Avatar of Robin van Kampen

Robin van Kampen GM

Username: Kempsy

Playing Since: 2012-12-17 (Active)

Wow Factor: ♟♟♟♟♟

Chess.com

Daily: 1806
2W / 0L / 0D
Rapid: 2660
3W / 0L / 0D
Blitz: 2976
3040W / 2257L / 675D
Bullet: 2884
650W / 381L / 66D

Robin van Kampen (Kempsy)

Meet Robin van Kampen, a Grandmaster who weaves mesmerizing chess tales faster than you can say "checkmate." Armed with the coveted FIDE Grandmaster title, Robin’s opening repertoire is as mysterious as a top-secret recipe—and just as effective. Whether blitzing through lightning-fast games or patiently outwitting opponents in long battles, Kempsy proves that chess is equal parts art and science.

Playing Style and Strengths

With a penchant for deep, strategic battles, Robin's games often stretch close to 78 moves when victorious, showing both endurance and precision. Their endgame frequency is impressively high at over 84%, making sure not to let the opponent off the hook prematurely. And when behind? Kempsy's comeback rate stands at a staggering 86.6%, proving that surrender is not in their vocabulary.

White pieces bring a slight edge with a 54.9% win rate, but Black isn’t far behind at 50.1%. They occasionally resign early (a measured 16% early resignation rate) – because even the best know when to save energy for another duel.

Rating Highlights

  • Blitz Peak Rating: 3002 (January 2025) – Yes, that's right, over 3000 in blitz speed chess!
  • Bullet Peak Rating: 2996 (September 2023) – Almost as fast as a blink, and almost as deadly.
  • Rapid Peak Rating: 2660 (October 2021) – When there’s a bit more time to think, the mastery shows.
  • Daily Chess Peak Rating: 1806 (October 2017) – Even relaxed games get a dose of brilliance.

Recent Games Snapshot

Just recently, Kempsy showcased dominance by winning with the Sicilian Defense: Wing Marshall Variation in a classy game full of tactical fireworks. Not to mention sneaky time wins and stylish checkmates—Robin keeps fans on their toes! Sure, even Grandmasters have off days with tough losses here and there, but that only fuels the relentless fire for the next victory.

Notable Opponents

Robin's foes range from heavy-hitters to emerging stars, including multiple face-offs with “drtancredi” (157 games), “alexrustemov” (97 games), and the ever-feisty “gmjoey1” (87 games). Win rates against opponents are all over the board—sometimes almost flawless, sometimes tough humbling losses—because chess is no easy beast, even at the top!

Fun Facts & Quirks

  • Best time of day to catch Kempsy at peak form? 11:00 AM – caffeine must be cooperating.
  • Monday is lucky: highest win rate day with 63% victories – starts the week strong!
  • Despite the intense games, Kempsy’s losses by being down a piece turn into wins over 50% of the time... talk about fighting spirit.
  • Once won 47 games in a row—probably bewildered a few opponents who thought the chessboard was haunted.

In the high-speed world of online chess, Robin van Kampen (Kempsy) stays sharp, strategic, and sizzling with style — a true chess ninja in the digital era.


Coach's Avatar

Overall Performance and Rating Trend

Robin, your recent bullet game performance shows a positive rating trend with a 29-point gain over the last month, which is consistent over three and six months as well. Your strength-adjusted win rate of approximately 49.7% reflects a solid ability to hold your own against opponents of comparable strength. The upward slope in your rating trend, around 6.79, indicates steady improvement.

Analysis of Recent Wins

Your winning games demonstrate effective opening choices and timely tactical play. Key takeaways include:

  • You frequently employ flexible openings such as Reti Opening and Kingside Fianchetto setups, which often allowed you to develop smoothly and apply pressure early.
  • Strong use of pawn breaks and piece activity (for example, advancing central pawns and using knights to target weak squares) contributed to your winning positions.
  • Good exploitation of opponent inaccuracies and prompt taking advantage of tactical opportunities, like winning material or forcing resignations.
  • Successful conversion of material or positional advantages in the middlegame and endgame phases, maintaining focus despite time pressure.

For example, in your game against ameetghasi100, your central and kingside pawn advances created attacking chances that led to a resignation with superior position and pressure.

Areas for Improvement in Recent Losses

Examining your losses, a few areas stand out to help you refine your bullet game further:

  • Time management: Some games ended because of time, suggesting reducing time spent in early parts and incremental speed in decision-making could help.
  • Handling pressure in the opening: Your opponents often challenged your setups aggressively. Consider deepening your preparation in lines like the Kings Fianchetto Opening and Caro-Kann Defense variations, so you can navigate challenging replies with more confidence.
  • Endgame technique under time pressure: A few games show you narrowly losing in technically difficult positions; practicing common endgame motifs can increase your conversion rate.
  • Defending against tactical threats: Watch out for opponent tactics targeting pinning pieces or creating forks, especially in sharp open positions.

For example, in the game against Jospem where you lost on time, your position was still defensible but managing the clock better would have increased your winning chances.

