Nitish Belurkar (kingnb): International Master, Streamer, and Online Speed Chess Star
An Online Chess Career Built for Speed
Nitish Belurkar, known online as kingnb, is an International Master who earned his title from FIDE and then decided to spend most of it playing lightning fast chess on the internet. His online rating graph looks less like a career and more like a rocket launch. He started with a single bullet game in 2018 at 1533, and within a few years his bullet rating soared past 3100. His peak bullet rating of 3164 (2026-06-20) and peak blitz rating of 2982 (2026-05-26) have made him one of the most recognizable speed chess grinders in the community.
For someone whose preferred time control is rapid, Nitish spends an awful lot of time playing lightning chess. When he does slow down, the results are absurd: a rapid record of 46 wins, 4 losses, and 1 draw. He has also strung together a 65 game winning streak and maintains a comeback rate above 85 percent, which means a lost position is usually just the start of the drama.
Signature Openings and Playing Style
Nitish's opening repertoire is a masterclass in practical, accessible chess. With the white pieces, he is a devoted fan of the Colle System and the London System, two setups known for being easy to learn and surprisingly deadly in online play. Opponents who reach the Colle with 3...e6 and 4...c5 have lost about 72 percent of their blitz games against him.
With the black pieces, he leans into uncompromising and offbeat defenses. He regularly meets 1.e4 with the Scandinavian Defense and the Alekhine Defense, and both serve him spectacularly. His Scandinavian alone has produced an 88.9 percent win rate in rapid and a nearly 70 percent win rate in blitz. He is equally dangerous in the Modern Defense, where his winning percentage climbs above 80.
A signature kingnb Scandinavian line:
Rivalries That Define Him
Every great online player has rivals, and Nitish has a full cast of them. His most played opponent is Aakash Sharadchandra Dalvi, with 265 games, and Nitish holds a comfortable lead in their marathon series. He also dominates Dushyant Sharma and absolutely crushes Anish Naik, against whom he has a stunning 57 wins in 62 games.
Then there is Eric Hansen. In 118 games, hansen leads the series comfortably, making this the one matchup that keeps Nitish up at night. It takes a special player to give an elite speed chess grinder trouble, but hansen seems to have found the formula.
Streamer Life and Fun Facts
As a streamer, Nitish brings his electric brand of chess to viewers who want to learn how to punish 1.e4 with confidence. He plays his best chess on Wednesdays, when his win rate jumps to 72.7 percent, and his golden hour is 1:00 PM.
- His white pieces win 63.5 percent of the time.
- His black pieces win 60.3 percent of the time.
- Even after losing a piece, he still wins nearly 60 percent of his games.
- Opponents rated below him only win about 22 percent of the time.
Whether he is grinding a 65 game streak, battling Eric Hansen again, or explaining the finer points of the Scandinavian Defense on stream, Nitish Belurkar has become one of the most entertaining and dangerous forces in online chess.