Craig Clawitter - National Master (NMChessToImpress)
Craig Clawitter, a National Master known online as NMChessToImpress, is the charming blend of dedication, tactical prowess, and a good dash of humor that every chess enthusiast admires. Earning the respected National Master title, Craig’s journey through the checkerboard trenches has been nothing short of impressive.
Rating and Style
From humble beginnings with a Blitz rating around the 1300s in 2010, Craig rocketed to a peak Blitz rating of 2379 by 2025, showcasing relentless improvement and unyielding passion. His Bullet and Rapid ratings have been equally formidable, with Bullet maxing out above 2200 and Rapid reaching highs in the mid-2300s — not bad for a player whose personal motto might be “Blunder bravely, but come back stronger.”
Playing Personality
Known for a strong endgame focus (Craig finds himself in the endgame over 70% of the time) and an impressive average of nearly 63 moves per win, this player certainly enjoys the long strategic battle. Early resignations are rare (just 2.47%), proving he fights for every pawn and every square on the board.
Tactical Wizardry
If anyone’s good at bouncing back, it’s Craig. With a stunning 78% comeback rate and a win rate above 98% after losing a piece, he’s like a chess superhero who finds strength in adversity. Let’s just say, losing a piece to Craig is the first step to losing the game entirely.
Record and Rivalries
Over 15,000 wins in Blitz alone and thousands more in Bullet, Daily, and Rapid formats, Craig has faced opponents aplenty. He keeps a special eye on regulars like bikingbrian and aragorn043, but also shares friendly rivalries with "thedoubleh" and "ingrobwetrust".
Chess Highlights
- Longest winning streak: 22 games (the chess gods must have been watching)
- Consistent performer in Blitz and Bullet, with win rates close to 52% and 56% respectively
- Loves openings classified as "Top Secret" — because every great player keeps some moves under wraps!
- Generally better with White pieces (55.7% win rate) but holds his own well with Black (51.34%).
Fun Facts
Craig’s sweet spot for playing seems to be around 10 A.M., boasting a win rate soaring over 70% — early risers get the queen! Fridays are his luckiest day, with nearly 60% wins. Even at an hour as late as 11 P.M., Craig holds a respectable win rate above 56%. A true chess night owl!
His psychological resilience is notable, with a low tilt factor of 16 — clearly, Craig doesn’t let a bad move send him spiraling (unless he’s secretly plotting his revenge in the next game!).
Legacy
Whether online or offline, in rapid skirmishes or marathon endgames, Craig Clawitter’s name stands as a testament to perseverance, strategy, and the joy of the game. If you ever face him, prepare for a battle marked by tactical depth, strategic endgames, and possibly some witty banter. After all, magic on the board should come with a smile off it.
Coach's Feedback for Craig Clawitter
Craig, you've demonstrated solid play recently with several well-executed victories, showing strong understanding of opening principles and attacking ideas. Your aggressive pawn pushes on the kingside, especially in Sicilian structures, created effective pressure and helped you convert advantages confidently.
Strengths:
- Opening Preparation: Your choice of openings like the Sicilian Scheveningen and Classical Petroff suggests a good repertoire that suits your aggressive style. You successfully established strong central control and good piece coordination out of the opening.
- Active Piece Play: You consistently develop pieces to optimal squares and launch coordinated attacks, particularly visible in games where you played strong attacks on the kingside with advances like g4/g5 and h4/h5/h6.
- Tactical Awareness: Your victories often involve tactical strikes that pressure opponents to resign, showing your ability to calculate combinations and spot winning opportunities.
Areas to Improve:
- Endgame Technique: While you handle middlegames well, some losses show that converting or defending in endgames could be improved. Consider studying fundamental endgames to strengthen your technique and avoid slipping in winning or equal positions.
- Defensive Accuracy: In a few recent losses, inaccuracies in defense or underestimating opponent threats led to compromised positions. Focus on maintaining solid defensive posture and carefully evaluating opponent counterplay.
- Time Management: You generally manage your clock well, but some critical moments show time pressure affecting move quality. Practicing faster calculation under time constraints might help improve your decision quality in tight spots.
Suggestions for Next Steps:
- Review your recent losses and identify key turning points where defense faltered or endgame prospects were missed.
