Overview
Stephen Jessel, often found online as Stephenzinho, is a FIDE Master and a Blitz specialist who plays like a caffeine-fueled tactician. They favor sharp, unorthodox lines and keep opponents on their toes with a mix of Amar Gambit tricks and English Opening subtlety. Preferred time control - Blitz. This profile highlights Stephen's style, openings, and quirky stats for fans and search engines alike.
- Title: FIDE Master
- Username: Stephenzinho
- Preferred time control: Blitz
- Overall blitz record snapshot: 629 wins, 600 losses, 100 draws
Playing Style
Stephen plays long, complicated games and relishes tactical chaos. They do not give up easily and are notorious for staging comebacks.
- Comeback rate: very high - 81.56 percent
- Win after losing a piece: about 45 percent
- Endgame frequency: high - 87.7 percent of games reach late phases
- Avg moves per win: roughly 82 moves
- Early resignation rate: moderate - 31 percent
- Psychology: Tilt factor 9, best time of day to play around 07:00
Openings and Preferences
Stephenzinho mixes daring gambits with solid English Opening systems. As White they experiment a lot. As Black they answer with resilient, sometimes eccentric defenses.
- Top Blitz openings: Amar Gambit (many games), French Defense, Barnes Defense, Australian Defense
- Best winrates in Blitz: English Opening - Anglo-Indian Defense and Colle System - Rhamphorhynchus Variation show strong results
- Rapid favorites: English Anglo-Indian and Australian Defense perform well in longer time controls
- White choices often begin with Nf3, g3 or b3 rather than the obvious e4
Career Highlights
Stephen climbed steadily through the Blitz ranks with standout peaks and series of heavy activity. Their competitive instincts are strongest in fast time controls.
- Peak Blitz performance: 2754 (2026-03-03) - recent high performance on fast time controls
- Peak Rapid performance: 2470 (2020-08-08)
- Notable streaks: longest winning streak 10 games, longest losing streak 9 games
- Strength adjusted win rates: Blitz around 51.5 percent, Rapid about 52.6 percent
Notable Opponents and Records
Stephen has faced a number of frequent opponents in the online arena. Records are close in many rivalries, which makes for entertaining rematches.
- Most played opponents include Eric Kurtz, Joseph Levine, Andreas Skotheim
- Sample head to head: vs ekurtz - 10 wins, 9 losses, 1 draw
- Favored match times: strong sessions on Saturday and in the evening hours like 17:00 and 19:00
Fun Facts & Quirks
A little personality to humanize the stats. Stephen is equal parts strategist and showman.
- Plays long games and loves endgames - expect 80 plus moves often
- Prefers unusual first moves like Nf3, g3 and b3 to steer games into original territory
- Has a habit of winning after material loss more often than most players
- Best hour by win rate: 07:00 with an eye-popping 77 percent in limited samples
Interactive & Placeholder Items
Explore Stephen's trajectory and a sample game. These placeholders are ready for a viewer that expands them into charts and boards.
- Rating chart (Blitz):
- Peak rating quick stat: 2754 (2026-03-03), 2470 (2020-08-08)
- Sample game to study: Epic Blitz
- Short illustrative mini game (playable if viewer supports PGN):
How to Follow
Want to track Stephenzinho? Watch their Blitz events, study the Amar Gambit and English Opening lines, and enjoy the roller coaster of tactics and long endgames. For quick study, start with the Anglo-Indian and the Colle variations where they score very well.
- Study openings: Amar Gambit and English Opening: Anglo-Indian Defense
- Watch for late comebacks and deep endgames