Borna Franc, aka HrvatskiMaher007: The Croatian Maher of Blitz Chess
Meet the Maher
Borna Franc is a FIDE Master from Croatia who spends most of his online life under the handle HrvatskiMaher007. In Croatian chess slang, "maher" means a master or a smooth operator, and the 007 in his username hints at a player with a license to take risks. His preferred time control is blitz chess, where he has played thousands of games, crossed the 3000 rating barrier, and built a reputation as one of the most active and entertaining attackers on the platform.
Over roughly two years of data, Borna logged more than 9,000 rated online games. He reached a peak blitz rating of 3043 in February 2026 and topped 2949 in bullet, all while keeping an opening repertoire that is equal parts brave and bizarre.
A Repertoire Built for Speed
Borna is a devoted 1.e4 player, choosing the king pawn in nearly 4,000 sampled games. From there he heads for the sharpest lines he can find, often landing in the Bird Opening with the Dutch Variation, Batavo Gambit, his most played setup with more than 600 games. He also loves the Sicilian Defense: Alapin Variation, the French Defense: Exchange Variation, and the Caro-Kann Defense: Exchange Variation. As Black he happily plays the Blackburne Shilling Gambit and other unorthodox tries, though the Ruy Lopez: Closed has been a thorn in his side with a win rate below 32 percent.
The Marathon Blitzer
Do not let the time control fool you. Borna's games are long, grinding affairs, with decisive games averaging more than 80 moves and roughly 82 percent of his battles reaching an endgame. He rarely gives up, posting a comeback rate near 90 percent and an 18 game winning streak at his hottest. The 16 game losing streak that followed one rough stretch? He simply queued up for the next game. That is the mark of a true online chess warrior.
Friends, Foes, and Frequent Opponents
Every legend needs a rival, and Borna has a whole board of them. His most frequent opponent is djendjii, who faced him 110 times and lost 82 of those battles. Then there is Vuk Damjanovic, the player who seems to live in his head, holding a commanding 43 to 14 edge. He also has a lively rivalry with Seo Jungmin and a rather one-sided history with Bone_Dragon, who trails 36 to 11.
Peaks, Valleys, and 2 AM Magic
Borna's blitz rating graph looks like a mountain range designed by a thrill seeker, with a peak above 3000 and dips that test the soul. His best time of day to play is 2:00 AM, which suggests the Croatian maher does his finest work while the rest of Europe sleeps.