A Fast-Talking Chess Heart
Roman Rychkov, known online as arthasxx29, is a National Master who clearly loves the thrill of fast chess. His preferred time control appears to be bullet, but his home turf is blitz, where he has played thousands of intense battles. From a modest 1802 blitz rating in 2019, he skyrocketed to a career-high 2618 in October 2024. That kind of leap demands an outrageous amount of energy, tactical sharpness, and a willingness to accept the occasional 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 disaster.
Signature Openings and Fighting Spirit
Roman is a committed e4 player. White or black, he looks for active pieces and early tension. In the Scotch Game, he has amassed 184 blitz games with 95 wins, while his work in the Accelerated Dragon has produced 98 wins in 175 blitz games. Those numbers are not accidental; they are the signature of someone who enjoys open lines and rapid development. In daily chess, his Scandinavian Defense record is a jaw-dropping 87 wins out of 87 games, proving that even in slower formats he knows how to punish early queen sorties.
Friends and Foes
Online chess has a way of creating strange rivalries. Roman has faced Aaron Pacheco 201 times, winning 199 of those meetings. You could call it a friendly one-sided rivalry, or perhaps a very patient friendship. The same cannot be said for Daniel Girsh, who has beaten Roman 98 times in 164 games. Roman still managed 52 wins against that tough opponent, which shows he keeps fighting even when the scoreboard looks ugly.
Milestones and Quirky Numbers
Roman's longest winning streak is 43 games, and he has a comeback rate of 78.43%. He wins 73.46% of games against lower rated players, and 30.18% against higher rated ones, which again proves that he is a serious spoiler. His white win rate is 60.15%, his black win rate is 54.79%, and apparently his best results come around 6:00 in the morning. The chart below tracks his blitz rise from the early days to the master level:
.