Rafael Carranza — rafa-el-carra

Rafael Carranza (username: rafa-el-carra) is a fast‑ticking, bullet‑first chess player and practical tactician known for crushing — or being crushed by — the clock. A true Bullet specialist with thousands of games online, he blends sharp opening preparation with a fondness for chaos and cheeky traps.

Preferred time control: Bullet (high volume, high drama). Peak ratings: 2173 (2025-09-28), 2246 (2024-11-03), 2117 (2022-09-12), 2052 (2024-09-20). For a quick visual of rating trends:

Career highlights & quick facts

Massive Bullet experience — roughly 3,400+ Bullet games (wins, losses and a few peaceful draws).
Strong Blitz performer with multiple months above 2200; heavy peaks in 2024–2026 in faster time controls.
Known for short, decisive games and an average decisive length around the mid‑60s moves — fights until the end.
Favorite hour to terrorize opponents: afternoons (best time ~14:00). Best day: Wednesday (win rate ~61%).

Playing style & strengths

Rafa prefers sharp, practical play. He often steers games into open lines where tactical awareness and speed shine. Notable style metrics:

High endgame frequency — Rafa plays long enough to see the horses dance (EndgameFrequency ~79%).
Excellent comeback skill (ComebackRate ~79%). When slightly worse, he’s dangerous — half the time he turns a material deficit into a win.
Average first capture around move 7 — likes to trade early and create dynamic imbalances.

Favorite openings & success spots

Rafael mixes classical ideas with offbeat lines. He’s especially comfortable in sharp, asymmetrical systems — both as White and Black.

As White: Queen's Pawn Game variants (Torre Attack), Dresden Opening (The Goblin) — strong win rates when he steers the game into familiar plans.
As Black: Sicilian Defense: Closed, French Defense (various lines) and Scandinavian — all staples in his Bullet toolkit. See the glossary: Sicilian Defense: Closed and French Defense.
Notable opening stats: consistently high win rates vs certain lines (e.g., strong results with French Exchange / Advance in many fast games).

Streaks, psychological trends & resilience

Longest winning streak: 22 games — a ruthless run of form where everything clicked.
Longest losing streak: 11 — even the best have bad runs; Rafa bounces back with stubborn comebacks.
Current losing streak (as of last update): 1 — one loss won’t stop the blitz party.
Tilt factor ~11 — he knows when to take a break, but sometimes the mouse slips!

Notable opponents & head‑to‑heads

Rafa has several familiar rivalries. He’s faced users repeatedly and keeps tidy records against many:

bkanchess — 6 games (Rafa leads 5–1). See profile: bkanchess.
greg_chess1, isengah23, dikembe1 — multiple encounters (each 7 games) with mixed results.
Altumvidetur — 5‑0 in Rafa’s favor; a small rivalry that went very well for Rafa.

For a sample fight from his recent playbook, view: Sample Game vs bkanchess.

Sample position / mini lesson

Study a short tactical skirmish from Rafa’s opening play:

Quick PGN (playable in the viewer):

Tip: Rafa often converts small opening edges into chaos; if you see him castle long or push pawns on the kingside quickly, prepare for fireworks.

Volume, time control and where to find him

Rafa is busiest in Bullet and Blitz — massive monthly game counts in 2022–2024 and several high‑volume months in 2025. If you want speed chess practice, find him online around afternoons and evenings (peak activity and win rates vary by hour, but 14:00 stands out).

Sample stats snapshot: thousands of Bullet games with a long history of peaks and recoveries — see rating chart above for trends:

Fun facts & parting notes

Rafa’s most common checking piece: Queen — expect dramatic queen checks before the endgame handshake.
He loves gambits and oddball openings nearly as much as he loves winning on time.
Placeholder glossary: Dresden Opening: The Goblin, French Defense: Exchange Variation.

Follow Rafael Carranza (rafa-el-carra) for a rollercoaster of speed chess — equal parts creativity, blunders, and brilliant recoveries. Want more specific stats or a deep dive into his Sicilian Closed games? Ask and I’ll pull a targeted summary.