Anna Afonasieva (annazero) - Woman International Master
Meet Anna Afonasieva, better known in the chess world as annazero. A fierce competitor with the prestigious title of Woman International Master awarded by FIDE, Anna's chess journey is nothing short of impressive. From bullet bouts to rapid duels, she has consistently proven her mettle across all time controls.
Starting with humble beginnings, Anna’s bullet rating skyrocketed from a modest 1374 in 2018 to an astounding 2489 by 2025. Fun fact: her comeback rate is an amazing 90.18%, and if she loses a piece, she bounces back with a 100% win rate—a true chess phoenix rising from the ashes!
Her style? Patient and deep. While many players run out of moves, Anna averages over 76 moves per win, showing her love for the long game and endgame mastery. With an endgame frequency of over 82%, if the game drags, fear not—Anna is right in her element.
Armed with a tactical sharpness that makes opponents shudder, Anna once held an incredible longest winning streak of 13 games—that’s not luck, that’s determination (and maybe a bit of chess magic). Although her psychological tilt factor is a manageable 11, she'd rather let her moves do the talking than her mood swings.
Off the board, she's known for playing chess like a secret agent—her openings performance is discreetly classified as "Top Secret", with a solid win rate hovering around 45-52% across all time controls.
When asked about her toughest opponents, Anna has had mixed fortunes: some she’s crushed (like the_unico_punto with a flawless 100% win rate), others have been pesky challengers (looking at you, saisrivardhan with a 0% win rate!). But hey, chess is about learning and having fun, right?
Whether you catch her playing blitz at 10 AM with a win rate north of 52% or conquering bullet battles late into the night with a lightning-fast pace, Anna is a player who balances skill, grit, and charm.
Simply put, Anna Afonasieva is chess wrapped in mystery, sprinkled with grit, and served with a winning smile. If you fancy challenging her, be ready for a battle—you might just be playing against someone who never truly says "checkmate" until the last second.
What you do well in blitz
- You are comfortable in tactical, sharp positions and often create practical chances by opening lines and forcing the opponent to find correct decisions under time pressure.
- Your development is usually smooth and you tend to keep your king safe in the early phase, which helps you stay competitive even when the game becomes chaotic.
- You show resilience and a willingness to fight for initiative, which is valuable in blitz where a single active move can swing the result.
Key areas to improve and concrete steps
- Time management in blitz: Build a consistent pace and protect your clock. Practice with a fixed minimum thinking time per move (for example, aim to decide on candidate moves within 10–15 seconds on average) and use your increment to your advantage in critical moments. Before critical decisions, do a quick gut check for forcing moves (checks, captures, threats) to avoid time scrambles.
- Calculation under pressure: Develop a short, repeatable three-move candidate-move set for complex positions. Always first look for forcing moves (checks and captures that gain tempo) and then evaluate whether trading pieces leads to a clear plan or a simpler endgame.
- Opening repertoire simplification: Blitz succeeds when you start with a solid, easy-to-remember plan. Focus on 1–2 openings as your main bases and learn a straightforward middlegame plan for each (typical pawn breaks, piece maneuvers, and typical weaknesses to target or defend). This reduces decision fatigue and promotes faster, cleaner middlegame transitions.
- Endgame readiness: Many blitz games reach simplified endings quickly. Strengthen rook endings and basic king-and-pawn endgames, and practice converting small advantages into a win within a short time frame. Short, focused endgame drills (e.g., rook vs rook with pawns, or minor piece endings) will pay off in blitz.
- Decision making after key moments: After a critical moment, pause briefly to re-evaluate the position with a simple question: “What is my plan if I keep the tension? What if I trade pieces to simplify?” This helps avoid rushing into poor trades or over-ambitious attacks when the position is unclear.
Opening and plan-oriented approach for blitz
- Your current openings show a flexible repertoire. For blitz, it can help to adopt a cohesive base system and learn a few clear middlegame plans for each line. For example, with a solid pawn structure and steady piece development, you can focus on controlling the center and preparing a timely break rather than chasing flashy but risky tactics.
- Choose 1–2 “blitz-friendly” lines that you enjoy and study their typical middlegame themes—such as how to activate the minor pieces, where to place rooks, and common pawn breaks. This makes the positions easier to navigate quickly on the clock.
- In the moments after your opening, aim to identify a simple plan within 1–2 moves: where you want your pieces to go, what key squares you want to contest, and which structural ideas (pawn breaks or a minority attack) you are aiming for.
Practical 4-week plan to boost blitz results
- Do 15–20 short tactical puzzles daily focusing on forcing moves (checks, captures, threats).
- Play 2 blitz games daily, intentionally spending the first 10–15 seconds on each move to form a quick candidate list, then pick the best move and proceed.
