Avatar of Stephen Whatley
Player Profile

Stephen Whatley CM

stephenajwhatley Since 2021 (Active) Chess.com ♟♟♟♟♟
48.7% W 45.4% L 5.9% D
Bullet
2504
2695W 2396L 304D
Blitz
2511
1326W 1359L 185D
Rapid
2160
24W 22L 4D
Daily
2011
1W 0L 0D

Overview

stephenajwhatley is a Candidate Master (FIDE) and a feared speed chess specialist known for blistering Bullet play. Quick on the clock and quick with a quip, stephenajwhatley combines deep opening preparation with a knack for chaos. Fans call it controlled mayhem. Search engines love short, punchy phrases like "Candidate Master", "Bullet specialist", and "speed chess" so here they are, front and center.

Career Highlights

  • Title: Candidate Master (FIDE)
  • Preferred time control - Bullet specialist with a long history of high-volume play and peak performance: 2562 (2025-06-15)
  • Memorable streaks - longest winning streak 16 games, longest losing streak 11 games, currently on a short 1-game losing streak
  • Heavy activity across online Bullet and Blitz, plus select Rapid events

Playing Style

stephenajwhatley plays like someone who enjoys both tactical fireworks and strangely long endgames. Early resignation rate is modest, endgame frequency is high, and average game lengths often exceed 70 moves - yes, even in Bullet. Strengths include a remarkable comeback rate and a steady win rate after losing material. Weaknesses include occasional tilt - human after all.

  • Style keywords: tactical, resilient, endgame savvy
  • Clock personality: prefers chaos but manages time well
  • Best time of day to play: around 15:00 according to performance trends

Favorite Openings

Openings range from cheeky gambits to solid defenses. A few standouts with strong results:

  • Amar Gambit - an audacious weapon with good win rate Amar Gambit
  • Colle System, Rhamphorhynchus Variation - reliable and flexible
  • Sicilian family - Closed, Alapin and Taimanov lines are all in the toolkit
  • Caro-Kann and Scandinavian - solid counters when playing Black

Notable Opponents and Records

stephenajwhatley has faced several frequent rivals online. A few of the most-played opponents:

  • alrs-sps - most played opponent, strong record: 37 wins, 18 losses, 7 draws. See profile: Lindolfo Luiz Da Silva
  • silversony - 28 wins, 17 losses, 5 draws
  • chess_mathics - a tougher matchup with 13 wins, 31 losses, 2 draws
  • harrymaloney20074 - lopsided success: 35 wins, 2 losses

Stats Snapshot

  • Lifetime Bullet record highlights: many thousands of games, high activity and an adjusted win rate slightly above 50%
  • Blitz and Rapid play show strong peaks too, with notable peak Blitz performance in late 2025
  • Time-of-day wins: very strong between mid-afternoon and early evening

Quick chart of Bullet rating trend:

Bullet Rating243523872338229022412021: 22572022: 22672023: 23502024: 23782025: 23782026: 2419202120222023202420252026

Sample Game

Want a taste of speed chess style? Here is a short illustrative sequence you can replay:

View another memorable battle vs a frequent rival: View Game

Personality & Fun Facts

  • On chat: witty, often apologizes when a tactic works better than expected
  • Preparation depth: often 4-5 moves deep, but ready to improvise
  • Humor alert: calls the Amar Gambit "an invitation to an all-you-can-eat tactical buffet"

How to Follow

For more, check recent opponent pages and trend charts embedded above. Search-friendly tags to use: Candidate Master, speed chess, Bullet expert, openings, and live blitz action.