- Study endgame principles such as king activity, pawn promotion strategies, and basic rook endgames to boost your confidence in late stages.
- Practice tactics regularly to sharpen your calculation speed and accuracy, especially under time limits.
- Revisit your opening lines and consider expanding your repertoire to include solid alternative plans to adapt against different opponents.
Keep up the great work! Your fighting spirit and tactical intuition are significant assets. By strengthening your defense and endgame awareness, you'll see even better results climb.
🆚 Opponent Insights
| Recent Opponents | ||
|---|---|---|
| sirius_black29 | 1W / 0L / 0D | View |
| evgeny73 | 2W / 2L / 1D | View |
| bidondu67 | 0W / 1L / 0D | View |
| jossosx | 0W / 2L / 0D | View |
| gmh2025 | 3W / 0L / 0D | View |
| victoriagalle | 0W / 0L / 1D | View |
| slawomir_kurpiewski | 2W / 3L / 1D | View |
| rekin87 | 0W / 1L / 0D | View |
| kulik2007 | 0W / 1L / 0D | View |
| matvii_b | 0W / 1L / 0D | View |
| Most Played Opponents | ||
|---|---|---|
| BikingBrian | 61W / 83L / 3D | View Games |
| aragorn043 | 139W / 3L / 2D | View Games |
| dead_dinosaur | 44W / 27L / 33D | View Games |
| bryanshapiro | 51W / 19L / 7D | View Games |
| juniorcheesewiz | 75W / 1L / 0D | View Games |
Rating
| Year | Bullet | Blitz | Rapid | Daily |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2055 | 2272 | 2224 | 1961 |
| 2024 | 2102 | 2269 | 1944 | 1978 |
| 2023 | 2125 | 2205 | 2224 | 1982 |
| 2022 | 2122 | 2191 | 2340 | 2015 |
| 2021 | 2096 | 2233 | 2338 | 2139 |
| 2020 | 2119 | 2148 | 2386 | 2164 |
| 2019 | 1778 | 2107 | 1847 | 2084 |
| 2018 | 1890 | 2243 | 1875 | 2030 |
| 2017 | 2055 | 2108 | 1903 | 2181 |
| 2016 | 1974 | 2051 | 1971 | 1825 |
| 2015 | 1914 | 1974 | 1918 | 2175 |
| 2014 | 1991 | 1933 | 2090 | |
| 2013 | 1979 | 1953 | 1388 | 2229 |
| 2012 | 1899 | 1952 | 1257 | 2232 |
| 2011 | 1628 | |||
| 2010 | 1326 | 1619 | ||
| 2009 | 1619 | |||
| 2008 | 1356 | |||
| 2007 | 1087 |
Stats by Year
| Year | White | Black | Moves |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 787W / 610L / 104D | 664W / 702L / 111D | 75.4 |
| 2024 | 1167W / 847L / 152D | 1074W / 915L / 162D | 73.6 |
| 2023 | 1415W / 1014L / 145D | 1355W / 1014L / 176D | 70.4 |
| 2022 | 1295W / 902L / 169D | 1185W / 945L / 185D | 70.9 |
| 2021 | 856W / 645L / 124D | 736W / 683L / 117D | 66.6 |
| 2020 | 1051W / 660L / 142D | 868W / 733L / 192D | 63.9 |
| 2019 | 221W / 150L / 20D | 191W / 159L / 31D | 66.6 |
| 2018 | 595W / 361L / 53D | 532W / 425L / 71D | 68.6 |
| 2017 | 649W / 454L / 66D | 579W / 535L / 82D | 70.5 |
| 2016 | 871W / 648L / 72D | 824W / 661L / 109D | 70.5 |
| 2015 | 624W / 429L / 55D | 579W / 466L / 70D | 70.7 |
| 2014 | 458W / 307L / 32D | 426W / 322L / 35D | 69.3 |
| 2013 | 734W / 455L / 57D | 687W / 477L / 78D | 69.3 |
| 2012 | 442W / 223L / 32D | 423W / 249L / 36D | 69.5 |
| 2011 | 1W / 0L / 0D | 0W / 1L / 0D | 6.0 |
| 2010 | 1W / 1L / 0D | 1W / 0L / 0D | 29.7 |
| 2009 | 12W / 1L / 1D | 3W / 4L / 1D | 42.2 |