🆚 Opponent Insights
| Recent Opponents | ||
|---|---|---|
| mixail_tal08 | 0W / 1L / 0D | View |
| Most Played Opponents | ||
|---|---|---|
| Matthieu Midonet | 12W / 9L / 4D | View Games |
| taursente | 11W / 13L / 1D | View Games |
| Martinezzz2002 | 8W / 7L / 1D | View Games |
| Vesna Bogdanovic | 3W / 9L / 4D | View Games |
| Gerasimenyuk Mikhail | 5W / 8L / 2D | View Games |
Rating
| Year | Bullet | Blitz | Rapid | Daily |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2610 | 2602 | 2429 | |
| 2024 | 2403 | 2504 | 883 | |
| 2023 | 2411 | 2507 | 2408 | 883 |
| 2022 | 2194 | 2472 | 2195 | |
| 2021 | 2297 | 2288 | 2300 | |
| 2020 | 2179 | 2359 | 2041 | |
| 2019 | 2212 | |||
| 2018 | 1857 | 2237 | 1304 | |
| 2017 | 2019 | 1200 | 883 | |
| 2016 | 1406 |
Stats by Year
| Year | White | Black | Moves |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 725W / 673L / 124D | 631W / 797L / 96D | 84.0 |
| 2024 | 254W / 235L / 35D | 217W / 283L / 22D | 82.1 |
| 2023 | 150W / 114L / 24D | 121W / 131L / 23D | 83.7 |
| 2022 | 138W / 118L / 19D | 117W / 157L / 13D | 82.4 |
| 2021 | 48W / 72L / 7D | 61W / 62L / 7D | 76.1 |
| 2020 | 202W / 179L / 18D | 178W / 208L / 15D | 75.4 |
| 2019 | 57W / 67L / 7D | 59W / 64L / 13D | 79.2 |
| 2018 | 118W / 92L / 16D | 107W / 110L / 9D | 75.5 |
| 2017 | 33W / 29L / 3D | 27W / 32L / 3D | 67.4 |
| 2016 | 1W / 0L / 0D | 1W / 0L / 0D | 17.5 |
Openings: Most Played
| Blitz Opening | Games | Wins | Losses | Draws | Win Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| London System: Poisoned Pawn Variation | 178 | 79 | 86 | 13 | 44.4% |
| Caro-Kann Defense | 169 | 75 | 88 | 6 | 44.4% |
| Amazon Attack: Siberian Attack | 140 | 64 | 69 | 7 | 45.7% |
| Döry Defense | 95 | 50 | 43 | 2 | 52.6% |
| Caro-Kann Defense: Exchange Variation | 92 | 41 | 44 | 7 | 44.6% |
| Modern | 85 | 40 | 39 | 6 | 47.1% |
| Australian Defense | 78 | 35 | 40 | 3 | 44.9% |
| Caro-Kann Defense: Classical Variation | 73 | 35 | 34 | 4 | 48.0% |
| Amazon Attack | 67 | 33 | 31 | 3 | 49.2% |
| Slav Defense | 57 | 23 | 32 | 2 | 40.4% |
| Bullet Opening | Games | Wins | Losses | Draws | Win Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Modern | 458 | 189 | 244 | 25 | 41.3% |
| Czech Defense | 305 | 111 | 181 | 13 | 36.4% |
| Australian Defense | 291 | 137 | 133 | 21 | 47.1% |
| Colle System: Rhamphorhynchus Variation | 259 | 107 | 131 | 21 | 41.3% |
| London System: Poisoned Pawn Variation | 235 | 122 | 100 | 13 | 51.9% |
| Döry Defense | 225 | 109 | 100 | 16 | 48.4% |
| Pirc Defense: Classical Variation | 146 | 62 | 77 | 7 | 42.5% |
| East Indian Defense | 136 | 58 | 69 | 9 | 42.6% |
| Amar Gambit | 136 | 52 | 74 | 10 | 38.2% |
| Modern Defense | 125 | 52 | 69 | 4 | 41.6% |
| Rapid Opening | Games | Wins | Losses | Draws | Win Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| East Indian Defense | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 60.0% |
| London System: Poisoned Pawn Variation | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 25.0% |
| Slav Defense: Bonet Gambit | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 50.0% |
| Amazon Attack: Siberian Attack | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 50.0% |
| Döry Defense | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 75.0% |
| King's Indian Attack | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 33.3% |
| Australian Defense | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0.0% |
| Amazon Attack | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 66.7% |
| Amar Gambit | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
| Caro-Kann Defense: Exchange Variation | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 50.0% |
| Daily Opening | Games | Wins | Losses | Draws | Win Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Center Game | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
| Barnes Opening: Walkerling | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
| Colle System: Rhamphorhynchus Variation | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
| Caro-Kann Defense | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
| Italian Game: Two Knights Defense | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.0% |
| Petrov's Defense | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
| Sicilian Defense | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.0% |
| Australian Defense | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.0% |
🔥 Streaks
| Streak | Longest | Current |
|---|---|---|
| Winning | 13 | 0 |
| Losing | 11 | 3 |