Meet Ismaiyl
Ismaiyl, known online as air_kippm, is the kind of player who looks at a chessboard and wonders, "What if I just ignored the first ten chapters of the opening manual?" While others shuffle out 1.e4 or 1.d4, he is happiest nudging a pawn to d3 or flinging a knight to h3 in the notoriously quirky Amar Gambit. It is a repertoire that makes opponents double check their databases, then triple check them.
His natural habitat is the rapid arena, where his relaxed but wildly creative style shines brightest. He is also known to appear in bullet, blitz, and the occasional daily game, but rapid is where the real fun happens.
A Repertoire of Beautiful Weirdness
Ismaiyl has built his game on openings that most textbooks barely acknowledge. With White, the Amar Gambit is a trusted friend, and in rapid play alone he has scored a perfect 10 out of 10 with it. As Black, he often reaches for the solid yet slippery Czech Defense, or the gloriously reckless Blackburne Shilling Gambit, a line that casually offers a knight for the dream of a quick checkmate.
Here is the classic Blackburne Shilling idea in action:
Resilience Like No Other
Once Ismaiyl takes his seat, he refuses to leave. His early resignation rate is below 1% and his comeback rate sits at a jaw dropping 90%. Even after losing a piece, he still wins more than half of the time. And when he catches fire, look out: his longest winning streak reached 50 straight victories. That is fifty. In a row. Some opponents have reportedly logged off just to avoid facing the next one.
He also loves a good long rivalry. Aleksandr Vlasov has faced him 43 times, while another familiar foe, 1minjunkie, has battled him 47 times. The scoreboard may swing back and forth, but the entertainment never stops.
The Scoreboard
- Peak rapid rating: 2321 (2026-04-25)
- Longest winning streak: 50 games
- Comeback rate: 90%
- Favorite time control: Rapid