on June 2, 2025 where he artfully danced around the board, culminating in a brilliant win by forcing his opponent’s king to seek shelter (spoiler: it failed).

In short, Rommel Delos Santos is a rapid chess gladiator whose love for the game is as dynamic as his gameplay. Whether diving into well-studied openings or navigating complicated endgames (which he plays often), kaenlang proves day after day that chess is a marathon, not a sprint — with a little bit of humor and a lot of determination thrown in.

Watch out—he’s capturing more than just pawns; he’s capturing hearts!