Zaur Gasanov - FIDE Master Extraordinaire
Meet Zaur Gasanov, or as the online chess battlefield knows him, APOLLONZEROTV. A FIDE Master with a knack for the lightning-fast and nerve-racking world of blitz and bullet chess, Zaur’s journey resembles a rollercoaster boldly ridden by a grandmaster in the making (or at least a thrilling ride for the spectators).
Career Highlights & Style
Zaur steadily climbed the ladder from humble beginnings in 2016 with a blitz rating around 2086 to reaching rapid-fire bullet battles at staggering ratings approaching 2884 by spring 2025. His blitz peak just cracked through the 2750 mark—a number that most grandmasters dream of but only a few achieve. Bullet is his playground, where the pieces fly as fast as his decisions—sometimes blinding opponents, sometimes resulting in a desperate tumble, but always exciting.
Known for an Early Resignation Rate of just 0.64% (talk about stubbornness!), Zaur’s games are marathon-ish affairs with average wins lasting around 77 moves. His endgame skills shine, playing deeply where others might tap out, showcasing patience and precision that make up for those occasional blunders in the frenzy.
Statistical Tidbits
- Overall blitz win rate hovers around an admirable 54%, challenging even the best on any given day.
- Bullet battles boast over 13,000 games with a solid 53.97% win rate – a digital battlefield Zaur dominates.
- His psychological tilt factor is a low 13 — a strong indicator that he stays calm even when a bishop goes rogue or a knight twists his plans.
- Comeback King: Zaur’s ability to claw back after losing a piece is impressive, with an 84.27% comeback rate. Nothing like turning near-defeat into a glorious checkmate!
A Quick Glance at Openings
Zaur keeps his tactical cards close to his chest—or should we say, "Top Secret"—with his most frequent and successful opening category named just that, boasting almost 54% wins in blitz and bullet formats. From the tried-and-true Indian Game variations to some Caro-Kann adventures, his opening repertoire is eclectic but discreet, probably to keep opponents guessing.
Fun Facts & Memes
“Why resign early when you can make your opponent sweat?” seems to be the (unofficial) motto of our FIDE Master. Despite occasional loss streaks, including a respectable 13-game “learning experience” in 2017, Zaur keeps the humor and fight alive on the board. 2024 and 2025 have been particularly bright years, with streaks and ratings that suggest the best is yet to come.
At 6 AM, Zaur’s chess brain apparently hits top gear, clinching some of his best plays. Maybe it’s the calm before the caffeine storm or the mystical powers of dawn, but you definitely don’t want to challenge him at that hour!
Recent Triumphs & Tribulations
Highlighting his latest victories is a classy performance against PracticeMakesOK where Zaur’s technique in the Tarrasch Defense led to a resignation in just 30 moves—showing perfect blend of strategy and speed.
Of course, every chess journey includes setbacks. Recent losses against seasoned toughies like K1Qqp show that even titans falter. But Zaur’s resilience and quick adaptation have him bouncing back stronger each game.
In Conclusion
Zaur Gasanov is not just a player; he’s a chess marathon runner sprinting in a bullet race. With a blend of steadfast endgame fights, rapid tactical awareness, and an ever-expanding skillset, he’s someone the chess community watches with bated breath and a smile. So next time you see APOLLONZEROTV online, buckle up—it’s going to be an electrifying ride.
Overall Performance Review
Zaur, your recent bullet games show a steady playing ability with a strength adjusted win rate of approximately 50%. This indicates you are competitive at your level, maintaining balanced results against your opponents.
However, your rating has decreased by 62 points over the past month, with a negative trend over 3, 6, and 12 months as well. Despite a positive slope in your one-month rating trend, the longer-term slope analysis indicates some ups and downs but overall a slight downward drift. This suggests that while you are still capable, working on consistency and refining your approach can result in improvement.
Strengths
- You are capable of playing precise tactical sequences, as shown by some of your wins via checkmate and strong positional play.
- Your openings knowledge is solid, especially with defenses like the Caro-Kann and Pirc Defense, which you frequently employ and handle well.
- Good time management in most games; you maintain enough time to think critically in crucial moments.
Areas for Improvement
- Some losses show vulnerability in endgame technique; review key endgame fundamentals to convert advantages or defend difficult positions.
- Be wary of overextending in the opening or early middlegame, particularly with pawn pushes that could create weaknesses. Solidifying your pawn structure and piece coordination may prevent your opponent's counterplay.
- Enhance your opening repertoire diversity if you notice repeated struggles against certain defenses, ensuring you are prepared for various responses.
- Focus on consistency in decision-making to avoid swings that lead to rating decline over medium and long terms.
Next Steps & Recommendations
- Analyze your recent key blunders or inaccuracies especially from games where you lost or your opponent gained strong counterplay. Understanding why such moves were mistakes will deepen your awareness.
- Practice common endgame scenarios to reinforce accuracy and confidence under time pressure.
- Consider playing slower time controls periodically to deepen your strategic and tactical understanding, then apply this knowledge to bullet games.
- Review some of your wins focusing on the opening setups and transition into the middle game to identify positive patterns to replicate.
- Work on time management to prevent losses on time and ensure you have sufficient clock to think during critical positions.
Keep Up the Good Work!
Your ability to win games by checkmate and capitalize on opponent mistakes shows great potential. Stay focused on learning from each game, maintain a balanced mindset, and gradually your results and rating will improve over time.
