Kevin Su: The Bullet Chess Marathoner
Kevin Su, known on the chessboard as PapaJohns, is a National Master who thrives on speed. Although his profile lists Blitz as his preferred time control, his bullet rating tells the real story. He peaked at 3164 (2026-01-11) in bullet in January 2026 and pushed his blitz game to 2659 (2026-09-02) by September 2026. With thousands of bullet games logged in a single year, Su is one of the most active speed chess competitors on the platform.
An Unconventional Opening Repertoire
Su is not afraid to leave theory behind. His most frequent weapon as White is the Amar Gambit, which he has played more than 2,300 times in bullet, winning nearly 58% of those games. As Black, he leans on the reliable Caro-Kann Defense, with 764 bullet games and a 53% win rate. When he wants a more positional fight, he opens with the Colle System, favoring an early e3 in thousands of games.
Rivalries That Define an Era
No biography of PapaJohns would be complete without his legendary online rivalries. He has faced Kent Slate 614 times, a rivalry that has mostly gone his opponent's way. Against joshuagarry, however, he holds a commanding 256 to 169 edge in 451 meetings. And Ismayil Gurbanov has proven a tough customer, winning 256 of their 411 encounters.
Mental Toughness and Playing Style
Su's longest winning streak is 40 games, but his 27 game losing streak shows he is willing to take risks. His comeback rate is a remarkable 77.92%, and he still wins 49.3% of games after losing a piece. His best time of day is noon, when his win rate jumps to 73.33%. He plays a grinding, endgame heavy style, with endgames appearing in 83.9% of his games and an average of about 75 moves per win. His favorite checking piece is the rook, which he uses more than any other piece on the board.