Nikolozi Kacharava
Nikolozi Kacharava, better known as kachsona on the chess board, is a FIDE Grandmaster with a very serious hobby: turning online clocks into emotional support devices. His preferred time control appears to be Bullet, even though his Blitz account has spent years pretending otherwise. Whether he has one minute or five, the opening report from his games is consistent: come out tricky, trade walls, reach an endgame, and then outlast everyone.
Favourite roads to the ending
When Kacharava is White, the board tends to open with 1.e4 and then the real chess begins. He frequently invites the Caro-Kann Defense and turns it into a slow, practical midgame gunfight. When he feels experimental, he reaches for the Nimzo-Larsen Attack, which is the chess equivalent of switching to a different gear for no reason other than because he can. As Black he flexes through the Sicilian, especially the Najdorf and the Chekhover lines, keeping the play unbalanced, awkward, and rarely boring.
Scoreboard
- Longest winning streak: 14. Longest losing streak: 11.
- He reaches an endgame in nearly 87% of games.
- His comeback rate is 87.6%, so don't relax after taking his piece.
- His early resignation rate is only 9%, and yet he converts the wildest positions.
A win is a long walk for Kacharava; he averages around 80 moves per victory and 92 moves per loss. He does not leave early, even when the board is crumbling.
A 5 a.m. man
According to the numbers, his best time to play is 05:00, where his win rate hits 100% in the sample. If you see him online at that hour, consider playing someone else. He is a strong aggressive checker too, he gives three checks every game before his opponent returns the favor. When the position looks normal, he creates a small storm and then tries to outride it in the endgame.
Openings that matter
The board below is his bread and butter Najdorf-like setup. It is the kind position where half the room is waiting for a tactics bomb and the other half is signing up for the attrition.
Known rivalries
No grandmaster is an island. Kacharava has a long, exhausting series with Luka Oboladze, one of his most natural enemies. They faced 46 times, and a record of 18 draws means their games are about winning, but are true. May they meet again soon.
The larger picture
He was always a Bullet-fond player, but his Blitz results also reach absurd territory. Just note the chart below: a player who wakes up at 5 a.m., picks a weird opening, storms through the middle game, and still finishes in the endgame. That is Nikola Kacharava.
2627 (2026-08-17)