Krikor Sevag Mekhitarian – Bullet‑First Grandmaster
Krikor Sevag Mekhitarian, better known online as GMKrikor, is a Brazilian-Armenian chess grandmaster and one of the most entertaining streamers in modern chess. He plays like a serious professional, comments like a stand‑up comic, and thinks a 1‑minute game is “plenty of time”.
A FIDE Grandmaster, Krikor has built a second career on camera, where his sharp calculation, honest tilt, and self‑deprecating humor have turned countless casual viewers into opening‑code‑studying addicts.
Over-the-Board Roots, Online Jungle
Long before he was farming clips on stream, Krikor was doing the classical grind: norm tournaments, tough endgames, and trying to remember what preparation he checked that morning. His solid OTB foundation shows everywhere: his games often reach deep endgames, and he wins a huge share of them thanks to clean technique.
Online, though, the same GM calmly converting rook endings is also the guy premoving entire openings in bullet. His long‑term rating curve shows a player who embraced the internet chess boom and just never stopped:
Across all time controls, Krikor has logged tens of thousands of games, maintaining a positive score even while constantly facing titled opposition and fellow streamers.
Why Bullet Is Home
Although GMKrikor is strong in every format, his profile screams one thing: he is built for Bullet.
- Massive experience: Thousands of bullet games with consistently elite ratings.
- Sharp instincts: A high win rate even in chaotic positions, with a knack for turning lost positions into swindles when the clock hits panic mode.
- Endgame speed: An unusually high endgame frequency, even in fast time controls, and the ability to convert them while playing on increment and talking to chat.
For viewers, this means classic GM technique wrapped in pure speed‑chess adrenaline. For his opponents, it means that if they are equal or slightly better on move 30, they may still lose on move 80 — and end up in a YouTube thumbnail.
Openings: From Najdorf to Unpronounceable Gambits
Krikor’s opening repertoire is exactly what you would expect from a modern attacking GM who streams: a mix of sound mainlines and spicy sidelines that make engines nod and humans suffer.
- As Black, he is a long‑time practitioner of the Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation and Caro-Kann Defense, combining solid structures with tactical traps.
- With White, he is happy to steer into systems like the Réti Opening or offbeat anti‑Sicilians, especially in Blitz and Bullet, where practical chances matter more than memorizing a 30‑move engine line.
- In bullet, his love for tricky systems like the Amar Gambit and Colle System: Rhamphorhynchus Variation shows a clear philosophy: “Give me a playable position and a time edge, and we’ll see who survives.”
His pet setups, like King’s Indian‑style structures and flexible English/Réti move orders, make frequent appearances in his videos, many of them turning into instant instructive content when things go right — and even better content when they go wrong.
Style: Endgame Grinder with Streamer Instincts
Statistically, GMKrikor’s games reach the endgame surprisingly often, even in fast time controls. He tends to:
- Play long games: His wins and losses often stretch past the 80‑move mark, reflecting an emphasis on squeezing small advantages rather than gambling everything on early tactics.
- Convert under pressure: A strong win rate even after losing material shows great resourcefulness — he doesn’t resign easily and often outplays opponents in complicated, low‑time scrambles.
- Fight as both colors: His win rates with White and Black are both impressively high, a rare sign of a very balanced repertoire and strong universal style.
Psychologically, his games show occasional tilt streaks — as any streamer will admit — but also impressive recovery. When he catches form, he can go on huge winning runs, mowing down opposition for hours.
Streamer, Entertainer, Commentator
As a streamer, GMKrikor brings the rare combo of serious grandmaster analysis and genuine humor. He:
- Explains ideas in clear language without dumbing them down.
- Freely roasts his own blunders, which his audience archives forever.
- Plays viewers, subs, and fellow titled players, often speed‑running rating goals on stream.
He is also an experienced commentator, comfortable breaking down high‑level games live while keeping things accessible for club players. His ability to instantly name structures, plans, and refutations has made him a popular voice in Portuguese‑language chess content.
Rivals, Friends, and Familiar Faces
Over thousands of games, certain usernames keep showing up in GMKrikor’s history — friendly rivals, fellow grinders, and occasional rating thieves. Names like Roberto Junio Brito Molina, Lucas Do Valle Cardoso, Tamaz Mgeladze, Jose Martinez, and Alexander Rustemov have shared hundreds of battles with him.
He has also faced star streamers and elite speed demons — from fierce scorelines against up‑and‑comers to tough repeat matchups versus monsters like Hikaru Nakamura. These encounters are as much content as they are competition, and viewers rarely complain.
Signature Conversion – A Sample Game
A typical “GMKrikor win” often goes: solid opening, structural squeeze, then a clinical endgame finished off in severe time trouble. A simplified illustration might look like this:
On stream, this would be accompanied by running commentary, a quick breakdown of missed resources, and at least one joke about how “this was all preparation from 2009.”
Legacy and Ongoing Story
Krikor Sevag Mekhitarian represents the modern grandmaster: deeply rooted in classical chess culture, yet fully at home in the digital arena. He proves that you can play serious, principled chess while also chatting with thousands of viewers, blundering live, and laughing about it five seconds later.
Whether you know him as a national‑team GM, a bullet addict, or simply as GMKrikor shouting at his own pieces on stream, his games and commentary continue to bring more people into the game — and keep them there.