Jonathan de Oliveira: The Wizard of Unorthodox Openings
From Rookie to National Master
NM Jonathan de Oliveira, better known online as MithrandirJunior, has been casting chess spells since 2013. The username suits him: like Gandalf, he has spent years turning unexpected ideas into winning magic. He earned the National Master title and has built a reputation as a fearless, tireless competitor.
His marathon career includes nearly 29,000 rated blitz and bullet games, plus a steadily improving rapid game. His peak blitz rating reached 2575 (2026-09-28), his bullet rating touched 2604, and his rapid rating climbed to 2326 (2026-10-06).
Style and Signature Openings
Jonathan is no opening purist. His white repertoire leans on offbeat systems such as the Australian Defense, while as Black he frequently answers 1.e4 with the French Defense or the Philidor Defense. In rapid play, the time control where he seems most at home, he has scored perfect results with the Elephant Gambit, the Four Knights Game, and the delightfully named Dresden Opening: The Goblin.
His stats reveal a practical, fighting style: he reaches the endgame in more than 77% of games, averages about 71 moves per win, and makes his first capture around move 8. His comeback rate is an impressive 85.05%, meaning he rarely goes gentle into that good night.
Rivalries and Grit
No biography is complete without rivals. His most frequent opponent is fbenvenutti, with 193 battles and a clear plus score for Jonathan. On the other side of the ledger, DrawDenied-Twitch has proven a true foil, winning the vast majority of their 136 meetings.
He once won 35 games in a row, then later survived a 26 game losing streak, proof that his mental resilience is as strong as his opening preparation. His tilt factor sits at 26, but his best time of day is 4 a.m., when the rest of the chess world is asleep and MithrandirJunior is busy working his magic.