Maksim Ivannikov - The Candidate Master With a Winning Smile
Meet Maksim Ivannikov, known online as IMaksim2010, a formidable Candidate Master titled by FIDE who’s been quietly (and sometimes not so quietly) climbing the chess ladder with flair and persistence. Born to conquer the 64 squares, Maksim’s journey is a testament to passion meeting precision, sprinkled with an occasional dash of humor during tough matches.
Rating & Performance Highlights
Maksim's blitz rating skyrocketed to a peak of 2746 in April 2025 - an extraordinary feat demonstrating tactical brilliance and nerves of steel. His bullet games are nothing to scoff at either, peaking at 2221, not to mention a rapid peak rating reaching the same highs. Whether it’s rapid or lightning-fast bullet, Maksim flexes his strategic muscles with a combined win rate above 60% in most formats.
Playing Style: A Blend of Grit and Creativity
Maksim isn’t just a machine grinding out moves; no, he plays with a cunning style highlighted by a 31.23% early resignation rate—a polite way of saying if he sees the wave coming, he’d rather avoid the swim! Yet, he’s no quitter: boasting a comeback rate of over 61% and a tenacity that makes opponents think twice before assuming victory.
His average winning game length clocks at about 53 moves, suggesting a patient, strategic grind rather than quick-fire gambits. Solid in endgames, Maksim embraces the grind, proving chess is a marathon, not a sprint.
Opening Repertoire & Signature Moves
Maksim’s secret weapon is aptly codenamed "Top Secret", a collection that has accounted for over 2,646 blitz games with an impressive 62.77% win rate. When choosing something more classical, Maksim shines in the Giuoco Piano Game and Sicilian Najdorf variations, boasting perfect win records in limited tries.
Recent Battles in the Arena
Fresh from recent victories, Maksim’s blitz battles saw him expertly dismantle opponents with moves that would make Garry Kasparov nod in approval. Whether it’s a resignation victory after an elegant Queen sacrifice or a swift checkmate delivered in a Caro-Kann Advance Tal Variation game, Maksim’s chess artistry continues to evolve.
Online Persona and Community
As IMaksim2010, Maksim commands respect and camaraderie among countless online adversaries. His record stomps, but also sportsmanship (with a tilt factor of just 10 - proving he’s more cool cucumber than hothead), have earned him a loyal fan base and many thrilling tournaments.
Fun Fact
Maksim’s favorite time to play? Apparently, the magical hour of 23:00 when his win rate soars — maybe he gets a late-night boost from caffeine or a secret strategy muse? Either way, if you want to challenge him, better bring your A-game after midnight!
Stay tuned for Maksim Ivannikov’s next moves — the Candidate Master who combines skill, strategy, and a bit of chessboard charm!
What You're Doing Well
Maksim, your recent games show some clear strengths that are worth highlighting:
- Opening Knowledge: You have a good handle on openings like the Amar Gambit and French Defense, with impressive win rates over 70%. This indicates strong preparation and confidence in your opening repertoire.
- Calculated Attacks: In bullet games, you manage to create threats and capitalize on your opponents' mistakes efficiently, such as winning by checking the king and reaching the hill in King of the Hill variants.
- Endgame Awareness: Your games demonstrate good technique in converting advantages, like successfully using knights and active pieces to pressure your opponent’s king.
- Adaptability: You play a variety of openings and defenses, adapting your style to different opponents and situations effectively.
Areas to Improve
Despite your strengths, there are key areas where you can focus to improve your bullet game performance and overall rating:
- Time Management: Some wins came from opponents running out of time, suggesting you could manage your clock better to avoid losses on time and maintain consistent pressure.
- Defensive Technique: Your recent loss by checkmate shows room to tighten your defense, especially against coordinated attacks in the mid and endgame. Review typical mating patterns and king safety strategies.
- Board Vision Under Pressure: Bullet games demand rapid recognition of threats and opportunities. Practicing tactics puzzles regularly can sharpen your intuition and help avoid oversights.
- Rating Stability: The recent drop of about 573 points is significant. Focus on building solid fundamentals to stabilize and gradually increase your rating again.
Practical Tips
- Spend time reviewing your losses and closely analyze where your opponent gained the upper hand; focus on those patterns in training.
- Practice bullet time management by playing with increment or slightly slower time controls to improve decision-making speed without blunders.
- Stick to openings where you have a proven win rate and avoid complex lines until you feel comfortable with your speed and accuracy.
- Warm up before sessions with focused tactical exercises, targeting mid-level problems that mirror typical bullet tactics.
- After each game, quickly recap key moments rather than just the outcome to deepen your understanding of positional errors or missed opportunities.
