Zbigniew Pakleza: Grandmaster of the Bullet Board
Zbigniew Pakleza, who plays online as Byniolus, is a FIDE Grandmaster with a specialty that suits the modern era: bullet chess. While his title was earned in classical arenas, his online home is the one minute per side battlefield, where he has become one of the most active and feared speed demons on the platform.
His bullet resume is almost absurd. With tens of thousands of games played, more than 18,000 wins, and a peak bullet rating of 3146 (2026-08-27), he has turned the fastest time control into a laboratory of attack, defense, and defiance.
The Bullet Machine
Volume is only part of the story. Pakleza once strung together 79 consecutive wins, a streak that requires both skill and a very forgiving server. He is also nearly impossible to put away, coming back to win 81.66 percent of the time and still winning 54.63 percent of his games after losing material. His favorite battleground is the London System, whose Poisoned Pawn lines he has navigated thousands of times with striking success.
Rivalries and Rematches
Every bullet grinder has rivals, and Pakleza has them in bulk. His most frequent opponent is Jan-Krzysztof Duda, who has faced him 367 times. The ledger is lopsided: 62 wins for Pakleza, 292 losses, and 13 draws. Against Andrew Tang, the story is also painful, with only 34 wins in 240 meetings. But he gets his revenge against Piotr Brodowski, taking 133 wins in 213 games. Such marathon rivalries show that Pakleza will rematch anyone, anywhere, at any hour.
Signature Openings
Pakleza's repertoire is a museum of rare and exotic lines. He reaches for old friends like the Modern Defense and the Czech Defense, but he also enjoys offbeat toys such as the Amazon Attack, the Siberian Attack, and the Amar Gambit. His numbers tell the tale:
- London System Poisoned Pawn lines: thousands of games with rapid win rates above 84 percent
- Czech Defense: a go-to weapon with strong results in both Bullet and Blitz
- Amazon Attack and Siberian Attack: frequent detours into wild territory
- Amar Gambit: a favorite when he wants to test an opponent's composure
A small sample of his brand of chaos:
Early Bird or Night Owl
If you want a peak Pakleza experience, set your alarm for 5 a.m. His win rate around that hour approaches 72 percent, and his best days are Mondays, when the weekend warriors have gone home. His tilt factor is a steady 49, so even long losing streaks rarely crack his composure.
Zbigniew Pakleza is proof that a Grandmaster title can live happily in bullet form. Just be careful when you accept that rematch at dawn.