International Master Michał Luch
Michał Luch, known online as IM_Michal_Luch, is a chess virtuoso with the coveted title of International Master from FIDE. With a playing style as sharp as a bishop's diagonal and as unpredictable as a knight's hop, Michał has dazzled opponents across blitz, rapid, bullet, and daily formats.
Since bursting onto the scene, Michał's blitz rating soared to an impressive peak of 2797 in mid-2022, making him a formidable force in lightning-fast games where every second counts. If you thought the pace of classical chess was thrilling, Michał’s bullet and blitz games would have you on the edge of your seat, fingers firing faster than the rook on an open file.
Not just a speed demon, Michał exhibits a deep understanding of endgames, often turning tight spots into stunning victories — boasting a comeback rate near 79%, proving stubborn resilience is part of the package. Their average wins come after roughly 67 moves, indicating a preference for grinding out victories strategically rather than flashy early-fire fireworks, except in rapid and bullet where the fun is just about endless.
Favorite openings? Michał keeps a few tricks up the sleeve, favoring the Caro-Kann Defense Two Knights Mindeno Exchange and experimental lines like the Reti Opening Quiet System in blitz, as well as the Sicilian Defense French and Canal variations with remarkable success. Opponents beware: this repertoire is as mysterious as “Top Secret” and as effective as a secret weapon.
Among friends and foes, Michał’s name arises frequently, having played nearly 300 games against the opponent “mszansan” with a strong 68% win rate. Their psychological tilt factor clocks a quirky 99, suggesting even the best sometimes get a little rattled—perhaps from crafting so many winning combinations with nervy precision!
Recent Highlights
- Chess.com Blitz peak rating of 2797 as of July 2022.
- Recent top-notch victory by checkmate in a Sicilian Defense French Variation — watch out, kings!
- Demonstrated time-trouble prowess by outmaneuvering opponents even when the clock ticks dangerously low.
When not capturing kings, Michał enjoys testing new openings and challenging the limits of tactical awareness. With a win streak record as high as 82 games (don’t ask about the losses, it’s all part of the grandmaster journey), Michał continues to inspire fans and confound opponents.
In short, whether throwing down fireballs in bullet or plotting patient schemes in daily chess, IM Michał Luch plays the game with equal parts brilliance and wit—sometimes you almost suspect their knight jumps come with punchlines.
Overall Performance Overview
Hi Michał, your recent blitz games display strong play and consistent results with a strength adjusted win rate of approximately 49%. Your rating has remained stable over the past few months, with a slight upward trend in the last month suggesting promising progress.
Positives from Recent Games
- Solid Opening Preparation: You demonstrate good familiarity with several openings including the French Defense (Advance Variation), Caro-Kann Defense, Reti Opening, and Queen's Gambit structures. This provides a strong foundation in your games.
- Strong Tactical Awareness: Many of your wins end either with resignation or checkmate, indicating you can confidently convert advantages in the middlegame and endgame.
- Good Time Management: Across the analyzed games, you manage your clock well, maintaining adequate time for critical decisions, which is essential in blitz.
- Effective Endgame Technique: The final sequences in several games show precise technique leading to winning endgames, highlighting your deep understanding in this phase.
Areas to Focus On
- Mitigating Tactical Oversights: In some losses, opponents achieved decisive tactical blows or checkmates. Sharpening your calculation skills through focused tactical exercises may help prevent these.
- Opening Consistency: While your opening knowledge is solid, continuing to deepen your understanding and exploring less common responses could add an edge, especially in faster opponents' preparation.
- Pressure Handling: Some games show your position becoming precarious after the opponent’s aggressive counters. Developing strategies to neutralize pressure in difficult positions can improve resilience.
- Drawn Games and Close Results: Since your win rate is close to 50%, slightly improving decision-making in critical moments can swing those close games in your favor.
Suggestions Moving Forward
- Review key moments in your recent losses, especially where checkmate threats occurred, to understand tactical patterns and defensive resource improvements.
- Study your successful openings more deeply and experiment with variations that keep your opponents uncomfortable.
- Practice rapid and blitz time controls regularly to improve intuition and speed while keeping accuracy high.
- Analyze games against higher-rated players to identify subtle weaknesses and unique strategic ideas.
- Keep tracking your rating and performance trends monthly to recognize patterns and progress.
Closing Thoughts
Michał, your chess demonstrates strong fundamentals and winning potential. With targeted refinement in tactics and opening breadth, coupled with constant playing and review, you can continue climbing the ranks in blitz chess. Keep up the good work and focus on learning from every game.
