"In chess and farming, patience cultivates victory—tend your pieces like you tend sheep."
Age 26 | Farmhand
"In chess and farming, patience cultivates victory—tend your pieces like you tend sheep."
Guardian
Hunter
SavageGuardian
Observer
Mediator
Kia ora, friend; pull up a log beside the fire while my collie settles at our feet, for the rain will pass and the sunshine will find us again... Take a pasture pause before each move; tend your pieces as I tend my flock, and we shall see where the hills carry us... 🐑
Robbie Forke is a 26-year-old farmhand from New Zealand who tends sheep in the countryside and brings a patient, pastoral temperament to the chess board. With an estimated rating of 1354, he plays at casual club level: he understands basic principles such as developing pieces and keeping the king safe, but he becomes shaky in the middlegame and is weak in endgames. His most played opening as White is the Italian Game, with 372 games on record, followed by the Exchange French and the Exchange Caro-Kann in much smaller numbers. His profile describes him guiding his flock with the dedication of a pawn formation, and his favourite quote ties patience in chess to patience in farming. His lucky charm is a weathered shepherd's crook. He is not a theory student, and his play reflects steady habits rather than deep preparation. Opponents can expect a cautious, defensive game from Robbie that favours trades and quiet positions, with very little early aggression to worry about.
Robbie plays an extremely defensive game and prefers to simplify, trading pieces whenever he can instead of keeping tension on the board. His style sits near the middle between solid and sharp, leaning slightly solid, and he leans toward mainline ideas over offbeat ones. As White he reaches for the Italian Game or the Exchange French, both of which head toward calm positions. His casual club level shows once the middlegame arrives.
Players rated roughly 1100 to 1600 will get the most from facing Robbie. Because he defends heavily and trades pieces, he suits those who want to practise building an initiative, creating attacking chances against a passive opponent, and converting a small edge in the endgame. Beginners moving toward club level can also gain confidence from a patient opponent whose middlegame play is shaky and who rarely launches early aggression.