Opening Selection and Performance

Your openings revolve around solid and flexible systems like the Reti Opening, Kings Fianchetto setups, and the Caro-Kann Defense. This approach suits bullet well by keeping positions manageable:

  • Continue developing your understanding of the typical plans behind these openings to enhance your ability to respond quickly.
  • Review key tactical patterns and traps in these openings, as opponents sometimes capitalized on early inaccuracies.
  • Try incorporating a surprise move or less common variation selectively to unsettle familiar opponents.

Recommendations

  • Practice faster visualization and calculation through blitz/bullet training routines or chess puzzles focused on common tactical themes.
  • Analyze your time usage throughout games to identify stages where you can safely speed up.
  • Study endgames typical to your openings to improve technique in common structures.
  • Maintain your strong use of pawn structures and piece activity but be vigilant about opponent counterplay at critical moments.
  • Consider post-game reviews using
    to deepen your understanding of winning plans and mistakes in losses.


🆚 Opponent Insights

Recent Opponents
Shelev Oberoi 13W / 8L / 4D
Giorgi Sibashvili 1W / 0L / 0D
Alexander Khlebovich 0W / 1L / 0D
Oleg Vastrukhin 1W / 2L / 0D
Феликс Тульчинский 1W / 1L / 0D
Hakari 2W / 1L / 0D
Lennis Martinez Ramirez 18W / 10L / 5D
VeryOldMuchSlow 0W / 1L / 0D
highnessvictory 4W / 1L / 1D
f1_and_chess 0W / 2L / 1D
Most Played Opponents
DrTancredi 39W / 104L / 14D
Alexander Rustemov 30W / 51L / 18D
Rogelio Jr Antonio 51W / 30L / 6D
Kevin Bordi 41W / 17L / 4D
Vladimir Seliverstov 23W / 27L / 3D

Rating

Year Bullet Blitz Rapid Daily
2025 2976
2024 2954
2023 2884 2902
2022 2795
2021 2855 2789 2660
2020 2888 2791
2019 2646 2734 2658 1806
2018 2730 2673 2646
2017 2802 2668 2640 1806
2016 2654 2581
2015 2571 2483
2014 2525
2013 2469 2491
Rating by Year201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024202529761806YearRatingBulletBlitzRapidDaily

Stats by Year

Year White Black Moves
2025 151W / 103L / 37D 142W / 111L / 27D 86.3
2024 55W / 34L / 9D 51W / 33L / 14D 83.8
2023 380W / 236L / 79D 339W / 269L / 94D 85.3
2022 111W / 76L / 33D 105W / 80L / 23D 84.3
2021 287W / 206L / 68D 241W / 230L / 65D 86.4
2020 300W / 214L / 65D 280W / 233L / 73D 85.5
2019 98W / 74L / 16D 92W / 83L / 11D 75.9
2018 85W / 60L / 15D 72W / 76L / 14D 80.0
2017 225W / 193L / 32D 223W / 192L / 33D 82.2
2016 144W / 21L / 3D 133W / 24L / 7D 71.6
2015 66W / 22L / 7D 59W / 34L / 6D 83.7
2014 1W / 0L / 0D 0W / 0L / 0D 91.0
2013 64W / 21L / 7D 47W / 28L / 12D 78.5

Openings: Most Played

Blitz Opening Games Wins Losses Draws Win Rate
Amar Gambit 272 146 98 28 53.7%
Sicilian Defense 255 126 99 30 49.4%
English Opening: Anglo-Indian Defense 228 110 96 22 48.2%
Caro-Kann Defense 214 114 75 25 53.3%
Amazon Attack: Siberian Attack 204 114 67 23 55.9%
Modern 179 86 72 21 48.0%
Scandinavian Defense 143 75 55 13 52.5%
Colle System: Rhamphorhynchus Variation 133 76 49 8 57.1%
Australian Defense 119 60 47 12 50.4%
English Opening: Drill Variation 111 57 48 6 51.4%
Bullet Opening Games Wins Losses Draws Win Rate
Caro-Kann Defense 66 34 29 3 51.5%
Amar Gambit 64 51 11 2 79.7%
Modern 59 37 22 0 62.7%
Amazon Attack: Siberian Attack 44 25 17 2 56.8%
Nimzo-Larsen Attack 43 21 16 6 48.8%
Scandinavian Defense 40 19 21 0 47.5%
Colle System: Rhamphorhynchus Variation 38 21 17 0 55.3%
French Defense 35 26 8 1 74.3%
Benoni Defense: Benoni Gambit Accepted 25 13 9 3 52.0%
Czech Defense 25 16 8 1 64.0%
Daily Opening Games Wins Losses Draws Win Rate
Amar Gambit 1 1 0 0 100.0%
Ruy Lopez 1 1 0 0 100.0%
Sicilian Defense 1 1 0 0 100.0%
Caro-Kann Defense 1 1 0 0 100.0%
King's Indian Defense: Averbakh Variation 1 1 0 0 100.0%
Philidor Defense 1 1 0 0 100.0%

🔥 Streaks

Streak Longest Current
Winning 47 0
Losing 10 1