[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":117},["ShallowReactive",2],{"bot-direa":3},{"id":4,"aboutLong":5,"age":6,"botId":7,"country":8,"countryCode":9,"dataHash":10,"dateModified":11,"elo":12,"extension":13,"faq":14,"favoriteQuote":24,"gender":25,"hello":26,"introduction":27,"isTrophy":28,"liveDate":29,"luckyCharm":30,"meta":31,"name":32,"occupation":33,"openingAxes":34,"openingsAnalysis":36,"playstyle":37,"playstyleSummary":41,"ratingHistory":42,"shortName":80,"similar":81,"stem":114,"trophyQuirk":36,"trophyUnlock":36,"whoShouldPlay":115,"__hash__":116},"bots/bots/direa.json","Tomás Ó Direáin is a 70-year-old báinín cable-knit stitch counter from Inis Mór in the Aran Islands of Ireland, who learned the game decades ago from a passing schoolmaster and has played it casually ever since without ever sitting down to study a book. At an estimated 203 Elo he is an absolute beginner over the board, knowing the rules and the basic captures but hanging pieces and missing simple threats every few moves, the way a tired knitter drops a stitch near the end of a long row. He treats chess the way he treats his wool, one careful stitch at a time, counting under his breath and never rushing the pattern. Players who sit down across from him should expect a quiet, unhurried opponent who blunders gently and accepts every loss with a soft remark about frogging the row back.","70","direa","Ireland","ie","efea2596083d7a81f6a8fe205ca15fa3b149cd6d821b1d038a72dcea1dec63f7","2026-07-06",203,"json",[15,18,21],{"question":16,"answer":17},"What rating is Tomás?","Tomás plays at an estimated 203 Elo, which places him in the absolute beginner bracket. He knows how the pieces move and can spot a straightforward capture, but he hangs material and misses obvious threats every few moves.",{"question":19,"answer":20},"What opening does Tomás play?","Tomás has no fixed opening repertoire on file. Having learned the game from a passing schoolmaster and never studied theory, he simply develops his pieces by feel, one quiet move at a time.",{"question":22,"answer":23},"Is Tomás a good first opponent for someone learning chess?","Yes, Tomás is one of the gentler opponents on the site for a true newcomer. At 203 Elo he blunders pieces regularly and never launches sharp attacks, so a learner has room to practice the basics, spot free material, and finish a game without being overwhelmed.","The row gets finished when the row gets finished, sure.","male","Ah, you're welcome at the wall, sure. Sit yourself down now, the needles are warm and the board's set out like a half-knit row. We'll go stitch by stitch, wan, two, three, and see what cable comes of it. Patience now, patience entirely.","Tomás has counted cable stitches on Inis Mór for more than fifty winters, knitting báinín wool sweaters in the old island patterns his grandmother taught him. He sits on the same low stool by the same dry-stone wall every morning, needles clicking quiet as the tide. He learned chess from a passing schoolmaster and plays it the way he knits — one careful stitch at a time, never rushing the row.",false,"2026-05-08T00:00:00.000Z","A worn pale-wood knitting needle that belonged to his grandmother, kept tucked behind his ear when not in his hand.",{},"Tomás Ó Direáin","Aran Islands báinín cable-knit stitch counter",{"solid_sharp":35,"unprepared_theoretical":35},0,null,{"defensive_aggressive":38,"simplifying_complicating":39,"category":40},-0.95,0.95,2,"Tomás plays almost entirely on the back foot, tucking his pieces close together and waiting rather than pushing forward. He keeps tension on the board, rarely offering trades, and lets positions tangle up like loose strands he has not yet decided how to knit in. His lines are neither sharply theoretical nor obviously solid, just the quiet, untutored moves of someone who has never studied an opening in his life.",[43,45,47,49,51,53,55,57,59,61,63,65,68,70,72,74,76,78],{"rating":12,"msSinceEpoch":44},1778336367085,{"rating":12,"msSinceEpoch":46},1778363735950,{"rating":12,"msSinceEpoch":48},1778377365468,{"rating":12,"msSinceEpoch":50},1778377494330,{"rating":12,"msSinceEpoch":52},1778392642358,{"rating":12,"msSinceEpoch":54},1778539346221,{"rating":12,"msSinceEpoch":56},1778756556116,{"rating":12,"msSinceEpoch":58},1778772998223,{"rating":12,"msSinceEpoch":60},1778851564826,{"rating":12,"msSinceEpoch":62},1778852886986,{"rating":12,"msSinceEpoch":64},1778866107147,{"rating":66,"msSinceEpoch":67},202,1778895169413,{"rating":66,"msSinceEpoch":69},1779033233744,{"rating":66,"msSinceEpoch":71},1779048644429,{"rating":66,"msSinceEpoch":73},1779055181167,{"rating":66,"msSinceEpoch":75},1779100175606,{"rating":66,"msSinceEpoch":77},1779158118772,{"rating":66,"msSinceEpoch":79},1779368247066,"Tomás",{"sameStyle":82,"different":99},[83,89,93],{"botId":84,"name":85,"elo":86,"country":87,"countryCode":88,"category":40},"aalto","Saana Aaltola",190,"Finland","fi",{"botId":90,"name":91,"elo":92,"country":8,"countryCode":9,"category":40},"toner","Bronagh Toner",217,{"botId":94,"name":95,"elo":96,"country":97,"countryCode":98,"category":40},"tjaer","Sverre Tjæreberg",176,"Norway","no",[100,107],{"botId":101,"name":102,"elo":103,"country":104,"countryCode":105,"category":106},"brams","Asger Bramsen",200,"Denmark","dk",1,{"botId":108,"name":109,"elo":110,"country":111,"countryCode":112,"category":113},"tassa","Tassadit Mammeri",206,"Algeria","dz",3,"bots/direa","Tomás suits absolute beginners in the 100 to 400 rating band, players still learning how the pieces move together and how to spot a hanging knight. Because he avoids trades, keeps the board cluttered, and rarely attacks, he gives a learner time to look around without being punished for slow thinking. Anyone practicing basic tactics, simple threats, and converting a material advantage will find him a forgiving partner.","W2tnFGStGwPUYxZ_uu91ckdsRflTLRJiaB17YK6oIHo",1784583536689]