Raul N (raul3): The Blitz Marathoner Who Made the French Defense His Home
Known on the clock as raul3, Raul N has spent more than a decade turning blitz chess into an endurance sport. Since August 2014, he has piled up more than 132,000 rated games, with the French Defense as his closest companion. He rarely resigns, he keeps fighting after losing pieces, and he has built one of the most recognizable grinder profiles in the arena.
A Love Affair With the French Defense
No opening defines Raul better than the French Defense. As Black he has faced it more than 8,500 times in blitz, and he has walked through the French Defense: Exchange Variation in over 7,500 games. His results hover near 50 percent, which at his massive volume is a monument to consistency. As White, he is just as happy to battle the Scandinavian Defense or step into sharp King's Gambit territory, especially the King's Gambit Declined with 3.Bc4. The board rarely stays quiet when raul3 is playing.
Marathon Man of the Blitz Board
Raul's style is not built on quick knockouts. His average decisive game runs around 70 moves, and an extraordinary 74 percent of his games reach the endgame. His longest winning streak hit 22 games, while his longest losing streak was a painful 17, and even then he kept coming back. His comeback rate is an impressive 85.99 percent, and he wins more than 44 percent of games even after losing a piece. Against lower rated opposition his win rate jumps to 66.49 percent, while he still grinds out wins against stronger players more than 30 percent of the time.
His blitz rating climbed steadily from the 1700s in 2014 to a peak of in the summer of 2026. Along the way he pushed past 1800 in bullet and reached in rapid chess. He plays his best chess in the morning, with his highest win rate coming at 09:00, and his strongest days are Wednesday and Thursday.
Rivals and Repeat Battles
Volume has produced genuine rivalries. No one has faced raul3 more than josemiguel645, who has played him 308 times, with Raul narrowly trailing 135 wins to 151 losses alongside 22 draws. A small army of familiar opponents has helped shape his career:
- hyttegaarden: 132 meetings
- poorboynj: 113 meetings
- series11: 109 meetings
- ibogus: 105 meetings
- tamaramakharadze: 100 meetings
These long running series give his profile the flavor of a local chess club that never closes.
A Preferred Time Control Mystery
Raul's profile lists Daily chess as his preferred time control, which is charming and slightly confusing. His Daily career consists of exactly four games, two wins and two losses, all played in 2015. Perhaps he simply appreciates the idea of unlimited thinking time, even when his instincts drag him back to the blitz clock for another thousand games a month.