A rapid romance
lionalp is a player who has found their true home in rapid chess. The numbers say it loudly: 200 rapid wins against 185 losses and a career-high 1466 (2025-01-07) that captures their best form. Bullet is a different story, with 0 wins and 12 losses. If you offer lionalp a bullet game, you might be signing up for a very quick lesson.
Career arc
lionalp first surfaced in 2021, then disappeared for a while before returning in late 2024 with an appetite. December 2024 alone saw 264 rapid games and 133 wins, a true comeback arc.
Endgame patience
This is not a player who leaves early. Only 2.6% of lionalp's games end in early resignation, and around 70% reach an endgame. Average decisive rapid games stretch beyond 70 moves, which is a polite way of saying bring snacks. Their Bishop's Opening and Caro-Kann Defense repertoires reward that patience.
Opening report
With white, lionalp almost always plays 1.e4 and leans on the Bishop's Opening. The Caro-Kann Defense is a particularly happy hunting ground with a 70.6% win rate. With black, the Australian Defense brings a little chaos and a 58.3% score in rapid. lionalp even scores better with the black pieces overall, which is unusual for such a devoted e4 player.
Fighting back
lionalp is hard to put away. They come back from losing positions 68.25% of the time and still win 40.34% of games after losing a piece. Against lower-rated opponents the win rate climbs to 71%, while tougher opposition remains a work in progress at 24%. The longest streak is nine wins, and the longest losing streak is a painful 18, so the resilience is not infinite.
Rivalries
When lionalp sees davido1972 in the pairings, it is a five-game battle with davido1972 ahead 3-2. The matchup against Deniz Anakok is less friendly, with Sahmatlab winning all four meetings. Every rivalry needs its rematch.