Michał Kopczyński (aka Actuary44)
Title: Candidate Master (FIDE)
Meet Michał Kopczyński, also known in the digital battlegrounds as Actuary44 – a formidable Candidate Master with a blitz rating that can more than intimidate your morning coffee. Michał started his competitive blitz journey back in 2011, boldly entering the fray at a modest 1449 rating. Fast forward to 2025, and his peak blitz rating has soared past 2600, firmly placing him among the elite speed chess contenders.
Career Highlights & Playing Style
Throughout his career, Michał has engaged in nearly a thousand blitz games, favoring a myriad of openings but often keeping opponents guessing with "Unknown Opening" strategies – a cloak-and-dagger approach if there ever was one, boasting a win rate close to 46% in blitz. When he’s not experimenting with stealthy openings, the Sicilian Defense Smith Morra Gambit Declined Alapin Formation gives him a perfect 100% win rate in his limited encounters – talk about having a secret weapon!
A player with a sharp tactical awareness, Michał’s known to have a comeback rate nearing 90%, meaning he rarely folds under pressure. Even after losing a piece, he manages to win nearly 45% of the time, proving resilience sharper than a knight’s fork.
Statistics That Tell a Story
- Total Blitz Games: Over 1100 games with a near-even split between wins and losses, peppered by inspiring draws.
- Bullet Rating Peak: Reached an impressive 2419 rating in 2025, showing his speed chess skills are just as lethal.
- Longest Winning Streak: 7 wins in a row – enough to convince any opponent that they’re probably doomed.
- Current Challenges: Facing tiny hiccups with a recent 2-game losing streak, because even chess heroes have off-days.
Personality & Quirks
Known for avoiding early resignations (only about 2.4% early bows), Michał prefers to wrestle opponents in grueling endgames — no wonder his games average around 75 moves per win! Curiously, his Sunday matches are his lucky charm with a win rate surpassing 57%, perhaps proof that his chess skills are blessed by the weekend gods.
Recent Memorable Game
On June 3rd, 2025, battling in the “Early Titled Tuesday Blitz” tournament on Chess.com, Michał (Actuary44) brilliantly secured victory against ChellyArt, culminating in a resignation after a dynamic middle game and a final forceful rook maneuver. His mastery over the Caro-Kann Defense (Main Line) was on full display, dominating from start to finish.
Opponent Highlights & Rivalries
Michał has faced numerous foes with varied success, including multiple matches against “bazar-wokzal” and “karinachess1.” He shines brightest against some opponents like “tomliu777” and “donjuanegenaro,” maintaining a perfect win record, while others serve as reminders that even the best can stumble.
In summary, Michał Kopczyński is a strategic tactician and speed chess enthusiast who knows how to keep his audience entertained — whether by toppling grandmasters or keeping his enemies endlessly puzzled with unpredictable opening moves. Just don’t challenge him after 7 PM; that’s when his winning streaks light up brightest!
What went well in your bullet games
You demonstrated strong tactical awareness and good use of initiative in at least one recent win, finishing with a clean mate when Black’s defenses collapsed. Your ability to create and exploit open lines, and to coordinate heavy pieces (queen and rook) to pressure the king, is a real strength in fast time controls.
- You found a sharp sequence that culminated in a decisive mating attack, showing good calculation under pressure.
- Your piece activity often created practical problems for the opponent, especially when you opened lines for the queen and rooks.
- In openings, your performance in Bird Opening variants indicates comfort with dynamic play and quick middlegame transitions.
Key areas to work on
- Clock management: Bullet games demand fast, accurate decisions. Develop a habit of making quick, safe moves when unsure and saving deeper calculation for critical moments.
- Threat recognition and prophylaxis: In the loss you faced, the opponent launched a strong attack. Before exchanges or aggressive moves, quickly assess what threats your opponent is building and consider defensive or simplifying steps early.
- King safety and back-rank awareness: Some losses came from back-rank or exposed-king situations. Make a habit of checking for back-rank weaknesses and ensuring escape squares or defensive pieces are ready before committing to complex plans.
- Opening repertoire for bullet: East Indian Defense showed poor results in your data, while Bird Opening variants performed well. Consider consolidating a compact, reliable repertoire that keeps the king safe and leads to clear middlegame plans under time pressure (e.g., solid e4 responses with a few dependable anti-Sicilian options or a consistent d4 setup).
Practical training plan
- Daily tactics: 15–20 minutes solving puzzles focused on forks, discovered checks, pins, skewers, and back-rank motifs to strengthen quick calculation.
