Meet Ilyass Msellek, the International Master Known as chegueps
Ilyass Msellek, who compete online as chegueps, holds the FIDE title of International Master and brings that title to the internet with serious enthusiasm.His profile says the prefered time control is Daily, but the game log tells a more honest story: this is a player who lives in the fast lanes of Blitz and Bullet. Across more than 7,500 rated games, he has grown from a 1615 Blitz player in 2014 to someone who has reached 2927 (2025-12-15) in Blitz, with a Bullet peak near 2949 as well.
The Online Journey
Msellek's online career is a study in persistence and upward mobility. He entered the modern era of online chess, then put in the volume. His Blitz rating climbed steadily through the late 2010s, passed 2500 in 2019, touched 2700 in 2023, and eventually shot past 2900 in the winter of 2025. The ride has not been smooth, but the direction has been clear.
His Bullet rating follows a similar arc, peaking just shy of 2950, while his Rapid play has been more of a weekend hobby.The Daily section remains almost suspiciously quiet, which only reinforces the suspicion that he uses Daily games as a calm break from Blitz marathons.
The Opening Laboratory
If you see chegueps at the board, expect varity. As White, he has a long relationship with the Nimzo-Larsen Attack, and his 1.b3 setups are backed by hundreds of games. As Black, he is equally comfortable in the Caro-Kann Defense, the Alekhine Defense, and the Philidor Defense. His opening stats also include the Amar Gambit, the Amazon Attack, the Siberian Attack, and the Czech Defense. He appears to collect opening systems the way other players collect chess sets.
Rivalries and Repeat Customers
No biography is complete without rivals.Msellek's most frequent opponent is Bilel Bellahcene, with 70 meetings, and the rivalry is genuinely competitive: 26 wins for chegueps, 39 for bilelou, and 5 draws. Against magicjokic, the story is very different, with Msellek holding a dominant 41 wins against 5 losses. These long-running battles have helped build one of the busiest online schedules around.
Fighting Spirit and the Long Game
Msellek does not believe in quick handshakes.Roughly 82 percent of his games reach an endgame, and his typical win lasts about 77 moves.His comeback rate is an impressive 87.4 percent, and he still wins about half of his games after dropping a piece.When things go well, they go very well: his longest winning streak is 34 games.When they go badly, the tilt meter reads a perfect 10, and he has once lost 10 in a row. Such is the life of a chess warrior.
Tactical Snapshot and Quirks
- He wins 54.6 percent of his White games and 49.0 percent of his Black games.
- His average first capture happens around move 7.4, so early action is common.
- He performs best when playing at 15:00, with a win rate near 56 percent.
- He crushes lower-rated opposition with a 68.2 win percentage, while still grinding out results against higher-rated players.
- His most common checking piece is the Queen, followed closely by Rooks, which suggests he enjoys central pressure and open files.
In short, Ilyass Msellek, aka chegueps, is an International Master who treats online chess like an endless tournament. He favors Daily chess in his settings, but his heart belongs to fast time controls, long endgames, and the occasional very questionable opening name.