About Anish Giri
Anish Giri is a renowned chess Grandmaster recognized for his sharp opening preparation and deep strategic understanding. Known for a balanced and resilient playing style, he is a challenging opponent in any format. A true chess polymath, Anish shows remarkable skill in blitz, rapid, and especially bullet chess, where quick thinking meets tactical precision.
Playing Style & Strengths
Anish mixes classical chess wisdom with modern-day speed chess brilliance. His games often feature:
- Deep middlegame strategy and high endgame frequency (about 89%).
- Strong opening repertoire featuring the Catalan Opening, Sicilian Moscow, and Neo-Indian Defense.
- Excellent tactical resilience: over 86% comeback rate when behind and nearly 45% win rate after losing a piece.
- Prefers openings like Reti: King's Indian Attack and Queen's Gambit Declined variations in blitz and rapid games.
Achievements & Records
- Grandmaster title awarded by FIDE, a major milestone in chess mastery.
- Peak Bullet rating soared to an impressive 3296 in December 2022; talk about lightning reflexes!
- Achieved a peak blitz rating of 3151 in June 2025, showcasing his dominance in fast chess.
- Rapid peak rating close behind at 2852 in December 2020, proving versatility across formats.
- Longest winning streak: an astounding 11 consecutive victories.
- Current winning streak stands strong at 6 games — no sign of letting up.
Favorite Openings & Strategies
Giri's favorite weapons in blitz and bullet include:
- Catalan Opening — consistently strong win rate, often catching opponents off guard.
- Neo-Indian Defense (Blumenfeld/Benoni variation) — successful with an 85.71% win rate in blitz.
- Queen's Pawn & Reti Systems — solid, positional, and tricky to break down.
- Sicilian Najdorf (6.f3) — an aggressive choice leading to exciting battles.
Rivalries & Opponents
Over the years, Anish has squared off against some of the best, including big names like:
- Alireza Firouzja — a fierce competitor with many intense clashes.
- Hikaru Nakamura — tough games with a competitive win rate.
- Nihal Sarin — a challenging youthful adversary.
- Daniel Rensch — one of his most frequent opponents, boasting an impressive 88.89% win rate against him.
Fun Facts
- Anish's best time of day to play? Midnight! The witching hour fuels his brilliance.
- He sports a very low early resignation rate (just 0.31%), meaning he fights till the bitter end.
- His average winning game lasts about 84 moves — patience is definitely a virtue for him.
- He's a bullet chess maestro, with a sparkling rating climb and best-ever score near 3300.
Chess in Motion
Here's a quick taste of Anish's love for the Catalan Opening — a signature line where control and pressure combine.