- Pattern recognition in bullet: practice 10 short sessions (3+0 or 1+0) with a fixed opening to build familiarity and reduce overthinking under time pressure.
- Post-game review routine: after every bullet game, identify the turning point and write one concrete improvement to apply in the next game.
- Endgame awareness: even in bullet, review simple endings (rook endings, king activity) so you can convert small advantages when the game goes long enough for simplifications.
- Opening study: continue refining the Bird Opening line you’ve used successfully, and prepare simple responses to common replies so you stay on plan when your clock runs low.
Quick suggestions for your next games
- Aim for a compact development in the first 8–12 moves: develop pieces, connect your rooks, and avoid risky pawn pushes unless they clearly improve your position.
- Prefer simplifying trades that reduce your opponent’s attacking chances when you’re under pressure, rather than chasing complicated tactical lines that invite counterplay.
- Use a disciplined time approach: quick checks for obvious checks and forced moves, saving deeper calculations for critical moments or when you have a clear advantage.
🆚 Opponent Insights
| Recent Opponents | ||
|---|---|---|
| Luis Fernández Siles | 3W / 1L / 0D | |
| Vahan Nalbandyan | 0W / 1L / 0D | |
| amadeus2006 | 0W / 0L / 1D | |
| Casper Liu | 2W / 0L / 0D | |
| falzehope0 | 2W / 0L / 0D | |
| jddg | 0W / 0L / 1D | |
| nguyenhlb | 2W / 0L / 0D | |
| whiteking2009 | 0W / 1L / 0D | |
| zarinur | 0W / 1L / 0D | |
| zdorovegor2011 | 0W / 1L / 0D | |
| Most Played Opponents | ||
|---|---|---|
| Karina Ambartsumova | 1W / 4L / 1D | |
| Nikolai Vlassov | 1W / 5L / 0D | |
| Alexandra Kosteniuk | 0W / 5L / 0D | |
| Matvey Galchenko | 3W / 2L / 0D | |
| Meri Arabidze | 2W / 2L / 1D | |
Rating
| Year | Bullet | Blitz | Rapid | Daily |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2424 | 2592 | ||
| 2024 | 2568 | |||
| 2023 | 2514 | |||
| 2022 | 2497 | |||
| 2011 | 1354 | 1449 |
Stats by Year
| Year | White | Black | Moves |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 103W / 112L / 16D | 95W / 123L / 18D | 76.4 |
| 2024 | 69W / 71L / 10D | 63W / 76L / 14D | 84.1 |
| 2023 | 103W / 91L / 16D | 95W / 101L / 15D | 88.0 |
| 2022 | 49W / 49L / 8D | 46W / 43L / 9D | 84.9 |
| 2011 | 1W / 0L / 0D | 1W / 0L / 0D | 57.5 |
Openings: Most Played
| Blitz Opening | Games | Wins | Losses | Draws | Win Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bird Opening: Dutch Variation, Batavo Gambit | 250 | 126 | 105 | 19 | 50.4% |
| Barnes Defense | 233 | 104 | 117 | 12 | 44.6% |
| Caro-Kann Defense | 54 | 20 | 28 | 6 | 37.0% |
| Sicilian Defense: Alapin Variation | 44 | 26 | 17 | 1 | 59.1% |
| Modern | 35 | 14 | 19 | 2 | 40.0% |
| East Indian Defense | 33 | 13 | 19 | 1 | 39.4% |
| Amazon Attack: Siberian Attack | 30 | 11 | 19 | 0 | 36.7% |
| Center Game | 30 | 13 | 14 | 3 | 43.3% |
| French Defense: Burn Variation | 30 | 13 | 17 | 0 | 43.3% |
| Czech Defense | 28 | 13 | 14 | 1 | 46.4% |
| Bullet Opening | Games | Wins | Losses | Draws | Win Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barnes Defense | 27 | 13 | 12 | 2 | 48.1% |
| Bird Opening: Dutch Variation, Batavo Gambit | 14 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 64.3% |
| Amar Gambit | 11 | 3 | 8 | 0 | 27.3% |
| Amazon Attack | 10 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 40.0% |
| Nimzo-Larsen Attack | 8 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 37.5% |
| Colle System: Rhamphorhynchus Variation | 7 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 57.1% |
| East Indian Defense | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0.0% |
| Sicilian Defense: Alapin Variation | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 50.0% |
| Australian Defense | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 50.0% |
| French Defense | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
🔥 Streaks
| Streak | Longest | Current |
|---|---|---|
| Winning | 7 | 0 |
| Losing | 15 | 1 |