Orpheus James (Philidor91)
Some players collect titles. Orpheus James collects games. Under the handle Philidor91, a nod to the 18th century master who declared that pawns are the soul of chess, he has played nearly 9,200 rated battles since 2013. He favors the Rapid time control, but he has turned blitz lobbies into a personal concert hall along the way.
The Long Climb in Blitz
Orpheus started near 1000 in late 2013, reached the mid 1600s by spring 2014, crossed 2000 in 2017, and kept climbing until his blitz rating touched a peak of 2289 (2026-03-30). His blitz ledger is as honest as it is huge: 3,299 wins, 3,672 losses, and just 312 draws. He would rather fight than shake hands.
Rivals of the Ladder
No biography of Philidor91 is complete without naming his trilogy of nemeses: rudolf85, Arqa, and gbgbgfg. He has faced rudolf85 291 times, arqa 225 times, and gbgbgfg 180 times. The scoreboards are one-sided, but Orpheus keeps coming back. Against samza70, he has the last laugh with 20 wins and only 4 losses.
His longest winning streak is 19. His longest losing streak is 34. Most players would retire after either number; Orpheus treats both as character building.
A Rapid Renaissance
If blitz is his workhorse, rapid is his muse. Orpheus has played only 61 rated rapid games, winning 44, losing 15, and drawing 2. That is a 72% win rate and a strength-adjusted win rate of 0.77. In 2024 he shot from under 1000 to above 1700 in a single month, and later reached a rapid peak of 1942 (2025-03-30).
In rapid he shows near perfect form in the Caro-Kann Defense, the Sicilian Defense Alapin Variation, the Giuoco Piano Tarrasch Variation, and the Nimzo-Larsen Attack.
Style and Quirks
Orpheus James is an endgame creature. About 74% of his games reach the endgame, his wins average 74 moves, and his comeback rate is nearly 84%. He rarely gets blown off the board and even more rarely resigns early.
- As Black he is a regular in the Caro-Kann Defense and the Alekhine Defense.
- As White he leans on the Nimzo-Larsen Attack and has played the rare Amar Gambit more than 250 times.
- After losing a piece, he still wins 42% of the time.
- His best results come at 5pm.
He has also trotted out the Blackburne Shilling Gambit, a 19th century bar-room trap played for a shilling a game. His personal record in it is modest, but when the trap works, Black announces itself like this: