Tomas Karlsson: The Blitz Battler Who Never Stops Moving
FIDE Master Tomas Karlsson, better known to the online chess world as tkbecrux, is a player who treats every clock like a personal challenge. With thousands of Blitz games on record, he has built his reputation in the fastest waters of modern chess. Blitz is clearly his home, and his rating has surged to a peak of 2449 (2026-07-06).
From Bullet Chaos to Blitz Mastery
Karlsson's early online years were marked by serious Bullet grinding. By July 2019 he touched a Bullet rating of 2322, but his true comfort zone turned out to be Blitz. The chart below tells the story of a player who kept climbing, with a few dips that only made the rebounds sweeter.
Between 2017 and 2026, Karlsson's Blitz rating gained hundreds of points. He has also shown surprising patience for someone so fast: his longest winning streak is 16 games, and he plays endgames in over 82 percent of his encounters. Do not let the speed fool you; this is a player who thinks while the pieces are still flying.
An Opening Repertoire Built on Solid Foundations
If you want to understand Tomas Karlsson, study his openings. He is a lifelong fan of the French Defense, playing it hundreds of times as Black, and he is equally at home in the Caro-Kann Defense. When he wants more violence, he reaches for the Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation and scores at a 57 percent clip in Blitz with it.
His French Defense knowledge runs deep. The Exchange Variation, the Advance Variation and the Winawer Variation all appear again and again in his online games. He seems happy to outlast opponents in the French, then pounce when the pressure tells.
Rivalries and Old Friends
No biography of tkbecrux would be complete without mentioning Richard Gerbery. Across 21 meetings, this rivalry has been a genuine chess soap opera. Tomas holds the edge with 10 wins, while richomi has taken 7 and the pair have shared 4 draws. The repeated clashes suggest mutual respect, or at least mutual stubbornness.
Playing Style and Quirks
- Comeback artist: Tomas comes back to win from losing positions 86.45 percent of the time, so early advantages against him are never safe.
- Five in the morning specialist: His best hour is 05:00, with a 63.16 win rate. Night owls beware.
- Patient finisher: His decisive games often run 70 moves or more; he rarely rushes the kill.
- Ruthless with checks: Across analyzed games he has delivered 26,109 checks. The queen does a lot of heavy lifting.
- Streak machine: A longest losing streak of 18 shows he can shrug off pain, and a 16 game winning streak shows what happens when things click.
Whether you meet him at a reasonable hour or in the early morning queue, Tomas Karlsson is a dangerous opponent. As a FIDE Master with a deep opening repertoire and an endless appetite for Blitz, tkbecrux will keep playing, keep attacking, and probably keep checking you. Give him an inch and he will take a file.