Anish Giri GM

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.