Nick De Firmian
Grandmaster of the Chessboard
Nick De Firmian is a Grandmaster titleholder awarded by FIDE, wielding his chess prowess with a precision earned through countless battles. With a Blitz maximum rating peaking at an impressive 2670 in 2024, Nick has proven his tactical and strategic sharpness in the fast-paced arena where every second counts and every move pulses with potential energy.
Known for his calculated endgames, Nick's playing style is a study in patience and perseverance—boasting an endgame frequency above 83%, he thrives when the board is bare but the stakes are high. His average win spans over 67 moves, proving he’s not one to bolt early; after all, patience is a virtue and chess is no exception, making each match a slow dance to checkmate rather than a quick sprint.
With a comeback rate nearing 88%, Nick exhibits the resilience of a knight dodging capture on the battlefield of black and white. Even after losing a piece, he claims a perfect win rate of 100%, showing that he's not a player prone to throwing in the towel or breaking a sweat under pressure—his tilt factor remains impressively low at just 13, making him a rock-solid competitor in the psychological war of chess.
Nick's win rates are slightly higher when playing White (54.76%) versus Black (51.55%), showing his preference (and skill) at moving first and setting the pace. A black bishop or white queen might be no match for his strategic mind, and he boasts a longest winning streak of 19 games—enough to convince you that he's got the stamina of a marathoner, albeit one sprinting on 64 squares.
Besides his exploits in Blitz, Nick dabbles in Rapid and Bullet chess, with Rapid boasting a flawless win rate in the couple matches recorded, and Bullet games peppered with his quick-footed decisions that clock max ratings near the 1970 mark. Chess is his ecosystem, and like a cunning predator in the wild, Nick adapts fluidly to every time format, thriving across the spectrum from glacial deep-thinkers to lightning-fast gambits.
Off the board, Nick’s extensive experience and sharp insight make him an invaluable resource for many aspiring players. As a Grandmaster who has navigated the many forks and pins of competitive chess, Nick De Firmian continues to study the game’s evolution, always ready to shed light on the mysteries of the black-and-white DNA that make chess the noble, endlessly fascinating game it is.