Ioannis Ntounias: The Rook Special Agent
Profile
Ioannis Ntounias, better known online as RookSpecialAgent, is a prolific Greek chess player who treats the fast lanes of online chess like a second home. His preferred time control is Blitz, and his journey from the 1300s in 2018 to 2800+ play in 2026 is powered by volume, resilience, and a clear love for the clock. One curious detail from his data: his best time of day is 04:00, which suggests he operates best when the rest of the server is asleep.
Playing Style
Ntounias plays a deeply patient yet aggressive game. He almost never resigns early, is comfortable in long endgames, and has an uncanny ability to turn lost positions into points. Opponents who relax after winning material often regret it.
- Comeback rate close to 85%.
- Still wins more than half of his games after losing a piece.
- Endgame frequency around 76%, with decisive games averaging nearly 80 moves.
- White win rate of 55.6% and Black win rate of 51.5%.
Repertoire
RookSpecialAgent favors open, tactical lines and is not afraid to step outside theory. As White, the Scotch Game is one of his most effective weapons, with a Blitz win rate above 70%. He also regularly reaches for the Blackburne Shilling Gambit, an early tactical trick that explains his love for chaos. With Black he handles the Sicilian Defense confidently, while his bullet games include hundreds of Caro-Kann Defense and Amar Gambit battles.
Rivalries
Few online players build rivalries as deep as Ntounias has. Against piravlitos he has played 330 games and leads 218-81-31. His rivalry with Anastasios Pavlidis is more balanced, with 126 wins against 118 losses over 279 games. These repeated battles are proof that he is a fixture of the competitive online chess scene.
Milestones
Starting around 1400 in 2018, Ntounias crossed the 2000 mark by 2022 and has continued climbing ever since. His peak Bullet rating reached 2955 (2026-08-13), while his best Blitz rating is 2823 (2026-09-08). A 21 game winning streak shows his destructive ceiling, and a 17 game losing streak shows the unpredictable nature of his aggressive approach. The long arc, however, is unmistakable.