Ігор Мельник (IhorMelnyk95) — Overview
Ігор Мельник, known online as IhorMelnyk95, is a fast-paced Ukrainian chess player celebrated for razor-sharp tactics and a taste for high-octane time controls. A crowd-pleaser in Bullet and Blitz arenas, Ігор plays like he’s late for dinner — urgent, decisive, and with a knack for last-second miracles.
- Preferred time control: Bullet (often spills over into blazing Blitz marathons).
- Huge experience: thousands of Blitz games and a strong record across time classes.
- Fan-favorite openings: likes to surprise opponents with offbeat systems and the aggressive Amazon Attack.
Playing style
Ігор combines tactical daring with endurance: long, sharp battles that often go into deep endgames. He is comfortable in complications and has an impressive comeback rate — opponents should never assume a one-piece advantage guarantees victory.
- Endgame frequency: high — many games go long and grindy.
- Comeback rate: exceptional; known to flip positions around even after material losses.
- Average decisive game length: long for fast time controls (players beware of marathon finishes).
Career highlights & milestones
Ігор has steadily climbed the online ladders and hit remarkable peaks in recent years. He’s notorious for long winning runs and explosive rating bursts.
- Peak Blitz: 2835 (2025-04-22) — a recent high-water mark that arrived after a stretch of intense play.
- Peak Bullet: 2582 (2025-11-09) — proof that his speed chess is elite.
- Longest winning streak: 27 games; longest losing streak: 11 games (even the best have bad days).
- Strength-adjusted win rates: particularly strong in Bullet and Rapid formats.
Opening preferences & repertoire
Ігор’s choices mix surprise value and solid systems. He often leans into openings that invite imbalanced, tactical play.
- Amazon Attack: Siberian Attack — one of his most-played and most-successful systems in Blitz. (Amazon Attack)
- Australian Defense — solid and surprisingly effective in fast games. (Australian Defense)
- Caro-Kann, Sicilian and a handful of gambits — versatile and ready to spice up the position early.
Memorable game (quick study)
A compact tactical skirmish that showcases timing and nerves of steel. Replay and learn:
Fun note: this line is great for practicing piece activity and clock management — two of Ігор’s specialties.
Rivals, records & head-to-heads
Ігор has met several opponents repeatedly and built notable rivalries online.
- Most-played opponent: Liudmyla Ivanytska — 52 games (record: many thrilling encounters).
- Notable rivals: Kevin Bordi (31 games), gmgamil (22 games).
- Overall online match record highlights: strong win totals in Blitz and a very healthy Bullet record — often finishing games decisively rather than drawing.
Fun facts & trivia
- Best time of day to challenge Ігор: around 23:00 — his peak performance hour.
- Psychology: tilt factor is noticeable; he’s human — but bounces back (high comeback rate).
- Endurance: average decisive games are long — opponents that burn time early may pay for it later.
- If you want to study his openings: look up Amazon Attack and Australian Defense games for practical ideas. (Amazon Attack)