Alikhan Irgaliyev – National Master Extraordinaire
Meet Alikhan Irgaliyev, a chess virtuoso who wears the title of National Master like a badge of honor (and occasional dubious fashion statement). Known in the chess circles as a warrior of blitz and bullet, Alikhan combines razor-sharp tactics with a lionhearted fighting spirit—often ending matches either in jubilant victory or intense nail-biting suspense.
Bursting onto the scene with a blitz peak rating of 2712 in August 2019 and smashing bullet records with an incredible 2832 peak in early 2021, Alikhan’s quick-fire style is as electrifying as it is effective. If time trouble were an art, Alikhan would be the grandmaster of it—often winning on the clock with nerve and precision.
His favorite weapon of choice? The mysterious Top Secret opening in blitz chess, where he’s battled over a thousand games with a commendable win rate above 50%. Whether dismantling defenses in the Scandinavian or cooking up surprises with the Pirc and Ruy Lopez, Alikhan is a player who refuses to be pigeonholed.
Psychologically, Alikhan dances on the edge of brilliance and chaos with a tilt factor of 21—meaning even when the going gets tough, he’s far from your average puss. A comeback artist with a 90% comeback rate, he practically laughs in the face of adversity, clawing back from losing positions more times than his opponents can count.
Behind the scenes, this chess gladiator pushes an average of almost 80 moves per win, proving patience is still a virtue in the age of bullet. And with a penchant for endgames—engaging in them over 80% of his games—Alikhan focuses not just on clever openings, but on grinding down rivals with relentless precision.
Off the board, Alikhan’s fans await his next thrilling encounter. His latest wins often end with opponents running out of time or resigning in resignation-induced despair—because beating Alikhan isn’t simply a matter of checkmate, it’s surviving the psychological marathon.
When you see Alikhan_Irgaliyev at the board, remember: this National Master is not just a player; he’s the unpredictable storm of the chess universe – quick, tactical, and occasionally maddeningly unpredictable. So buckle up, because when Alikhan plays, it’s never just a game; it’s a blitz rollercoaster ride where seconds count and pawns plot world domination.
Hi Alikhan, here is a personalized post-match review 🇰🇿
1. Quick Snapshot
Current form: 5-game winning streak followed by a tough loss.
Highest blitz rating so far: 2712 (2019-08-10).
Activity trends:
2. What you are doing well
- Tactical vision. In several games you spotted hidden resources (e.g. 25…Qxe2!! in the win vs
remi04) and converted them efficiently. - Practical decision-making in sharp positions. You rarely shy away from complications and often emerge a pawn up.
- Comfort with both colours in Alekhine’s Defence. The set-ups with …d6, …e5, …f5 are handled confidently, showing good opening understanding.
3. Main improvement themes
-
Time management. Two of the recent losses (vs
SilversikandDinamicosKing) were on the clock while the position was still playable.
➜ Plan: add a “pause & evaluate” habit on moves 10, 20 and 30, spending no more than 15 % of the total time at each checkpoint. -
King safety during pawn storms. Both sides of the board saw early g- and h-pawn pushes. When they work (your win vs
2008king) they look great, but in the loss toKombinator01the exposed king became a target.
➜ Study famous attacking classics where the h-pawn rush must be “justified” by pieces ready to join. A good rule: if you push h- or g-pawn before move 10, ask “How do all my pieces enter the attack within 3 moves?” - Endgame conversion and rook activity. In the critical loss you reached:
Here your rooks were beautifully centralized earlier, but once you allowed ...Rc4 and ...Rxf4 your own king became boxed in.
➜ Practise rook endgames vs engines starting from equal positions; focus on cutting the opponent king and activating pawns.
4. Opening workshop
| Opening | Your Score | Key Upgrade |
|---|---|---|
| Alekhine (Black) | Excellent | Add the modern 4…dxe5 line to meet 4.dxc5. |
| English/Réti (White) | Mixed | Consider the c4-g3-Bg2-Nc3 plan instead of early e3/b3 to keep more central tension. |
| Philidor / Pirc hybrids (Black) | Below par | Study model games by Kramnik & Vachier-Lagrave—note the timely …c5 break. |
5. Tactical motif checklist
Try to spot these patterns in every game:
- Back-rank exploits → keep luft or punish opponent (your 40.Rxh7# vs 2008king).
- Overloaded defender (22…Qf7 vs remi04) – ask “What is this piece defending?”
- Zwischenzug insertions before recapturing.
6. Next 7-day training plan
- 30 min/day endgame drills (rook + pawn vs rook).
- Review 5 master games in your key openings; build a short flash-card repertoire.
- Play two 10 + 5 games focusing only on time usage goals (≥ 1:30 on clock by move 30).
- Annotate one of your own wins and one loss without an engine first; then compare.
