Avatar of Benedict

Benedict

Username: MateRanger

Location: Québec

Playing Since: 2008-01-22 (Active)

Wow Factor: ♟♟♟♟♟♟

Chess.com

Daily: 1282
10360W / 8302L / 1175D
Rapid: 1978
825W / 740L / 74D
Blitz: 1717
12561W / 9866L / 964D
Bullet: 1810
614W / 517L / 28D

Benedict's Chess Odyssey

Once upon a chessboard, in the mysterious realm of Pawns and Knights, there emerged a formidable player known to the digital masses as MateRanger. Though his gender remains a riddle wrapped in an enigma, his moves are anything but ambiguous.

Benedict has danced through the seasons of chess since 2008, steadily climbing the rating ladder with the tenacity of a queen snatching a free piece. His peak daily rating soared to a respectable 1936 in late 2009, while his blitz battles reached a scorching 1946 as recently as July 2023. Bullet chess? Oh yes, he once breezed past 1892 before the calendar flipped the page to 2010. And in the realm of rapid — the fighter’s choice — Benedict is eyeing a sky-high 1976 slated for 2025, proving he’s not just in it for slow, deliberate beauty but also quick-fire tactical fireworks.

Playing Style & Strategy

With an average of 57 moves per win, Benedict has the stamina of a marathon runner and the patience of a saint sitting beside a ticking clock. He's no quitter either, with an early resignation rate as rare as a royal blunder at 1.43%. Benedict's games are endgame-heavy, with over 61% frequency — he savors that tense, calculating dance to the finish rather than snatching abrupt glory.

Psychologically? Benedict’s tilt factor is around 15 - not a saint, but he often bounces back with a mighty 74.58% comeback rate. When spotted missing a piece, he still holds a nearly 48% win chance — a true fighter until the last rook falls.

Opening Repertoire – The Arsenal

Benedict's favorite opening? A well-guarded secret (exeunt mystery music). But for those who dare peek, the "Top Secret" openings yield a respectable 51.73% win rate in daily games. The King's Pawn Opening is a trusted old pal, winning an impressive 97.26% of the time — it seems Benedict really knows how to boss the center.

In blitz games, he shows a penchant for the Scandinavian Defense, especially the Mieses-Kotrc variations where his win rates creep above 50% consistently, a testament to his deep preparation and brute surprise factor.

Recent Battles: Knightly Victories and Losses

Benedict's latest documented win, against gmk_8883, was a swift Sicilian defense scuffle ending on time pressure with a 1-0 score — a classic blitz-tactic victory. Another masterstroke came from a Chess960 match, crowning him victorious by mate in a surprisingly fanciful endgame after a queen’s daring journey.

Even the best stumble - recent losses include a principled resignation facing siddhu79, and a clever checkmate from Krado24 in a Chess960 opener. But in true chess fashion, every loss is just an opportunity to find a new combination, a fresh tactic, or that oh-so-satisfying checkmate next game.

Fun Stats For The Chess-Curious

  • White pieces win more often: 54.4% win rate vs. 51.44% playing Black
  • Favors playing chess around 2-3 PM — peak brain hours for all us mortals.
  • Games on Thursday are lucky—winning 53.17% of the time!
  • Likes to win by resignation — over 12,533 wins this way, though has patience to fight until checkmate when necessary.
  • Biggest winning streak? A mind-boggling 28 games — academia should study that.

In Sum

Benedict, aka MateRanger, is no mere player; he’s a steadfast tactician, nodding gracefully to classical chess wisdom while innovating bravely in modern games such as Chess960. His resilience and versatility promise more checkmates, fewer blunders, and plenty of fun to come.

As the pieces keep falling and the pawns keep marching, the chessboard becomes a stage where Benedict performs — unpredictable, unyielding, and inexhaustibly strategic. Keep your royal eyes on him; the game is just getting started.


Coach's Avatar

What to watch in your bullet games

You’ve shown willingness to fight for dynamic, tactical lines and you’ve converted some advantages to wins. In fast games, small decisions matter a lot, and you’re already finding active plans. To turn that energy into more consistent results, focus on a few steady habits that fit the speed of bullet.

