Anton Smirnov: Online Blitz Grandmaster
Anton Smirnov, known online as AntonSmirnov, is a Grandmaster with an enduring love for Blitz chess. Across more than 13,000 logged rated games, his preferred time control is unmistakable. He started with sub-1900 bullet adventures in 2014 and grew into a 3100-rated Blitz force by 2024.
Playing Style and Stamina
Smirnov wins with patience and persistence. His decisive games average around 90 moves, his comeback rate is 90.47%, and his White win rate is 51.27% while his Black win rate is 47.25%. He plays best around 21:00 and loves delivering checks with rooks, having logged more than 16,000 rook checks. His 39-game winning streak is a warning for anyone who thinks a single loss will send him home.
Signature Openings
With White, Anton scores close to 59% in the Ruy Lopez: Exchange Variation, Alapin Gambit. With Black, he regularly enters the Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation and the Petrov's Defense. He also trusts the Caro-Kann Defense and the Slav Defense, and he has played the London System more than 760 times, proving that even grandmasters can have complicated love affairs with simple openings.
Rivalries
His most frequent opponent is Daniel Naroditsky, with 631 Blitz meetings, 226 wins for Smirnov, 350 for his rival, and 55 draws. He also shares long histories with Jose Martinez, Aleksei Sarana, and Nihal Sarin, each crossing the 100-game mark. These rivalries show a player who never ducks a challenge.
Career Highlights
Smirnov reached a peak Blitz rating of 3127 (2024-05-11) in 2024. He played over 600 Blitz games in December 2023 alone, then finished 2024 with a perfect nine-game winning streak in December. That is the mark of a player who is just as comfortable grinding a 90-move endgame as he is rattling off fast wins late at night.