A Bullet-First Soul
Alibek Igambergenov, better known to the online chess world as aliba25, is a FIDE International Master who never met a clock he didn't like. Though his preferred time control is bullet chess, his real battlefield is blitz, where he has poured in thousands of games and climbed to a peak rating of 2894 (2026-02-28). He also reached 2717 (2022-02-12) in bullet, proving that speed is not just a hobby but a lifestyle.
Arsenal and Favourite Battlefields
As White, Alibek is a devoted d4 and Nf3 man. He happily steers opponents into the King's Indian Defense and parks his pieces in the Makogonov Variation, where he has played nearly 200 blitz games. As Black, he dives into the French Defense and the Benko Gambit, and his Rapid record with the Modern Defense is a perfect five wins from five games. He simply refuses to play boring chess.
A signature white setup from his KID playground looks like this:
Familiar Foes
No online career is complete without repeat customers. His most persistent dance partner is Nebojsa Djordjevic, who has faced him 34 times in blitz, with Igambergenov ahead 18 wins to 10. Against Roman Zhenetl the series is bloodier, as jeroma71 leads 17 wins to 14. Then there is honestgirl, who seems to have unlocked a personal anti-aliba25 protocol, beating him 17 times in 21 meetings.
Comeback Kid of the Night Shift
His numbers tell the story of a stubborn fighter. He boasts a comeback rate of 85.65 percent, a longest winning streak of 12, and a best hour of 23:00, when the rest of the world is asleep and his inner chess werewolf wakes up. Against lower rated players he wins 62 percent of the time, which is a polite way of saying he takes no prisoners. His blitz rating journey is a rollercoaster worth watching:
And for opening lovers, here is how his pet lines have treated him across thousands of games:
- Peak blitz rating: 2894 (2026-02-28)
- Peak bullet rating: 2717 (2022-02-12)
- Longest losing streak: 8, followed by a triumphant comeback
- Tilt factor: 8, though his results suggest he hides it well
One for the Road
Want to see how he handles a familiar adversary? Watch this blitz encounter with Nebojsa Djordjevic: Blitz Showdown.