Blitz and Glory
Amir Bagheri, a FIDE Grandmaster who answers to the username AmirBagheri78, has effectively turned the blitz time control into a full-time sport. If chess were a triathlon, Amir would swim to get back to the board. Since 2020, he has played thousands of rated Blitz games at a pace most people use for checking their phone.
His Blitz chart tells the story of a player who treats a rating swing like weather: interesting, but not enough to change plans.
A Repertoire With No Off Switch
Amir's repertoire on the Blitz board is a trip. He can handle the Caro-Kann Defense with regular discipline, then sit next to the Amar Gambit as if it's a chess game and not a cry for help. He also happens to play the legendary Amazon Attack: Siberian Attack and the Döry Defense, an opening loved by exactly nobody else.
Actually, it's not that rare. It's just Amir.
Friends and Frenemies
Amir has a long list of repeat customers in the Blitz lobby. No one escapes the farewell tour.
- Against ravi kumar, a comfortable 17 to 1. He probably calls that opponent "snack".
- And then there is Alexey Jarovinsky, a 22-game curse: just 3 wins, 16 losses, 3 draws. He may need a therapist.
- Леонид Каваленя sees a normal 13 to 6, the good things in life.
The Data Says Fierce
Despite his taste for uncooperative openings, Amir is a grinder. When the game is lost, he fights: his comeback rate sits around 87.8%, and he still wins 44.4% of games after dropping a piece. The endgame shows up in 84.6% of his games, and his wins average a good 82 moves. That isn't a sprint, that is a hostage negotiation.
He has a thinkable winning streak of 10, a losing streak of 8, and the best suggestion from the data: play him at 5 AM. Actually, do not play him at any time.