B·A·F·Z

The Assassin

Fast, aggressive, and ice-cold — you finish games and don't look back.

Blitzer · Attacker · Fighter · Zen

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Movement I

How the Assassin wins

Speed

Blitzer

Half or more of your games are fast chess — bullet counting double against blitz.

You win on the clock's terms. Pattern recognition and a quick hand, sharpened by volume — you see the shape of a position before slower players finish counting the pawns.

Win condition

Attacker

Your wins come on the board — by checkmate, or a position so lost the opponent resigns.

You force the issue. Threats the opponent has to answer, attacks that end arguments — your wins are decisive because you made them decisive.

Bloodlust

Fighter

Fewer than one game in ten ends in a draw.

Every game gets a result. You play level positions for the win, keep the tension when others would trade down, and take your chances.

Nerve

Zen

Your win rate after a loss holds within a few points of your win rate after a win.

Every game gets played on its own merits. Losses don't compound, so long sessions are safe for you — the tenth game gets the same player as the first.

Movement II

How to beat them

For the player across the board. Four laws — one per letter, each aimed at what the Assassin's record actually measures.

1
Refuse the race. vs Blitzer
Their record is built on speed — any position decided by hand-speed is theirs before it starts. Steer for concrete problems that must be calculated, not recognized.
2
Survive the storm, then send the bill. vs Attacker
Mate-or-resign is their entire win column. Defend precisely, decline complications you don't need — an attack survived is material banked, and the quiet endgame owes them nothing.
3
Let them overpress. vs Fighter
Under one game in ten ends level — they'd rather play a worse position than split the point. Hold steady, stay sound, and collect when the winning attempt overreaches.
4
Bring chess, not psychology. vs Zen
Their next game doesn't care about their last one — that's what this letter means. Mind games are a wasted tempo here; win it on the other three letters.

Movement III

How to not get beaten

For the Assassin themselves. Every pole has a price — these are the characteristic risks of the style; your own report shows which ones you're actually paying for.

1
Never rehearse a mistake at speed. Blitzer
At bullet pace a recurring error isn't examined — it's drilled, hundreds of times. Review the fast games slowly, or the same trap keeps cashing you out.
2
Always carry a plan B. Attacker
The attack that doesn't land never refunds its cost. Before you commit, know which endgame you can stand if the storm blows over.
3
Bank the half point when the position says so. Fighter
Never settling turns savable halves into zeros. A draw in a worse position is rating defended, not pride lost.
4
Don't guard this door — it holds. Zen
Your win rate after a loss already holds within a few points. If rating is escaping, it's through your other three letters.