Tommi Luukkonen (ElVital) - FIDE Master Extraordinaire
If chess was an art form, Tommi Luukkonen would be the modern-day Picasso—only instead of paintbrushes, he wields pawns, knights, and a sly rook or two. Known on the board (and online) as ElVital, Tommi has proudly earned the coveted title of FIDE Master, a testament to brilliant strategy and resilience against the ticking clock.
Rating and Style
Tommi's journey through the ratings reads like an epic saga. Starting from humble blitz beginnings around 1300 in 2015, he steadily climbed the ladder, peaking at a blistering 2520 blitz rating in early 2025. Not to be outdone, his rapid play reached a high of 2548 back in 2020. And just to prove he’s quick on all fronts, his bullet peak rating soared to a spicy 2470.
With a solidly balanced playing style, Tommi doesn’t shy away from the grueling endgame battlefield, engaging in nearly 82% of such scenarios. Averaging over 70 moves per win, patience and precision are key weapons in the arsenal. An impressive comeback specialist, Tommi has a stellar 89% comeback rate after trading the occasional blunder—a hint that surrender is simply not in their vocabulary.
Opening Secrets and Tactical Flair
Tommi’s chess repertoire includes a delightful mix of secret weapons dubbed “Top Secret” (okay, mostly standard openings), alongside fan favorites like the English Opening (Kings English Variation) boasting a perfect 100% win rate in blitz, and the crafty Trompowsky Attack. A bit of a flirt with the King's Indian Attack? It’s a love-hate relationship with some tough losses, but hey — every master has their quirks.
Online Records and Psychological Insights
ElVital’s online track record is a rollercoaster of triumph and battle scars with over 347 blitz wins against more than 314 losses and a sprinkle of draws to keep opponents guessing. Interestingly, Tommi performs best on Wednesdays and Mondays (win rates north of 60%) but tends to struggle a bit on Fridays and Tuesdays—the weekend is clearly on the mind!
A morning bird, Tommi's peak combat effectiveness appears at the crack of dawn, boasting a flawless 100% win rate at 7 AM. So, if you ever play them, consider the time—you’re probably better off after sunrise.
Memorable Moments
In Tommi’s latest victory, they charmed an opponent into a tricky position with the Trompowsky Attack, winning on time in a tense and precise blitz duel. Yet, even maestros face setbacks; a recent loss came after tough battles in queen-pawn openings, reminding us that chess is as humbling as it is thrilling.
Final Word
Tommi Luukkonen, aka ElVital, is not just a FIDE Master but a strategic wizard who fights tenaciously through each minute and move. Whether breaking through with a cunning knight fork or grinding in deep endgames, Tommi’s chess journey embodies passion, persistence, and that unmistakable sly grin of someone who loves every twist of the game.
Coaching Feedback for Tommi Luukkonen
Hi Tommi! I have reviewed some of your recent games and here are some insights and recommendations to help you continue improving:
1. Opening Understanding and Preparation
Your choice of openings like the Trompowsky Attack and French Defense variations shows a solid and versatile opening repertoire. You navigate typical middlegame structures well, but consider deepening your familiarity with critical pawn breaks and piece placements in these lines. This will help you gain more comfortable positions early on and capitalize on opponent inaccuracies.
2. Tactical Awareness
You demonstrate good tactical alertness, often exploiting opportunities such as pins, forks, and piece activity. For example, in your recent win against RelajateyCoopera, you showed precise timing in taking control of the open files and threatening weaknesses tirelessly. Keep practicing puzzles and sharpening your calculation skills to maintain this strength.
3. Positional Play and Planning
Improvements can be made in long-term strategic planning. In some games, there were moments where more patience or prophylaxis could have improved your position, especially in pawn structure tension and minor piece exchanges. Try to identify key squares and weak pawns in your opponent’s camp and formulate plans around these positional targets.
4. Time Management
You tend to have solid time usage most of the time, but be careful not to lose critical moments on the clock — a few games were decided on time, which suggests room for faster decision-making under pressure. Practice playing with increment clocks and consider setting practical move goals to avoid time trouble.
5. Endgame Technique
Your endgame technique is developing well. Continuing to study standard theoretical endgames and focus on king activity and pawn promotion themes will allow you to convert winning advantages more reliably.
6. Mindset and Consistency
Its great that you bounce back quickly from losses and keep a fighting spirit. Make sure to review your losses carefully and identify recurring patterns or mistakes. Annotating your games can be a helpful habit.
