Andrew Horton, “SmoothAsAHedgehog”
Andrew Horton is an International Master known online as SmoothAsAHedgehog, a username that sounds gentle right up until the pawns start disappearing. With a clear preference for Bullet chess, Horton has built a formidable online presence through speed, tactical awareness, and a willingness to make the clock feel like a second opponent.
Fast Chess, Serious Results
Horton’s record includes more than 9,900 Bullet games, with 5,481 wins and 727 draws. The data also records a peak Bullet performance of 2,882, while his Blitz peak reached 2,835. These numbers tell the story of a player equally comfortable calculating positions and making those calculations before the opponent has finished blinking.
His longest winning streak reached 24 games, and his current streak stands at six. Even after losing material, Horton has won more than half of the games in which he went down a piece, suggesting that “down a bishop” is often treated as a temporary inconvenience rather than a conclusion.
Opening Repertoire
Horton’s opening choices are broad but reveal a fondness for flexible, unusual setups. The Nimzo-Larsen Attack is one of his most frequently played Bullet openings, while the English Opening appears repeatedly across his Blitz and Bullet games. He also handles the Caro-Kann Defense regularly, blending sound structure with enough practical complications to keep a fast game lively.
Playing Style
- Strong preference for Bullet and Blitz chess
- Frequent use of flexible flank openings
- High comeback rate of 86.32%
- Rooks are his most common checking pieces
- More likely to fight on than resign early
Whether the position is strategically elegant or held together with tactical duct tape, Andrew Horton keeps asking difficult questions at high speed. That combination of resilience, variety, and clock control makes SmoothAsAHedgehog a memorable International Master profile in online chess.