About Pengxiang Zhang
Pengxiang Zhang, often known online as chess_zpx, is a formidable Grandmaster known for his lightning-fast and fiercely tactical blitz chess. With a peak blitz rating soaring up to 2920 in September 2024, Pengxiang dominates the board with both precision and creativity.
Playing Style & Strengths
Pengxiang prefers the adrenaline rush of blitz chess, often engaging in games that average around 90 moves—showcasing remarkable endurance and strategic depth in fast-paced time controls. His style features a strong endgame focus, appearing in nearly 90% of his games, combined with excellent tactical awareness. Remarkably, he never resigns early, proving his resilience and fighting spirit.
- Resilient comeback rate: nearly 89%
- High win rate after losing a piece: 45%
- Prefers openings like Slav Defense (100% win rate) and Catalan Opening (71% win rate) in blitz
- Excels in games starting with 1. d4, showing deep preparation especially in Queen’s Pawn structures
Memorable Streaks & Records
- Longest winning streak: 10 consecutive blitz wins
- Current winning streak: 1 game (always hungry for more!)
- Longest losing streak: 7 games, proving even the best have tough days
- Overall blitz record: 144 wins, 130 losses, 31 draws
With an enviable ability to bounce back and a tilt factor of just 7 (which is low in the chess world), Pengxiang’s mental game stands tall under pressure.
Opening Insights
Pengxiang's opening repertoire in blitz chess reveals his versatile and adaptive approach:
- Slav Defense with perfect win record (4 wins, no losses)
- Catalan Opening: dominant with over 70% win rate
- Queen's Pawn and Queen's Gambit lines also form a critical cornerstone of his play
- Less success with Reti's King's Indian Attack, indicating a potential area of ongoing development
Time & Opponent Statistics
When to challenge Pengxiang? Beware: he seems most lethal in the wee hours of the morning—around 2 AM—with a perfect 100% win rate in some early morning hours. His Thursday and Tuesday performances are notably strong, making those ideal times to catch his A-game.
He has faced tough rivals like “stollenmonster” and “flietr” multiple times, with a balanced record, but with a penchant for crushing less prepared opponents with 100% win rates against many.
Fun Fact
Don’t expect Pengxiang to give up easily—he has zero early resignations and is known to play long games even when under pressure. He is the kind of player who fights until the final move, making it thrilling to watch his blitz battles unfold like a thrilling chess thriller!