Artem Sadovsky: The Bullet Artist
Artem Sadovsky, better known on the clock as Artem_Sadovskii, is a FIDE International Master with an online chess reputation that can be summarized in one word: bullet. While other titled players reserve their best chess for quiet graph paper, Artem seems happiest when the flip-clock shows single-digit seconds and the pieces bounce around the board.
The Bullet Rollercoaster
Artem's preferred time control is clearly bullet. He has played thousands of rated online games in this speed and has crossed elite territory on multiple occasions. One glance at his bullet path:
He reached a bullet peak of 2837 (2025-11-29), and his chart looks less like a gentle improvement curve and more like an electric security company's board that is having one very competitive day. When Artem is hot, there is almost no stopping him; when he is tilted, the losses arrive in colorful packs before the tilt clock resets. That is online bullet in one paragraph.
An Opening Curriculum That Gene Has a Theme
Artem does not follow the queue? Maybe you start every online bullet game with something quiet. He leans heavily on the Réti Opening and the English Opening as White, often pushing his first pawn only after two or three flank moves. As Black, he has been seen steering the game into the Modern Defense or the more classical Caro-Kann Defense. The books may say you have to be first to the center; Artem says chess is an open plan.
One typical Artem-style line is the quiet build-up that opens with 1. Nf3 rather than 1. e4:
His opening results vary with time control, but his won rate still has a useful shape for a player who likes creative positions.
Rivals, Enemies, and Repeat Customers
Nobody plays 10,000 games against one player by accident. Artem has developed a few very real online rivalries:
- Against Marat Denishev, he has played 313 games and keeps coming back for more, win or lose. It is a rivalry with both style and stubbornness.
- Against mrmaglov, his score is simply unfair: he has 160 wins and only 7 losses in their 176-match, which probably explains why mrmaglov also keeps playing.
- Against Oleksandr Bortnyk, Artem is on the other side of the imbalance: a too-loyal rival who has left a bruise in 70 of his losses. The two have played 80 games, and it has become the most surprising fox and hound race on the ladder.
These rivalries help explain his longevity. Some online players collect trophies; Artem collects long-running and even impossible rematches.
The Dog that Does Not Resign
People say bullet is about talent, but Artem demonstrates it is also about temperament. His stat page shows early resignation only rarely: he would rather search for the ghost save than leave the game. He has a long winning streak of 21 games, and a long losing streak of 17 games, which is important and human. He has an 86.97 comeback rate, meaning that when a puzzle starts with a worse situation, he is not yet gone.
He likes the endgame more than most bullet specialists. A large chunk of his online games pass through the later stage, and he will happily turn an opening skate into a 20-move endgame ending. He also plays at his absolute dinner best around 15:00, which may be the one piece of trivia that can make you remember this International Master as the online player who treats 1 minute as a full course.