champ2005: The Grandmaster Streamer Who Conquered Online Chess
champ2005 is not just a username. It is a warning label for anyone queuing up in online blitz. A FIDE Grandmaster and full time streamer, champ2005 has turned the chess internet into a personal proving ground. He has played thousands of games, outlasted entire armies of opponents, and climbed from a modest 1526 Blitz rating to a breathtaking 3200 peak. While he prefers the deeper thinking of Rapid chess, his fame was built in the fast lanes of Blitz and Bullet.
From 1526 to 3200: A Meteoric Rise
champ2005's rating graph looks less like a career and more like a rocket launch. In June 2016 he entered the online arena with a Blitz rating of 1526. Within a year he was over 2400. By the end of 2018 he had touched 2755, and in February 2020 he cracked 3000. The climb did not stop there. In January 2026 he hit a peak Blitz rating of 3200, while his Bullet rating reached 3228 and his Rapid rating peaked at 2784 in 2019. Add in more than 15,000 analyzed games, and you get one of the most battle tested players on the platform.
- Peak Blitz rating: 3200 (2026-01-03)
- Peak Bullet rating: 3228 (2026-01-03)
- Peak Rapid rating: 2784 (2019-11-16)
A Repertoire Built for Speed and Surprise
champ2005's opening choices mix solid foundations with spicy surprises. As Black he leans on the Caro-Kann Defense, a defense he has played more than 700 times in Blitz with a winning record. He is also a regular in the Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation, where results fluctuate as wildly as the positions themselves. As White he often tries the Nimzo-Larsen Attack and the King's Indian Attack, and he has a soft spot for poisoned pawns and long, grinding endgames. His games routinely stretch past 88 moves, and his endgame frequency is off the charts. This is a player who will outlast you.
Here is a typical Najdorf tabiya from his battles:
The Comeback King of the Endgame
Leading against champ2005 is a dangerous hobby. His comeback rate is 87.4%, and he still wins 50.47% of games after losing a piece. One sided losses are almost unknown for him, just 1.57%, because he drags every game into a long, painful grind. His longest winning streak was 29 straight wins, he owns a current streak of 13 wins, and even his longest losing streak of 17 games only proves that he will keep queuing up no matter what. With 4,224 Blitz wins and counting, his resilience is the stuff of legend.
Rivalries That Define a Legend
Every online warrior needs rivals, and champ2005 has built a rogues gallery of them. He has faced Nihal Sarin 328 times, and nihalsarin holds a commanding edge in that series. Arjun Erigaisi has also gotten the better of him across 371 marathon matches. Not every rivalry is painful, though. champ2005 has beaten Petros Trimitzios 207 times in 329 games, and he owns Goltsev Dmitry with 144 wins against just 42 losses. These recurring battles, often streamed live, are where his competitive story is written.
Behind the Stream: The 22:00 Chess Show
When champ2005 is not collecting Grandmaster scalps, he is streaming for an audience that loves both the chess and the drama. His best time of day is 22:00, which suits a night owl streamer perfectly. Tuesdays are his strongest day of the week, and his Tilt Factor of 17 is remarkably low for a player who has lost more than 5,000 games online. He wins 53.63% of his games as White and 49.88% as Black, and his record against lower rated players is absolutely ruthless. Tune in for long games, clever endgames, and the occasional victory dance.
Signature Game
To watch champ2005 take on a familiar rival in his favorite Najdorf waters, check out this Najdorf battle.