From 1220 to 2600: The Long Paddle Upstream
Cata Sava, known on the virtual felt as catamarocanu, started 2020 with a Blitz rating of 1220 and a whole lot of patience. Six years and more than 10,000 games later, that same account touched a peak of 2602 (2026-03-24). The climb from 1220 to 2600 was not a steady ascent but a roller coaster with occasional loops, yet the final destination was unmistakable.
The first month alone produced a stunning leap into the 2100s, and by mid-2021 Sava was a regular in the 2200s and 2300s. The rating graph shows a player who never stopped grinding, even when the floor briefly dropped in late 2023. A surge through 2024 and 2025 set the stage for the big breakthrough in early 2026.
The Caro-Kann Machine
Ask Cata Sava what to play against 1.e4 and the answer is the Caro-Kann Defense, deployed more than 1,000 times with the black pieces. The Exchange Variation alone shows up in nearly 300 of those games, which is either deep preparation or a very comfortable comfort zone.
With the white pieces, Sava is a devoted 1.e4 player who reaches for the Scotch Game and meets the Sicilian Defense with the sharp Sozin Attack. The opening record shows a positive score in the Sozin and the French Defense Burn Variation, proof that this is a player who likes the board to get messy.
The games themselves are marathons. The average decisive game runs past 70 moves, and the endgame is reached in over 75% of encounters. Sava does not sprint to the finish line; Sava walks there, checks every piece twice, and then wins anyway.
Rivalries Built Over Thousands of Moves
No biography of Cata Sava would be complete without the eternal duel against UAstrong. The two have faced each other 63 times in Blitz, with Sava holding 30 wins, 31 losses, and 2 draws. It is the closest thing chess has to a shared custody agreement, and neither side appears willing to file for divorce.
A second recurring rival is aleksander555, who leads their 55 game series 30 wins to 22. The numbers against both opponents suggest Sava thrives on familiar faces, turning every rematch into a personal study session.
The 4 AM Grinder
Here is the strangest stat in the file: Cata Sava plays their best chess between midnight and 4 AM. The win rate at 4:00 sits at 64.1%, with the 1 AM, 2 AM, and 3 AM slots all clearing 60%. Whether this is a nocturnal lifestyle or a strategic choice to face sleepier opponents is a mystery for the ages.
The fighting spirit is just as remarkable. Sava wins 46.55% of games after losing a piece and owns a comeback rate of 89.07%. The longest winning streak is 12, the longest losing streak is 13, and the player simply keeps showing up. The 4 AM board is apparently where catamarocanu turns into a chess werewolf.