7. Stay motivated!
Your aggressive style is a weapon—polish the defence and clock skills around it and 2800 blitz is within reach. Good luck, and feel free to send your next set of games for review!
🆚 Opponent Insights
| Recent Opponents | ||
|---|---|---|
| nurlan10 | 1W / 1L / 0D | |
| barahlush | 7W / 0L / 0D | |
| Most Played Opponents | ||
|---|---|---|
| ZURAB AZMAIPARASHVILI | 24W / 25L / 1D | |
| deewild | 26W / 5L / 2D | |
| 3f32 | 12W / 16L / 4D | |
| Kazybek Nogerbek | 10W / 22L / 0D | |
| matt_cat | 2W / 16L / 9D | |
Rating
| Year | Bullet | Blitz | Rapid | Daily |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2751 | 2332 | 1342 | 546 |
| 2024 | 2436 | 2567 | 1781 | |
| 2023 | 2486 | 2589 | 1684 | |
| 2022 | 2621 | 2400 | ||
| 2021 | 2505 | 2518 | ||
| 2020 | 2526 | 2469 | 1939 | |
| 2019 | 2482 | 2511 | 2244 | |
| 2018 | 2443 |
Stats by Year
| Year | White | Black | Moves |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 78W / 76L / 17D | 83W / 82L / 20D | 73.9 |
| 2024 | 19W / 17L / 1D | 10W / 20L / 5D | 73.4 |
| 2023 | 39W / 31L / 2D | 34W / 32L / 5D | 71.2 |
| 2022 | 13W / 7L / 0D | 8W / 7L / 2D | 84.6 |
| 2021 | 61W / 70L / 5D | 56W / 68L / 11D | 82.3 |
| 2020 | 211W / 211L / 25D | 198W / 228L / 26D | 81.5 |
| 2019 | 256W / 171L / 37D | 231W / 194L / 38D | 84.0 |
| 2018 | 59W / 14L / 0D | 47W / 23L / 3D | 75.1 |
Openings: Most Played
| Blitz Opening | Games | Wins | Losses | Draws | Win Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon Attack: Siberian Attack | 125 | 58 | 51 | 16 | 46.4% |
| Caro-Kann Defense | 74 | 34 | 37 | 3 | 46.0% |
| Amazon Attack | 61 | 29 | 30 | 2 | 47.5% |
| Czech Defense | 61 | 38 | 15 | 8 | 62.3% |
| Philidor Defense | 59 | 27 | 30 | 2 | 45.8% |
| Australian Defense | 40 | 23 | 15 | 2 | 57.5% |
| Sicilian Defense: Closed | 31 | 17 | 14 | 0 | 54.8% |
| London System: Poisoned Pawn Variation | 29 | 14 | 15 | 0 | 48.3% |
| Caro-Kann Defense: Bronstein-Larsen Variation | 22 | 10 | 12 | 0 | 45.5% |
| Dutch Defense | 20 | 13 | 6 | 1 | 65.0% |
| Bullet Opening | Games | Wins | Losses | Draws | Win Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Caro-Kann Defense | 119 | 48 | 64 | 7 | 40.3% |
| Amar Gambit | 96 | 53 | 38 | 5 | 55.2% |
| Czech Defense | 86 | 46 | 30 | 10 | 53.5% |
| Sicilian Defense: Closed | 85 | 33 | 48 | 4 | 38.8% |
| London System: Poisoned Pawn Variation | 56 | 26 | 29 | 1 | 46.4% |
| Scandinavian Defense | 51 | 30 | 18 | 3 | 58.8% |
| Colle System: Rhamphorhynchus Variation | 51 | 28 | 18 | 5 | 54.9% |
| Philidor Defense | 32 | 17 | 14 | 1 | 53.1% |
| Barnes Defense | 32 | 17 | 13 | 2 | 53.1% |
| Amazon Attack: Siberian Attack | 31 | 15 | 13 | 3 | 48.4% |
| Rapid Opening | Games | Wins | Losses | Draws | Win Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Czech Defense | 11 | 1 | 7 | 3 | 9.1% |
| Four Knights Game | 9 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 11.1% |
| French Defense | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 33.3% |
| Philidor Defense | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 60.0% |
| Colle System: Rhamphorhynchus Variation | 5 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0.0% |
| Scandinavian Defense | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 40.0% |
| QGD: Chigorin, 3.cxd5 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 40.0% |
| Italian Game: Two Knights Defense | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 75.0% |
| London System: Poisoned Pawn Variation | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 25.0% |
| Amar Gambit | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 25.0% |
| Daily Opening | Games | Wins | Losses | Draws | Win Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ruy Lopez: Bird Variation | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
🔥 Streaks
| Streak | Longest | Current |
|---|---|---|
| Winning | 29 | 0 |
| Losing | 15 | 1 |