Leonid Kolobov: The Blitz Marathoner
Meet Леонид Колобов, better known to the chess world as Kolobov_Leonid. He is a Blitz addict in the best possible way. His online chess career started quietly around 1400 in 2018, but by July 2026 he had climbed to a scintillating 2839 (2026-07-06) in Blitz. That kind of growth does not happen by accident. It happens by playing thousands of games, losing thousands of games, and learning something from each one.
While his heart belongs to Blitz, he is no stranger to Bullet. His Bullet rating peaked at 2739 (2026-07-29), and his occasional Rapid outings reached 2468 (2026-06-11). But the preferred time control is clearly Blitz, and his record proves it.
The Long Climb
Kolobov's rating history is a beautiful mess of ambition. He first appeared in August 2018 at a modest 1541, immediately losing ground to 1395. Then came the long climb. By 2021 he was knocking on 2200. In February 2022 he exploded with 902 Blitz games in a single month, jumping from 2203 to 2451.
captures the full rollercoaster of that rise.The peak came in July 2026 when he touched 2839 (2026-07-06). Along the way he played more than 25,000 rated games, with a marathon month of 1,253 Blitz games in September 2024. If chess were a step count, Kolobov would be the champion.
Repertoire and Playing Style
As White, Kolobov is a devoted 1.d4 player. He loves to steer opponents into the Döry Defense, the Amazon Attack, and the London Poisoned Pawn Variation. As Black, his shield of choice is the Caro-Kann Defense, which he has played more than 2,000 times in Blitz alone. He also scores well with the French Defense: Burn Variation and the Pirc Defense: Classical Variation.
shows where he is most dangerous. His games are long, averaging around 83 moves, and full of resourceful defence. A comeback rate of 89.84% means he is never truly out of a game, and a 42.69% win rate after losing a piece suggests he thrives on chaos.Rivalries
Every great player needs a great rival. Kolobov has several. His most frequent opponent is Harshal Shahi, with 100 Blitz battles and a razor thin edge for Kolobov at 52 wins. Then comes eates with 95 games, Jason Jiang with 73, babak Haghdoust with 68, and flyingseahorse1 with 66. These rivalries keep the queue alive.
Here is a little taste of his Caro-Kann grind:
Numbers, Streaks and Quirks
Kolobov's longest winning streak is 11 games, which sounds great until you learn his longest losing streak is 16. He is a streaky player, and that is part of his charm. He loses to higher rated players 65.99% of the time, but crushes lower rated opponents with a 70.44% win rate. He tends to resign early in lost positions, with an early resignation rate of 59%, preferring to move on to the next battle.
If you want to catch him in peak form, play at 8 AM, when his win rate hits 47.15%. His queen is his favourite checking piece, and his tilt factor of 16 suggests that after a bad loss, the strongest move may be to take a break and return with fresh eyes.