Meet Rafael Leite
Rafael Leite, known online as rafaelvleite, is a streamer and relentless competitor whose chess story is one of steady climbs and spectacular comebacks. His favorite battleground is Daily chess, where he has posted 70 wins against just 20 losses. Across his career he has grown from a promising 1800 player into a seasoned expert with a 2458 (2026-07-30) peak of 2458 in Rapid and a 2389 (2025-01-26) peak of 2389 in Blitz.
The Long Climb
Rafael's trajectory is visible in the chart below: an unrelenting upward trend across his favorite time controls.
He crossed the 2000 barrier in Blitz during 2018, briefly dipped in 2020 like many online warriors, then powered through 2200 in 2022 and reached his 2389 Blitz peak in January 2025. His Rapid rating tells an even better story, soaring past 2400 for the first time in late 2025 before touching a personal best of 2458 (2026-07-30) in July 2026. His Daily rating also reached a new high of 2346 (2026-04-21) in 2026, proving that slow chess suits his patient style.
Signature Openings and Fighting Style
If you face Rafael, expect 1.e4. As White he loves to take on the French Defense and the Caro-Kann Defense, while enjoying strong results against the Scandinavian Defense. As Black he is a loyal soldier of the Alekhine Defense, with over 1600 Blitz games and a 52.74 percent win rate, and he frequently answers 1.e4 with the Petrov's Defense.
Rafael is a true endgame fighter. His games reach the endgame 78.21 percent of the time, and his average decisive battles run around 78 moves. His comeback rate of 86.58 percent and an early resignation rate below one percent show a player who never stops believing, even after losing material.
Rivalries
No profile of Rafael is complete without his famous online rivalries:
- Against manoelmendes he has played 55 games with a nearly even 27 to 24 score.
- Against jerry_attrich he holds a dominant 32 wins to 12 losses.
- Every hero has a kryptonite, and Andre Diamant fits that role, winning 27 of 30 encounters against Rafael.
His longest winning streak is 19 games, and even a 10 game losing streak could not keep him down for long.
The Streamer
As a streamer, Rafael brings the same fighting spirit to his broadcasts. His best hours come at 17:00, when his win rate climbs to 54 percent. With a tilt factor of 10, he wears his emotions on his sleeve, but his record of winning 48.6 percent of games after losing a piece proves that he converts pain into patience. Watch him in Daily games and you will see a player who grinds, defends, and attacks with equal joy.