🆚 Opponent Insights
| Recent Opponents | ||
|---|---|---|
| Kacper Drozdowski | 2W / 0L / 0D | |
| Federico Perez Ponsa | 1W / 0L / 0D | |
| José Carlos Ibarra Jerez | 1W / 1L / 0D | |
| Miłosz Szpar | 1W / 1L / 0D | |
| Alexander Grischuk | 0W / 1L / 0D | |
| Renato Terry | 0W / 1L / 0D | |
| Michał Kopczyński | 2W / 0L / 0D | |
| Georgijs Germanovs | 1W / 0L / 0D | |
| seasidesunset | 1W / 0L / 0D | |
| Daniel Gutiérrez Olivares | 1W / 0L / 0D | |
| Most Played Opponents | ||
|---|---|---|
| lochmatic | 38W / 19L / 36D | |
| philipko | 7W / 13L / 9D | |
| David Akhmedov | 5W / 9L / 3D | |
| kml_style | 12W / 2L / 2D | |
| philipko2010 | 4W / 7L / 5D | |
Rating
| Year | Bullet | Blitz | Rapid | Daily |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1533 | 2817 | 2221 | |
| 2024 | 1643 | |||
| 2023 | 2456 | 1975 | ||
| 2022 | 2106 | 2177 | 2094 | |
| 2021 | 2068 | 1660 | 1965 | 1597 |
| 2020 | 1878 | 2045 | 1996 | 1560 |
| 2019 | 1621 | 1849 | 1648 | 1301 |
| 2018 | 1534 | 1757 | 1642 |
Stats by Year
| Year | White | Black | Moves |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 203W / 107L / 10D | 184W / 124L / 11D | 60.3 |
| 2024 | 2W / 0L / 0D | 3W / 1L / 0D | 11.3 |
| 2023 | 18W / 2L / 0D | 18W / 4L / 2D | 71.6 |
| 2022 | 32W / 11L / 3D | 32W / 10L / 1D | 60.2 |
| 2021 | 222W / 125L / 10D | 235W / 102L / 13D | 35.0 |
| 2020 | 395W / 172L / 60D | 379W / 175L / 64D | 62.5 |
| 2019 | 156W / 68L / 6D | 153W / 69L / 8D | 65.6 |
| 2018 | 138W / 80L / 11D | 137W / 87L / 7D | 64.1 |
Openings: Most Played
| Blitz Opening | Games | Wins | Losses | Draws | Win Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unknown | 847 | 506 | 334 | 7 | 59.7% |
| Blackburne Shilling Gambit | 132 | 85 | 37 | 10 | 64.4% |
| Italian Game: Two Knights Defense | 125 | 90 | 33 | 2 | 72.0% |
| Amar Gambit | 114 | 78 | 27 | 9 | 68.4% |
| Sicilian Defense: Closed | 84 | 60 | 17 | 7 | 71.4% |
| Caro-Kann Defense | 72 | 46 | 22 | 4 | 63.9% |
| Bird Opening: Dutch Variation, Batavo Gambit | 61 | 41 | 17 | 3 | 67.2% |
| Scotch Game | 59 | 32 | 26 | 1 | 54.2% |
| Barnes Defense | 57 | 37 | 13 | 7 | 64.9% |
| Scandinavian Defense | 54 | 30 | 20 | 4 | 55.6% |
| Rapid Opening | Games | Wins | Losses | Draws | Win Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blackburne Shilling Gambit | 36 | 22 | 9 | 5 | 61.1% |
| Czech Defense | 19 | 5 | 10 | 4 | 26.3% |
| Scotch Game | 13 | 7 | 6 | 0 | 53.9% |
| Sicilian Defense: Closed | 13 | 7 | 2 | 4 | 53.9% |
| Italian Game: Two Knights Defense | 12 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 33.3% |
| Caro-Kann Defense | 10 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 70.0% |
| Unknown | 10 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 0.0% |
| Four Knights Game | 8 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 37.5% |
| Philidor Defense | 7 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 71.4% |
| Barnes Defense | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 33.3% |
| Bullet Opening | Games | Wins | Losses | Draws | Win Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amar Gambit | 223 | 163 | 51 | 9 | 73.1% |
| Colle System: Rhamphorhynchus Variation | 26 | 14 | 10 | 2 | 53.9% |
| Czech Defense | 25 | 17 | 7 | 1 | 68.0% |
| Barnes Defense | 24 | 18 | 5 | 1 | 75.0% |
| French Defense | 24 | 20 | 4 | 0 | 83.3% |
| Scandinavian Defense | 22 | 13 | 8 | 1 | 59.1% |
| Australian Defense | 19 | 14 | 5 | 0 | 73.7% |
| English Opening | 9 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 66.7% |
| Blackburne Shilling Gambit | 8 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 50.0% |
| Scotch Game | 7 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 71.4% |
| Daily Opening | Games | Wins | Losses | Draws | Win Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blackburne Shilling Gambit | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
| Barnes Opening: Walkerling | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
| Amar Gambit | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.0% |
| King's Indian Defense: Orthodox Variation | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
| Italian Game: Scotch Gambit, Anderssen Attack | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
| Alekhine Defense | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
| King's Indian Defense: Accelerated Averbakh Variation | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
| Sicilian Defense: Closed | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
| Amazon Attack: Siberian Attack | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
| Elephant Gambit | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
🔥 Streaks
| Streak | Longest | Current |
|---|---|---|
| Winning | 30 | 3 |
| Losing | 7 | 0 |