| 2008 | 1W / 0L / 0D | 3W / 1L / 0D | 9.2 |
| 2007 | 0W / 0L / 0D | 1W / 0L / 0D | 90.0 |
Openings: Most Played
| Blitz Opening | Games | Wins | Losses | Draws | Win Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| French Defense: Advance Variation | 2137 | 1130 | 880 | 127 | 52.9% |
| Caro-Kann Defense | 1536 | 896 | 552 | 88 | 58.3% |
| French Defense | 1521 | 798 | 603 | 120 | 52.5% |
| Scandinavian Defense | 1326 | 718 | 506 | 102 | 54.1% |
| French Defense: Exchange Variation | 1174 | 648 | 421 | 105 | 55.2% |
| French Defense: Guimard Variation, Thunderbunny Variation | 790 | 373 | 359 | 58 | 47.2% |
| Czech Defense | 788 | 477 | 266 | 45 | 60.5% |
| Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation | 750 | 357 | 347 | 46 | 47.6% |
| Döry Defense | 618 | 268 | 293 | 57 | 43.4% |
| Sicilian Defense: Dragon Variation, Yugoslav Attack | 555 | 265 | 252 | 38 | 47.8% |
| Bullet Opening | Games | Wins | Losses | Draws | Win Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| French Defense | 515 | 303 | 186 | 26 | 58.8% |
| Scandinavian Defense | 461 | 266 | 169 | 26 | 57.7% |
| Caro-Kann Defense | 338 | 190 | 132 | 16 | 56.2% |
| French Defense: Advance Variation | 337 | 193 | 138 | 6 | 57.3% |
| Amazon Attack | 331 | 198 | 121 | 12 | 59.8% |
| French Defense: Exchange Variation | 317 | 180 | 121 | 16 | 56.8% |
| Amar Gambit | 281 | 151 | 117 | 13 | 53.7% |
| Czech Defense | 263 | 156 | 94 | 13 | 59.3% |
| Modern | 257 | 149 | 101 | 7 | 58.0% |
| Barnes Defense | 256 | 154 | 90 | 12 | 60.2% |
| Daily Opening | Games | Wins | Losses | Draws | Win Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| French Defense: Advance Variation | 39 | 33 | 5 | 1 | 84.6% |
| French Defense | 24 | 21 | 2 | 1 | 87.5% |
| Amazon Attack | 24 | 17 | 4 | 3 | 70.8% |
| Scotch Game | 17 | 16 | 0 | 1 | 94.1% |
| French Defense: MacCutcheon Variation, Wolf Gambit | 17 | 16 | 1 | 0 | 94.1% |
| French Defense: Winawer Variation, Advance Variation | 16 | 9 | 4 | 3 | 56.2% |
| Scandinavian Defense | 14 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 85.7% |
| Caro-Kann Defense | 14 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 92.9% |
| Döry Defense | 13 | 8 | 3 | 2 | 61.5% |
| Australian Defense | 13 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 61.5% |
| Rapid Opening | Games | Wins | Losses | Draws | Win Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| French Defense | 65 | 31 | 17 | 17 | 47.7% |
| Scandinavian Defense | 37 | 17 | 10 | 10 | 46.0% |
| Amar Gambit | 36 | 28 | 5 | 3 | 77.8% |
| Barnes Opening: Walkerling | 35 | 18 | 12 | 5 | 51.4% |
| Barnes Defense | 30 | 22 | 7 | 1 | 73.3% |
| French Defense: Advance Variation | 28 | 18 | 6 | 4 | 64.3% |
| Elephant Gambit | 21 | 16 | 4 | 1 | 76.2% |
| Blackburne Shilling Gambit | 15 | 13 | 0 | 2 | 86.7% |
| Nimzo-Larsen Attack | 15 | 14 | 0 | 1 | 93.3% |
| Amazon Attack | 13 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 53.9% |
🔥 Streaks
| Streak | Longest | Current |
|---|---|---|
| Winning | 22 | 1 |
| Losing | 16 | 0 |