  • Piece safety and king safety under time pressure. In sharp moments, a near-mate or a loose piece can swing the result. Slow down briefly to confirm a forcing move or a safe retreat before grabbing material.
  • Endgame awareness. A lot of quick games end in imbalanced endings where a single wrong king move or pawn structure choice costs the game. Practice a few common simple endings so you can push wins with minimal risk when the position simplifies.
  • Time management as a plan, not just a clock. Create a simple 2- or 3-move check plan in the opening to avoid spending time on early developing moves. Reserve most of your clock for the middle game where the real decisions happen.
  • Move ordering and avoiding over-ambition. In bullet, it’s easy to chase a flashy tactic that backfires. Build a habit of asking “What is my current plan?” after each major decision and prefer moves that further that plan even if they seem quiet.

Opening ideas to lean on

Your openings show strength in several lines, with particularly good results in Scandinavian Defense, French Defense, and related solid structures. To increase consistency, deepen 2–3 openings as your core repertoire and learn the typical middlegame plans that arise from them. This reduces mixed results from trying too many options in fast time.

  • Scandinavian Defense: reinforce the standard pawn structures and typical piece placements so you recognize the main plan quickly, even when you’re under time pressure.
  • French Defense: focus on the typical pawn chain and counterplay ideas, so you can convert space and activity into pressure on your opponent.
  • Bird Opening and Czech defenses: continue with the lines you’re comfortable in, but pair each with a short mental checklist (king safety, development, and central control) to avoid sudden tactical surprises.

Concrete improvement plan for the next week

  • Daily tactics: 5–7 minutes of short puzzles with a timer, focusing on forks, skewers, pins, and back-rank motifs. This helps you spot forcing lines under pressure.
  • Endgame basics: practice 3 simple endings (king and pawn vs king, rook endings with active king, and basic minor piece endings) 2–3 times this week.
  • Opening focus: pick two core openings (one for White, one for Black) and study 2 typical middlegame plans for each. Create a quick one-page reference for common moves and ideas.
  • Review and reflect: after each bullet game, write a brief note on one decision you would change next time and why. Bring that note into your next game to close the loop.

Tracking progress and next steps

Set small, measurable goals for the week, such as “finish 2 games with no blunders in the last 5 moves” or “win at least one game from a slightly worse position by technique rather than luck.” If you’d like, I can review your next batch of bullet games and provide targeted notes on time management, tactical accuracy, and endgame technique.



🆚 Opponent Insights

Recent Opponents
fearless_king2 1W / 0L / 1D
johannes_hh 1W / 0L / 0D
mitrak69 0W / 1L / 0D
tmx1969 1W / 0L / 0D
nelsmak 0W / 0L / 1D
arcanephilosopher 5W / 5L / 0D
itsmethedumbchessplayer 1W / 1L / 0D
statyana 2W / 0L / 0D
pasdepseud0 2W / 0L / 0D
brettcollins1984 2W / 0L / 0D
Most Played Opponents
snowshinedog 18W / 72L / 8D
melchizedek10 20W / 43L / 12D
thunder2468 10W / 29L / 7D
abeluchin 12W / 17L / 11D
calfedrez 22W / 18L / 0D

Rating

Year Bullet Blitz Rapid Daily
2025 1810 1677 1978 1249
2024 1810 1605 1943 1398
2023 1575 1892 1414
2022 1708 1733 1557
2021 1702 1540
2020 1795 1467
2019 1796 1592
2018 1660 1646 1299
2017 1569 1742 1525
2016 1378 1732 1531
2015 1585 1740 1514
2014 1661 1625
2013 1648 1631
2012 1746 1738
2011 1840 1804 1693
2010 1761 1816 1675
2009 1677 1675 1882
2008 1579
Rating by Year20082009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024202519781249YearRatingBulletBlitzRapidDaily

