Overview
Maksim Ermakov (komikaoxid) is a spirited National Master who made his name online as a blitz specialist. Quick on the clock and fond of quirky opening duels, Maksim blends long, technical endgames with sudden tactical fireworks — often leaving opponents convinced they were attacked by a particularly well-read raccoon.
- Title: National Master (National)
- Preferred time control: Blitz (specialist)
- Peak blitz performance:
- Career trend snapshot:
Playing style & strengths
Maksim is deceptively patient for a blitz player — his games tend to be long and rich. He grinds in endgames, has a very high comeback rate, and is comfortable sacrificing for dynamic chances.
- Endgame frequency: ~78% of games go into endgame territory
- Average moves per decisive game: ~80 moves (wins and losses both hover around 80)
- Comeback rate: ~81% — knows how to make a fight of it
- Win-after-losing-piece: ~46% — resilient and tactically alert
- Early resignation rate: low (~4.36%) — rarely gives up without a fight
Favorite openings (blitz)
Maksim favors systems that lead to rich middlegame plans and practical imbalances. He plays a lot of London System lines as well as several Sicilian and Colle setups.
- London System: Poisoned Pawn Variation — 212 games, win rate ~60% (London System: Poisoned Pawn Variation)
- Australian Defense — 89 games, win rate ~58% (Australian Defense)
- Sicilian Defense: Alapin & Sherzer variations — popular choice when he wants sharp asymmetry (Sicilian Defense: Alapin Variation)
- Colle System: Rhamphorhynchus Variation — used as a practical weapon in blitz (Colle System: Rhamphorhynchus Variation)
Career highlights & streaks
- Earned the National Master title and established himself as a top blitz specialist.
- Longest winning streak: 15 games — a period that left chat moderators reaching for superlatives.
- Longest losing streak: 10 games — even the best have their “what-even-is-a-pawn” days.
- Extensive online experience: thousands of decisive games across blitz, bullet and rapid formats.
Opponents & notable records
Maksim has a set of frequent rivals and some surprising matchups. If you want a quick rematch, try catching him at his usual hours (see below).
- Most-played: Tikhon Popov — 65 games (record vs him: 21–35–9)
- Other frequent opponents: Ya_Coco_Jamboo (34 games), Nigel Short (12 games), Vladimir Hamitevici (12 games)
- Notable clean-sheet record: "cute_wolfy" — 11 wins, 0 losses
When to challenge Maksim
Want the best chance of catching Maksim in top form? He tends to do well on weekends and late evenings.
- Best day: Saturday (win rate ~54.6%)
- Best hour: around 21:00 (BestTimeOfDayToPlay: 21:00; hour 21 shows a strong win rate)
- High-performing hours: 5:00–6:00 and mid-afternoon windows also show solid numbers
Sample game
A short illustrative opening that shows Maksim’s comfort with classical development and quick kingside play:
Fun facts & miscellany
- Nickname online: komikaoxid — expect dry humor and occasional chess puns in chat.
- Remarkably resilient: strong “win after down material” numbers and a habit of turning seemingly dead positions into long defensive struggles.
- Preparation: median prep depth around 3–4 moves in recent years — practical and pragmatic rather than bookish.
Want to explore more
Check out his progress over time and sample games embedded above. For opponent pages and opening terms, use the in-line links (they open internal profiles/definitions).
- View a timeline:
- Look up an opponent: Tikhon Popov
- Study a favored opening: London System: Poisoned Pawn Variation