Aniceto Sarmiento: The Blitz Marathoner
Aniceto Sarmiento, better known on the digital battlefield as AntSart21, is one of the most prolific online blitz players you will ever find. Since January 2024 he has played more than 20,000 rated games, turning the chess server into his personal proving ground. His favorite arena is blitz chess, and his ceiling there is a spectacular 2617 (2025-07-22) peak reached in July 2025.
The Climb
Aniceto started 2024 as a solid 1700 level blitz fighter. Within 18 months he had stormed past 2600, hitting a career best of 2617 (2025-07-22). His rapid chess rating also climbed to 2453 (2025-09-27), showing real chess strength beneath the speed. The chart below captures the wild, beautiful chaos of his blitz journey.
Openings and Style
Aniceto's opening repertoire is as enormous as his game count. As Black he is a true believer in the Caro-Kann Defense, playing it in more than 1,400 blitz games, and he also leans on the Petrov's Defense and the Czech Defense. With the White pieces he loves the Scotch Game and the Sicilian Defense Alapin Variation. His favorite setup against 1.e4 is the solid Caro-Kann Exchange:
Despite the blitz pace, he is no coward in the endgame. About 76% of his games reach the endgame phase, and his average decisive game lasts around 69 moves.
Rivalries
Every marathon runner needs familiar faces along the route. Aniceto's most frequent rival is suz99, who has faced him 96 times in blitz. The series is tight and feisty. Other regular opponents include Steve Berger, Vlad Vlad, and gijoe2019, each with dozens of battles logged against AntSart21.
A Grinder's Personality
What defines AntSart21 is not just the rating, but the resilience. His numbers tell the story of a player who simply refuses to stop:
- Comeback rate above 91%, meaning he rarely fades after falling behind.
- Nearly 44% win rate even after losing a piece.
- A longest winning streak of 15 games, and a longest losing streak of 19 that he survived with his sanity mostly intact.
- Best results at 11:00, when his win rate tops 51%, while early morning games are best avoided.
- In April 2025 alone he played 1,662 blitz games. That is a full time job with overtime.