Darius Viškelis (Darius321): FIDE Master, Endgame Marathoner, Refuser of Resignation
Darius Viškelis, known in the lobby as Darius321, is a FIDE Master with a simple mission statement: play 1.e4, push the pawn, and never, ever resign early. Since first appearing online in September 2018, Darius has logged more than 6,100 rated games, climbed from a humble 1329 blitz rating to a 2463 peak, and built a reputation as one of the most stubborn comeback artists in online chess.
The Climb: A Training Montage in Rating Points
The opening chapter reads like a sports movie. First blitz month: 41 games, 32 wins, and a rating already past 2000. By late 2019, a seasoned 2200. In November 2020, a single month of 75 wins against 24 losses launched the rating to 2389, and in September 2025 the long-awaited breakthrough finally landed: a personal best of 2463.
2463 (2025-09-16)
Openings: French Advance Forward, Pterodactyl With Caution
As White, Darius plays 1.e4 with the devotion of someone who has never fully trusted a d-pawn (three d4 openings in all of 2018, plus one daring 1.Ke2 in 2022 that everyone has politely agreed not to bring up again). The signature weapon is the French Defense: Advance Variation, and the results speak for themselves:
- French Defense: Advance Variation: 344 blitz games at 57.85%, and a flawless 11-for-11 in Daily chess
- Sicilian Defense: Alapin Variation: 212 games, 55.2% wins
- Caro-Kann Defense: Panov Attack: 138 games, 58% wins
- QGD Tarrasch: 196 games, 55.6% wins as the reliable Black standby
With the black pieces, the exotic Modern Defense: Pterodactyl Variation is a fascinating paradox: devastating in Bullet (72.7%) and Daily (81.8%), yet curiously allergic to blitz, where 217 games produced only a 45% score. The Pterodactyl, it seems, only flies after hours.
Then there is the Blackburne Shilling Gambit. Opponents have hurled this ancient trap at Darius 112 times from the black side, and in Rapid chess the counter-report is a perfect 6-for-6. At this point a masterclass titled "So You've Tried to Trap Me Again" feels inevitable.
Rivals: One Nemesis, Many Victims
Every grinder needs a villain, and Darius found one in Martynas Limontas: 18 head-to-head games, 2 wins, 11 losses, 5 draws. A wall. A riddle wrapped in a rating point or two.
- eroras: on the receiving end of an 11-1-1 beatdown. Someone check on eroras.
- Andrius Mulevicius: a respectful but lopsided 11-3.
- vigrigal123: 9-2, highlight reel material.
- Renato Quito: 9-3, presumably tired of seeing 1.e4.
Playing Style: The Comeback Machine
The early resignation rate sits at a microscopic 1.57%, which means Darius fights on in positions where most players would already be typing "gg". The payoff is real: an 84% comeback rate and a winning record even after dropping a full piece (51.1%). The endgame appears in nearly 77% of all games, the average win lasts 66 moves, and the average loss stretches to 80, because if a win is going to happen, the opponent is going to earn every point of it. Greetings are typically delivered via queen check, 5,854 times and counting, usually before move six.
Rapid Chess: The Preferred Hunting Ground
The listed format of choice is Rapid, and the evidence backs the preference: a sparkling 68-16-4 record, the best strength-adjusted win rate of any time control at roughly 61%, and a rapid peak worth bragging about. Compact sample, emphatic results.
1968 (2021-03-14)
Darius321 by the Numbers
- Prime time is 21:00, where the win rate climbs to a terrifying 74%. Do not challenge after dinner.
- Friday is the best day of the week (57.4%); Tuesday is everybody's problem (47.7%).
- Longest winning streak: 13 games. Longest losing streak: 18. The database giveth and the database taketh away.
- Tilt factor: 18 out of 100, about as tilt-resistant as online chess gets.
- Games featuring the Barnes Defense: a 76.9% win rate. Nobody, least of all Darius, knows why.
- The win rate is roughly 23 points higher in casual games; Darius describes this as "science."
Final Word
Challenge Darius321 at your own risk: expect an early e4, a long grind, several queen checks, and absolutely no resignation until the pieces are physically off the board.