Next Steps
- Study thematic opening videos or lessons on your chosen openings.
- Commit to 10-15 tactical puzzles daily to boost calculation speed.
- Analyze one loss per week deeply to learn the "why" behind each mistake.
- Play longer time control games occasionally to practice strategic planning.
Keep up the good work, and feel free to share games or positions you'd like to analyze further!
🆚 Opponent Insights
| Recent Opponents | ||
|---|---|---|
| magzybogues08092003 | 1W / 0L / 0D | |
| prskalovladislavgmailco | 1W / 0L / 0D | |
| devcbh | 0W / 1L / 0D | |
| mimi7881 | 1W / 0L / 0D | |
| treningowo123 | 1W / 0L / 0D | |
| allanrufus3 | 1W / 0L / 0D | |
| Most Played Opponents | ||
|---|---|---|
| susturucu61 | 5W / 1L / 1D | |
| molotkh | 2W / 4L / 0D | |
| Mihai Ionescu | 1W / 4L / 0D | |
| antonhy84 | 4W / 0L / 0D | |
| Harald Schmidt | 2W / 2L / 0D | |
Rating
| Year | Bullet | Blitz | Rapid | Daily |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2470 | 2449 | 2381 | |
| 2024 | 2438 | 2414 | ||
| 2023 | 2313 | |||
| 2020 | 2253 | 2414 | ||
| 2019 | 2151 | |||
| 2015 | 1461 | |||
| 2011 | 990 |
Stats by Year
| Year | White | Black | Moves |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 114W / 98L / 14D | 105W / 111L / 6D | 76.2 |
| 2024 | 27W / 14L / 0D | 17W / 28L / 2D | 81.4 |
| 2023 | 25W / 30L / 3D | 29W / 31L / 4D | 72.5 |
| 2020 | 39W / 19L / 4D | 38W / 17L / 8D | 81.4 |
| 2019 | 1W / 0L / 0D | 0W / 1L / 0D | 26.0 |
| 2015 | 1W / 1L / 0D | 2W / 0L / 0D | 49.8 |
| 2011 | 0W / 2L / 0D | 1W / 1L / 0D | 5.8 |
Openings: Most Played
| Rapid Opening | Games | Wins | Losses | Draws | Win Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Caro-Kann Defense | 5 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 20.0% |
| Diemer-Duhm Gambit (DDG): 4...f5 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 75.0% |
| Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 75.0% |
| Sicilian Defense: Nyezhmetdinov-Rossolimo Attack, Fianchetto Variation | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
| Sicilian Defense: Taimanov Variation, Bastrikov Variation, English Attack | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 33.3% |
| King's Indian Defense: Accelerated Averbakh Variation | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
| Amazon Attack: Siberian Attack | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 33.3% |
| Scandinavian Defense | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
| French Defense: Winawer Variation, Advance Variation | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 50.0% |
| English Opening: Agincourt Defense | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0.0% |
| Blitz Opening | Games | Wins | Losses | Draws | Win Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amar Gambit | 24 | 13 | 9 | 2 | 54.2% |
| Australian Defense | 21 | 10 | 10 | 1 | 47.6% |
| Modern | 20 | 10 | 9 | 1 | 50.0% |
| Amazon Attack: Siberian Attack | 19 | 7 | 12 | 0 | 36.8% |
| Sicilian Defense: Closed | 19 | 13 | 6 | 0 | 68.4% |
| Caro-Kann Defense | 18 | 9 | 7 | 2 | 50.0% |
| Czech Defense | 17 | 11 | 6 | 0 | 64.7% |
| Bird Opening: Dutch Variation, Batavo Gambit | 16 | 6 | 10 | 0 | 37.5% |
| Scandinavian Defense | 16 | 10 | 6 | 0 | 62.5% |
| Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation | 14 | 4 | 7 | 3 | 28.6% |
| Bullet Opening | Games | Wins | Losses | Draws | Win Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| French Defense: Classical Variation, Svenonius Variation | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
| Daily Opening | Games | Wins | Losses | Draws | Win Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sicilian Defense: Closed | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.0% |
| Sicilian Defense: Closed, Anti-Sveshnikov Variation, Kharlov-Kramnik Line | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.0% |
| Philidor Defense | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.0% |
| Amazon Attack: Siberian Attack | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
🔥 Streaks
| Streak | Longest | Current |
|---|---|---|
| Winning | 9 | 2 |
| Losing | 7 | 0 |