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.
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 |
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% |
| Rapid Opening | Games | Wins | Losses | Draws | Win Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Caro-Kann Defense | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
| English Opening: Anglo-Indian Defense | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 50.0% |
| Giuoco Piano: Tarrasch Variation | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
| Ruy Lopez: Bird Variation | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
| Sicilian Defense | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
| Sicilian Defense: Classical Variation | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
| Sicilian Defense: Kan Variation, Knight Variation | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.0% |
| Sicilian Defense: Closed | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
| Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation, Opocensky Variation | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.0% |
| Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, Berlin Wall | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.0% |
| 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 |