🆚 Opponent Insights
| Recent Opponents | ||
|---|---|---|
| angeleycs | 0W / 1L / 0D | View |
| lagnerf | 2W / 0L / 0D | View |
| carlosvillar31 | 1W / 0L / 0D | View |
| zetitasaurio | 1W / 1L / 0D | View |
| Richard Leyva Proenza | 2W / 4L / 0D | View |
| penetrators666 | 10W / 7L / 0D | View |
| epicswindler2010 | 1W / 0L / 0D | View |
| Kamil Grycel | 11W / 3L / 0D | View |
| kryviy-rig-2024-2025 | 1W / 2L / 0D | View |
| chiangmailove | 0W / 1L / 0D | View |
| Most Played Opponents | ||
|---|---|---|
| ZURAB AZMAIPARASHVILI | 30W / 36L / 4D | View Games |
| white31 | 26W / 31L / 4D | View Games |
| danny399 | 21W / 23L / 4D | View Games |
| hannibal4 | 32W / 14L / 0D | View Games |
| gamayevoleg | 29W / 13L / 2D | View Games |
Rating
| Year | Bullet | Blitz | Rapid | Daily |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2658 | 2784 | 2227 | |
| 2024 | 2801 | 2738 | 2227 | |
| 2023 | 2671 | 2727 | 2227 | |
| 2022 | 2714 | 2732 | 2225 | |
| 2021 | 2621 | 2610 | 2195 | |
| 2020 | 2538 | 2518 | 1768 | |
| 2019 | 2184 | 2111 | ||
| 2018 | 1734 | 2052 | ||
| 2017 | 1576 | 2280 | ||
| 2016 | 1531 | 2086 |
Stats by Year
| Year | White | Black | Moves |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 634W / 382L / 69D | 528W / 484L / 61D | 81.0 |
| 2024 | 510W / 341L / 46D | 489W / 360L / 50D | 85.5 |
| 2023 | 548W / 366L / 56D | 524W / 387L / 53D | 83.3 |
| 2022 | 140W / 88L / 16D | 118W / 100L / 23D | 85.0 |
| 2021 | 912W / 551L / 87D | 775W / 685L / 86D | 80.4 |
| 2020 | 724W / 508L / 66D | 640W / 586L / 61D | 79.2 |
| 2019 | 327W / 228L / 23D | 293W / 258L / 21D | 73.7 |
| 2018 | 49W / 38L / 6D | 42W / 52L / 0D | 71.4 |
| 2017 | 151W / 97L / 8D | 128W / 123L / 8D | 70.4 |
| 2016 | 41W / 27L / 2D | 36W / 33L / 2D | 68.2 |
Openings: Most Played
| Bullet Opening | Games | Wins | Losses | Draws | Win Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Caro-Kann Defense | 1286 | 672 | 558 | 56 | 52.3% |
| Colle System: Rhamphorhynchus Variation | 676 | 372 | 276 | 28 | 55.0% |
| Döry Defense | 435 | 261 | 149 | 25 | 60.0% |
| Hungarian Opening: Wiedenhagen-Beta Gambit | 423 | 241 | 154 | 28 | 57.0% |
| East Indian Defense | 404 | 213 | 170 | 21 | 52.7% |
| Australian Defense | 361 | 189 | 149 | 23 | 52.4% |
| Amazon Attack: Siberian Attack | 333 | 167 | 154 | 12 | 50.1% |
| London System: Poisoned Pawn Variation | 331 | 176 | 140 | 15 | 53.2% |
| King's Indian Attack | 312 | 183 | 109 | 20 | 58.6% |
| Amar Gambit | 310 | 148 | 148 | 14 | 47.7% |
| Blitz Opening | Games | Wins | Losses | Draws | Win Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Caro-Kann Defense | 216 | 112 | 83 | 21 | 51.9% |
| East Indian Defense | 137 | 78 | 50 | 9 | 56.9% |
| Döry Defense | 110 | 71 | 28 | 11 | 64.5% |
| Amazon Attack: Siberian Attack | 84 | 43 | 36 | 5 | 51.2% |
| London System: Poisoned Pawn Variation | 76 | 41 | 33 | 2 | 54.0% |
| Australian Defense | 61 | 39 | 20 | 2 | 63.9% |
| Gruenfeld: Exchange Variation | 59 | 32 | 18 | 9 | 54.2% |
| English Opening: Agincourt Defense | 53 | 34 | 15 | 4 | 64.2% |
| Czech Defense | 53 | 26 | 23 | 4 | 49.1% |
| Caro-Kann Defense: Exchange Variation | 51 | 27 | 20 | 4 | 52.9% |
| Rapid Opening | Games | Wins | Losses | Draws | Win Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Caro-Kann Defense | 9 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 77.8% |
| Amar Gambit | 8 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
| QGD: 2...Bf5 3.cxd5 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
| Barnes Defense | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
| Döry Defense | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
| East Indian Defense | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
| London System: Poisoned Pawn Variation | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
| Queen's Gambit Declined: Hastings Variation | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
| Australian Defense | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
| Ruy Lopez: Old Steinitz Defense, Semi-Duras Variation | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
🔥 Streaks
| Streak | Longest | Current |
|---|---|---|
| Winning | 20 | 0 |
| Losing | 13 | 1 |