Thomas Murphy (totofish11): The Fish With a 28-Game Winning Streak
Who Is totofish11?
Thomas Murphy, known to the chess world as totofish11, is a player who has built a reputation on patience, resilience, and an almost suspicious love for long endgames. While he can handle fast time controls, his preferred time control is Daily chess, where he can take a deep breath, sip some coffee, and slowly outmaneuver opponents. The fish has teeth, and he is not afraid to use them.
A Blitz Journey Worth Following
Thomas entered the online rating arena in 2015 and quickly climbed past the 2000 mark in Blitz. He spent the next decade trading blows with thousands of opponents, crossing the 2300 barrier in late 2019 and eventually touching a career best of 2509 (2026-01-17) in January 2026. Along the way he has played more than 43,000 rated games and collected nearly 23,000 wins. That is a lot of chess, and a lot of opponents who probably wished he had picked a different hobby.
Opening Repertoire
With the white pieces, Thomas is a loyal citizen of the English Opening. He loves the slow build, the flexible pawn structures, and the quiet way it drives aggressive opponents crazy. His Daily results in the English Opening are remarkable, with win rates that regularly climb above 80% and occasionally flirt with 90% in lines like the King's English Variation.
As Black, he leans on the Caro-Kann Defense, a rock-solid shield that he has played more than 3,000 times in Blitz alone. It suits his style perfectly: survive the early storm, reach a playable endgame, and let the opponent make the first mistake. He also shows up with the Sicilian Defense from time to time when he wants to prove that a fish can be dangerous in open waters.
The Rivalry That Will Not End
Every player has a nemesis. For Thomas, that nemesis is Joe French, an opponent who has faced him 205 times. Thomas holds a narrow but real edge with 102 wins against 83 losses and 20 draws. This is the kind of rivalry that makes online chess feel like a local derby, and it probably will not end until one of them finally resigns for good.
Career Snapshot
- Longest winning streak: 28 games
- Comeback rate: 84% when things go wrong
- Endgame frequency: 86% of his games reach the endgame
- Win rate after losing a piece: 51%, because giving up material is not the end of the world
- Best time to play: 8 a.m., when the morning fish is especially dangerous
- Strength adjusted Daily win rate: nearly 60%
- Peak Blitz rating: 2509 (2026-01-17)
- Peak Rapid rating: 2356 (2024-07-28)
- Peak Daily rating: 2255 (2026-02-22)
- Peak Bullet rating: 2265 (2026-06-28)
The Bottom Line
Thomas Murphy is proof that patience is a superpower. He wins long games, wins late games, and wins games where he has no business winning. Whether he is grinding out a Caro-Kann endgame or calmly steering an English Opening into deep waters, totofish11 makes every opponent work for every single point. If you see him in your Daily chess queue, bring coffee. You will be there for a while.