CM Himal Lama: The Blitz Marathoner
Himal Lama, known online as HimalLama, is a FIDE Candidate Master who has turned internet Blitz chess into a marathon sport. With more than 24,000 rated online games, a peak Blitz rating of 2785 (2026-09-05), and a nearly 20,000 game Blitz career, he is one of the most tireless and dangerous speed chess competitors in his field.
Road to the Candidate Master Title
Himal's chess journey started modestly in 2011, when he was still finding his way around the board. His early Daily and Rapid ratings bounced around the lower thousands, but the volume was always there. By 2017 he had crossed 1800 in several time controls, and in 2024 and 2025 his Blitz rating exploded. The chart above tells the story of a player who kept grinding for more than a decade before reaching the 2700s in Blitz.
A Blitz Grinder at Heart
Blitz is clearly where Himal feels most at home. He has played more than 19,700 rated Blitz games, winning over 9,100 of them. He has also played more than 4,400 bullet games, making him a genuine speed chess specialist. His favorite weapon with White is the Bird Opening, especially the Dutch Variation and the Batavo Gambit, which he has played more than 1,000 times in Blitz. As Black, he dives into the Sicilian Defense again and again, and he also enjoys the Scandinavian Defense when he wants a more straightforward fight.
Playing Style and Fighting Spirit
Himal is not a quitter. His early resignation rate is barely over one percent, and most of his games reach a proper endgame. He also has a remarkable comeback rate of about 84 percent, meaning he often turns losing positions into wins. Even after losing a piece, he still wins a surprising number of games. He is stronger with the white pieces, winning 48.2 percent of those games compared with 44.7 percent as Black, but his stubbornness makes him awkward to play against in any color.
Signature Facts
- Longest winning streak: 21 games in a row.
- Longest losing streak: 14 games, showing he also embraces the tough stretches.
- Best time of day: 10:00, according to his performance data, so an early morning encounter is dangerous.
- Favorite structure as White: Bird Opening.
- Favorite battlefield as Black: Sicilian Defense.
Familiar Rivalries
No player reaches this much volume without making friends and rivals. His most frequent dance partner is pokemongreninja, who has faced Himal 107 times and lost 93 of those battles. A tougher challenge is Bibek Thing, who won 57 of their 102 meetings. Another regular, tom9817, has also traded dozens of games with Himal over the years. These rivalries help explain his enormous game count: Himal never turns down a rematch.
Legacy
Himal Lama's chess life is a lesson in persistence. He started as an unrated beginner, earned the FIDE Candidate Master title, and kept playing through peaks and slumps alike. Today he is a Blitz warrior with a peak above 2700, a massive personal archive of games, and a style that punishes impatience. Whether you know him as HimalLama or CM Himal Lama, he leaves a simple message: keep playing, keep attacking, and never resign too early.