Avatar of Craig Clawitter

Craig Clawitter NM

Username: NMChessToImpress

Location: Orange County, CA

Playing Since: 2008-05-26 (Active)

Wow Factor: ♟♟♟♟♟♟

Chess.com

Daily: 1961
291W / 68L / 65D
Rapid: 2224
64W / 22L / 13D
Blitz: 2335
14135W / 12079L / 1970D
Bullet: 2055
4197W / 3138L / 328D

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 Chesswick's Profile Photo
Coach Chesswick

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
Rating by Year200720082009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024202523861087YearRatingBulletBlitzRapidDaily

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
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