Stats by Year

Year White Black Moves
2025 1850W / 1259L / 102D 1786W / 1329L / 105D 63.5
2024 2234W / 1808L / 187D 2220W / 1824L / 182D 65.3
2023 1773W / 1455L / 159D 1666W / 1546L / 180D 62.7
2022 1688W / 1331L / 143D 1535W / 1461L / 160D 62.2
2021 494W / 306L / 33D 464W / 328L / 47D 59.4
2020 39W / 37L / 2D 25W / 51L / 4D 56.5
2019 212W / 152L / 19D 182W / 176L / 26D 65.0
2018 857W / 575L / 55D 836W / 586L / 72D 61.9
2017 930W / 747L / 56D 874W / 781L / 94D 59.2
2016 537W / 486L / 51D 488W / 511L / 74D 59.6
2015 659W / 518L / 72D 595W / 582L / 74D 60.1
2014 410W / 298L / 65D 366W / 325L / 66D 56.7
2013 480W / 403L / 76D 454W / 457L / 57D 57.3
2012 549W / 422L / 64D 526W / 436L / 63D 55.9
2011 526W / 331L / 36D 509W / 348L / 44D 52.6
2010 605W / 369L / 42D 583W / 385L / 39D 53.1
2009 210W / 95L / 9D 187W / 122L / 14D 52.3
2008 30W / 19L / 3D 24W / 27L / 1D 48.9

Openings: Most Played

Daily Opening Games Wins Losses Draws Win Rate
Unknown 844 838 6 0 99.3%
Sicilian Defense: O'Kelly Variation 770 316 389 65 41.0%
Amazon Attack: Siberian Attack 747 326 379 42 43.6%
Scandinavian Defense 637 366 231 40 57.5%
Amazon Attack 596 312 242 42 52.4%
Amar Gambit 592 368 192 32 62.2%
Alekhine Defense 579 311 230 38 53.7%
London System: Poisoned Pawn Variation 482 237 208 37 49.2%
Dutch Defense 458 205 224 29 44.8%
Australian Defense 444 289 134 21 65.1%
Blitz Opening Games Wins Losses Draws Win Rate
Scandinavian Defense 5961 3242 2483 236 54.4%
Bird Opening 1565 829 672 64 53.0%
Amar Gambit 1491 837 606 48 56.1%
Benoni Defense: Benoni Gambit Accepted 1090 571 476 43 52.4%
Sicilian Defense: Alapin Variation 957 485 424 48 50.7%
Bird Opening: Dutch Variation 899 447 404 48 49.7%
Barnes Defense 753 451 288 14 59.9%
KGD: Classical, 3.Bc4 685 429 223 33 62.6%
Nimzo-Larsen Attack 617 316 281 20 51.2%
Caro-Kann Defense 611 324 266 21 53.0%
Rapid Opening Games Wins Losses Draws Win Rate
Scandinavian Defense 282 147 124 11 52.1%
Sicilian Defense: O'Kelly Variation 137 60 73 4 43.8%
Sicilian Defense: Alapin Variation 127 70 54 3 55.1%
Benoni Defense: Benoni Gambit Accepted 86 50 29 7 58.1%
Caro-Kann Defense 78 39 35 4 50.0%
Sicilian Defense 64 35 27 2 54.7%
Philidor Defense 35 20 14 1 57.1%
Bird Opening: Dutch Variation, Batavo Gambit 31 13 17 1 41.9%
Ruy Lopez: Old Steinitz Defense, Semi-Duras Variation 29 12 15 2 41.4%
Döry Defense 29 14 13 2 48.3%
Bullet Opening Games Wins Losses Draws Win Rate
Scandinavian Defense 332 172 148 12 51.8%
Amazon Attack 66 34 29 3 51.5%
French Defense 61 35 25 1 57.4%
Amar Gambit 59 31 27 1 52.5%
Barnes Defense 49 20 28 1 40.8%
Benoni Defense: Benoni Gambit Accepted 43 23 19 1 53.5%
Czech Defense 42 25 16 1 59.5%
Bird Opening: Dutch Variation, Batavo Gambit 42 25 17 0 59.5%
Modern 32 18 13 1 56.2%
Center Game: Berger Variation 31 20 9 2 64.5%

🔥 Streaks

Streak Longest Current
Winning 28 1
Losing 39 0