🆚 Opponent Insights
| Most Played Opponents | ||
|---|---|---|
| mszansan | 197W / 33L / 58D | View Games |
| maxx_2010 | 111W / 13L / 25D | View Games |
| Michał Walentukiewicz | 30W / 42L / 12D | View Games |
| grandemas | 36W / 12L / 6D | View Games |
| ErnestoGuevaraLynch | 25W / 19L / 9D | View Games |
Rating
| Year | Bullet | Blitz | Rapid | Daily |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2500 | 2428 | 1550 | |
| 2024 | 2558 | 2710 | 2428 | 1886 |
| 2023 | 2515 | 2703 | 2412 | 1945 |
| 2022 | 2524 | 2682 | 2412 | 1896 |
| 2021 | 2413 | 2696 | 2434 | 1862 |
| 2020 | 2289 | 2621 | 2638 | 2020 |
| 2019 | 2401 | 2576 | 2140 | |
| 2018 | 2404 | 2441 | 2173 | |
| 2017 | 2429 | 2421 | 2174 | |
| 2016 | 2418 | 2402 | 2023 | 1546 |
| 2015 | 2383 | 2383 | 1634 | |
| 2014 | 2255 | 2298 | 2023 | 1938 |
| 2013 | 2402 | 2279 | 1806 | |
| 2012 | 2284 | 2402 | 2411 |
Stats by Year
| Year | White | Black | Moves |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 22W / 10L / 5D | 18W / 9L / 6D | 65.1 |
| 2024 | 59W / 12L / 10D | 57W / 13L / 9D | 68.0 |
| 2023 | 148W / 82L / 39D | 122W / 108L / 37D | 74.0 |
| 2022 | 387W / 254L / 91D | 322W / 310L / 69D | 80.8 |
| 2021 | 336W / 188L / 79D | 290W / 198L / 75D | 74.7 |
| 2020 | 460W / 296L / 138D | 401W / 343L / 130D | 77.0 |
| 2019 | 157W / 107L / 42D | 148W / 128L / 43D | 75.3 |
| 2018 | 256W / 105L / 49D | 231W / 106L / 54D | 62.2 |
| 2017 | 272W / 154L / 37D | 264W / 157L / 42D | 71.3 |
| 2016 | 96W / 82L / 18D | 91W / 90L / 16D | 75.6 |
| 2015 | 161W / 133L / 18D | 160W / 136L / 31D | 55.8 |
| 2014 | 401W / 218L / 52D | 390W / 245L / 47D | 70.3 |
| 2013 | 311W / 201L / 59D | 272W / 239L / 60D | 60.6 |
| 2012 | 69W / 3L / 9D | 50W / 6L / 7D | 60.0 |
Openings: Most Played
| Daily Opening | Games | Wins | Losses | Draws | Win Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unknown | 196 | 106 | 90 | 0 | 54.1% |
| Sicilian Defense: Alapin Variation | 103 | 73 | 19 | 11 | 70.9% |
| Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation | 99 | 61 | 28 | 10 | 61.6% |
| Alekhine Defense | 66 | 57 | 4 | 5 | 86.4% |
| Australian Defense | 56 | 38 | 18 | 0 | 67.9% |
| Nimzo-Indian Defense: Classical Variation | 50 | 31 | 13 | 6 | 62.0% |
| Ruy Lopez: Exchange Variation | 50 | 35 | 12 | 3 | 70.0% |
| Sicilian Defense: Accelerated Dragon, Maróczy Bind | 49 | 38 | 7 | 4 | 77.5% |
| Slav Defense: Bonet Gambit | 48 | 26 | 15 | 7 | 54.2% |
| Sicilian Defense | 46 | 26 | 18 | 2 | 56.5% |
| Blitz Opening | Games | Wins | Losses | Draws | Win Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alekhine Defense | 494 | 234 | 204 | 56 | 47.4% |
| Alekhine Defense: Modern Variation | 260 | 132 | 96 | 32 | 50.8% |
| Nimzo-Indian Defense: Classical Variation | 167 | 84 | 63 | 20 | 50.3% |
| Amazon Attack: Siberian Attack | 137 | 61 | 57 | 19 | 44.5% |
| Nimzo-Indian Defense: Classical Variation, Noa Variation | 132 | 57 | 49 | 26 | 43.2% |
| Döry Defense | 122 | 64 | 47 | 11 | 52.5% |
| QGD: 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e3 | 110 | 46 | 37 | 27 | 41.8% |
| English Opening: Agincourt Defense | 108 | 46 | 40 | 22 | 42.6% |
| Slav Defense: Bonet Gambit | 103 | 50 | 33 | 20 | 48.5% |
| Catalan Opening | 97 | 45 | 39 | 13 | 46.4% |
| Rapid Opening | Games | Wins | Losses | Draws | Win Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sicilian Defense | 32 | 21 | 3 | 8 | 65.6% |
| Nimzo-Larsen Attack: Classical Variation | 30 | 21 | 3 | 6 | 70.0% |
| Amar Gambit | 29 | 18 | 2 | 9 | 62.1% |
| London System: Poisoned Pawn Variation | 25 | 15 | 3 | 7 | 60.0% |
| Sicilian Defense: Alapin Variation | 21 | 10 | 0 | 11 | 47.6% |
| Döry Defense | 19 | 14 | 3 | 2 | 73.7% |
| Colle System: Rhamphorhynchus Variation | 18 | 15 | 2 | 1 | 83.3% |
| Sicilian Defense: Alapin Variation, Sherzer Variation | 16 | 13 | 3 | 0 | 81.2% |
| Australian Defense | 15 | 8 | 2 | 5 | 53.3% |
| Barnes Defense | 15 | 8 | 0 | 7 | 53.3% |
| Bullet Opening | Games | Wins | Losses | Draws | Win Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alekhine Defense | 300 | 156 | 133 | 11 | 52.0% |
| Amar Gambit | 222 | 116 | 90 | 16 | 52.2% |
| Colle System: Rhamphorhynchus Variation | 118 | 51 | 58 | 9 | 43.2% |
| Alekhine Defense: Modern Variation | 92 | 45 | 38 | 9 | 48.9% |
| Australian Defense | 77 | 35 | 40 | 2 | 45.5% |
| Sicilian Defense: Alapin Variation | 72 | 30 | 35 | 7 | 41.7% |
| Modern | 71 | 42 | 27 | 2 | 59.1% |
| Sicilian Defense | 67 | 34 | 30 | 3 | 50.8% |
| Benoni Defense: Benoni Gambit Accepted | 66 | 43 | 20 | 3 | 65.2% |
| Barnes Defense | 60 | 35 | 23 | 2 | 58.3% |
🔥 Streaks
| Streak | Longest | Current |
|---|---|---|
| Winning | 82 | 0 |
| Losing | 99 | 1 |