Moritz Gressmann: The Pharaoh of Fast Chess
Moritz Gressmann, known across the online chess boards as avenakhenjoyer, is a FIDE Candidate Master whose username reveals his true loyalties: like the heretic pharaoh Akhenaten, he worships one thing above all others. In his case, that thing is 1.e4. Of his thousands of recorded games, the king's pawn opening appears overwhelmingly, with everything else reduced to the occasional polite experiment. Some players collect openings. Moritz has faith in exactly one, and he has the ratings to justify the religion.
His bullet and blitz numbers tell the story of a player who lives at altitude. A bullet peak of 2635 (2025-01-11) and a blitz peak in the 2600s place him comfortably among the online elite, and the climb has been steady since he first appeared on the leaderboard in 2022.
The Opening Liturgy
As Black, Moritz's greatest act of devotion is the Petrov's Defense, played nearly 200 times in blitz with a healthy 55 percent score. There is something fitting about it: the Petrov is symmetrical, stubborn, and quietly defiant, much like a man who answers 1.e4 with 1...e5 and then refuses to be interesting until move twenty.
- Caro-Kann Defense: his bullet weapon of choice, scoring over 62 percent. Solid walls travel well at 60 seconds.
- Amar Gambit: yes, really. Nearly 70 percent in bullet with this oddball, proving that sometimes the best surprise attack is one nobody takes seriously.
- Alekhine Defense (as White): a 75 percent score in blitz, which raises questions about which side of the board it belongs on that Moritz has clearly decided not to answer.
- The Modern, as White: a rare crack in the faith, with a win rate south of 40 percent. Even pharaohs have one pyramid they would rather not discuss.
Rivals and Nemeses
Every chess career is defined by two people: the rival you respect and the villain who haunts you. For Moritz, the friendly sparring partner is norwegiangrandpa, against whom he has logged 17 games with a commanding 11-5-1 record. One imagines the grandpa logging off muttering about young people and their fast clocks.
Then there is Eric Hon. One win, six losses. The bear is small, the bear is patient, and the bear is currently winning their war 6 to 1. Moritz's longest losing streak of 12 games likely has a few bear paw prints on it, though his longest winning streak of 9 suggests the pharaoh always rises again.
Style: The Comeback King
The numbers paint Moritz as a grinder of the highest order. Over 71 percent of his games reach the endgame, and his average win lasts a marathon 69 moves. This is not a man who wins in twelve moves and posts the screenshot. This is a man who wins while you fall asleep.
- Comeback rate: a remarkable 87 percent, meaning even positions that look dead usually are not while Moritz is still breathing.
- Early resignation rate: 37 percent, however, so when he does decide a position is dead, he leaves the tomb early and turns out the lights.
- Lost a piece? He still scores nearly half his games. Material is a suggestion.
- Tilt factor: a calm 12 out of what one assumes is 100. Losing streaks slide off him like sand off a monument.
Dawn Patrol
Worshipper of the sun disk that he is, Moritz performs best when it rises. His win rate at 6:00 AM sits at a glowing 67 percent, by far his best hour, while the mid-afternoon slots dip into the low 40s. The conclusion is unavoidable: Moritz Gressmann is a morning sacrifice person, and around 2 PM he is simply a person. Plan your rematch accordingly.