Profile
Aarnav Dhamija, known online as AarnavD_chess, is a bullet specialist with one of the most relentless online grind schedules you will find. From his first bullet games in late 2023 at 999 rating to a bullet peak of 2327 (2026-07-02) in July 2026, Aarnav has played more than 13,000 rated games across bullet, blitz, rapid, and daily chess. His preferred time control is clearly bullet, where his clock management and willingness to defend difficult positions make him dangerous until the very last second.
Opening Repertoire
Aarnav is a devoted 1.e4 player. As White, he enjoys entering sharp and unusual lines, and as Black he is comfortable in modern, flexible setups. His most played opening is the Czech Defense, followed closely by the Pirc Defense, Scandinavian Defense, Caro-Kann Defense, and French Defense. He also has thousands of games in offbeat lines like the Amar Gambit and Barnes Defense, which shows he values practical, tricky play over memorized theory.
Despite the chaos of his opening choices, his long games tell a different story. Aarnav reaches the endgame in about 77% of his games, averages around 70 moves in wins and 79 in losses, and rarely resigns early. His comeback rate is about 80%, and he still wins 45% of the time after losing a piece. That resilience is a big reason his opponents often lose winning positions.
Fierce Rivalries
With thousands of games comes a cast of recurring rivals. Aarnav has faced Tushar Malviya 295 times and won 263 of those meetings, a record that looks more like a friendly tax than a rivalry. Against nodigoat12, however, the story is much tougher: nodigoat12 leads 165 wins to 132 across 334 games, with 37 draws. Then there is ZephyrWrath, who has won 81 of their 108 meetings and remains Aarnav's most persistent nightmare matchup.
Key Numbers and Habits
Aarnav climbed from 999 bullet in October 2023 to 1500 in May 2024, crossed 2000 in August 2025, and eventually reached 2327 (2026-07-02) in July 2026. His longest winning streak is 33 games, and his current streak sits at 8. He also plays his best chess late at night, with his highest win rate coming around 22:00.
- Longest winning streak: 33 games
- Longest losing streak: 15 games
- Preferred opening move: 1.e4, by a landslide
- Known for: grinding out endgames and winning after tough middlegames