Timour Koliada (greatplay2) — FIDE Master and Blitz Specialist
Timour Koliada, known online as greatplay2, is a FIDE Master with a reputation as a relentless blitz player. A prolific competitor and opening experimenter, Timour has built a career largely in fast time controls — especially blitz — where tactical sharpness and nerve matter most.
Career Highlights
Timour's chess story is written in quickfire games, long opening trenches and dramatic comebacks. Key highlights include:
- Title: FIDE Master (FM) — earned recognition from FIDE for consistent high-level play.
- Blitz specialist: thousands of rated blitz games played — a mountain of experience in rapid decision-making and tactics.
- Peak form captured here: 2715 (2025-07-29)
- Rating trend chart (2017–2025):
Playing Style & Strengths
Timour’s style blends practical preparation with fierce tactical play. Opponents often face:
- Deep familiarity with aggressive and semi-aggressive systems — excellent at creating imbalances early.
- Impressive comeback ability: Timour converts difficult positions into wins more often than many peers.
- Long games by blitz standards: Timour’s average decisive games run well into the middle and endgame, showing patience and endgame skill.
Notable Openings & Repertoire
Timour favors a mix of classical and sharp systems. Frequent and successful lines include:
- King’s side firepower: King’s Indian Defense (Sämisch lines)
- Dynamic QGD and Nimzo ideas: QGD 3.Nc3 Bb4 and Nimzo-Indian Defense
- Sicilian tinkering — especially the Alapin and its sharper Sherzer branches (Sicilian Defense: Alapin Variation, Sherzer Variation)
- Surprising play in exchange/anti-mainline systems like the Gruenfeld Exchange and some London System traps
Memorable Game (Blitz)
A short illustrative blitz sequence — enjoy the swingy tactics and practical technique:
Rivals, Records & Patterns
Across tens of thousands of blitz games Timour has built rivalries and patterns worth noting:
- Frequently faced opponents include top online regulars — for example: Alan Stein and several others with long histories of encounters.
- Streaks: capable of long winning runs, but also vulnerable to periodic cold patches — the player’s competitive life is dramatic and entertaining.
- Best hours: often plays best during morning and late-evening blitz sessions (see time-of-day win patterns).
Fun Facts & Trivia
- Timour plays like someone who enjoys chaos — expect unexpected pawn pushes and sacrificial intent.
- Endgames are not neglected: many wins come from deep technical play after the clock is low.
- Placeholder for exploring openings in depth: Nimzo-Indian Defense
- If you want to study one opponent’s games first: try Alan Stein — a frequent matchup that produced dozens of memorable clashes.
How to Follow & Study
To study Timour’s approach, focus on blitz-specific training: sharpen tactics, practice time management and learn several transpositional opening ideas listed above. If you enjoy entertaining, high-variance chess with instructive tactical motifs, Timour’s games are a great resource.