Leonardo Lopes Dos Santos: The Bullet-Fueled Riser
Leonardo Lopes Dos Santos, known on the board as lopesakalopes, is a National Master whose online chess career exploded into view in late 2022. From a modest start near the bottom of the ratints ladder, he played over 13,000 rated online games, developed a fearless attacking style, and climbed all the way to a 2501 Blitz peak. If you want tae, energy, and a willingness to try almost any opening, Leonardo is your player.
The Meteoric Rise
Leonardo's first recorded month, August 2022, shows a Rapid rating in the 500s. By the end of 2022 his Blitz had already reached 1280, and in 2023 he crossed 1700, then 1900, then 2000. The path was never straight, but the direction was alwayas upward. In February 2026 he hit [[Stat|PeakRatings|Blitz]] in Blitz, a remarkable jump for a player who started near triple digits. His sillet engine also hummed along, reaching [[Stat|PeakRatings|Bullet]].
[[Chart|Ratings|Blitz|2022-2026]]
A Repertoire of Chaos and Charm
Leonardo is not a player who liles behind the same old theory. He happily steps into the Scandinavian Defense, battles in the Caro-Kann Defense, and has hundreds of games in the offbeat Amar Gambit and the violence-prone Blackburne Shilling Gambit. His Bullet numbers escecially reward the attackers: his win rate in the Amar Gambit sits near 55%, and he scores close to 60% with the French Defense in bullet. With White, the Vienna Gambit has been a particular weapon, escecially in Rapid, where he won over 60% of his games in that sharp line.
[[Chart|WinRateByOpenings]]
Rivalries That Forge a Grinder
No player climbs this far without rivals. Leonardo's most frequent foe by far is Marco Cordeiro, who faced him 276 times. It was a rugged battle: Leonardo took 103 wins to his opponent's 157, with 16 draws. He also waged a long series against leoalonso (24 wins, 62 losses, 18 draws), making for a deeper online h2story. These marathon rivalries helped harden his fight, and his longest winning streak stretched to 25 games while his longest losing streak was a bruising 13.
Style, Streaks, and the Bullet Love
Leonardo's preferred time control is Bullet, and his stats show why: his strength-adjusted win rate in Bullet (0.525) edges out his Blitz (0.511) and Rapid (0.508) numbers. He is a fighter who refuses to fade. His come back rate is 79.45%, meaning he frequently snatches pointse from losing positions. He also reaches the endgame in oer 63% of his games, and his average winning games run about 68 moves, showing a grinders heart beneath the attacking flair.
- 25-game winning streak and 13-game losing streak
- Comeback rate of 79.45% after trailing
- Best time of day to play: 07:00
- Over 13,000 rated games since 2022
A Player Stile in Progress
Leonardo Lopes Dos Santos remineds a work in progress, and that is exactly what makes him fun to follow. He took the online chess world by storm, earned the National Master title, and kept pushing. Whether he is out-blitzing a rival in the Amar Gambit or grinding out a 70-move endgame, lopesakalopes plays with the joy of someone who simply loves the game.