Leonid Gerzhoy: The Toronto IM Who Never Stops Moving
Meet the Player
Leonid Gerzhoy, known online as leonidtoronto, is a FIDE International Master with a serious appetite for online chess. Based in Toronto, he has built one of the most prolific online careers you will find, turning the server into his personal training hall. His preferred time control is rapid, though his game history suggests he has never met a blitz queue he did not like.
Gerzhoy crossed the 2500 blitz mark in early 2021 and kept climbing from there. At his best, he reached a rapid peak of 2723 (2023-09-30), and his blitz numbers reached towering heights as well. His online rating graph looks like a roller coaster designed by a chess engine.
Signature Repertoire
Gerzhoy is a 1.d4 devotee through and through. Across thousands of games, he has almost always opened with the queen's pawn, and he has turned that choice into a deep, practical weapon. His white repertoire leans heavily on the Torre Attack and the Queen's Gambit Declined, while his black repertoire is anchored by the Czech Defense and the Philidor Defense.
His results with the Queen's Gambit Declined, especially the 4.Nf3 line, are particularly impressive: more than 1,500 games with a win rate near 59 percent. That kind of specialization is rare in the chaotic world of online blitz.
Rivalries and Marathon Battles
No biography of Gerzhoy would be complete without mentioning his rivalries. He has played Nebojsa Djordjevic more than a hundred times, trading wins and losses like two heavyweight boxers who refuse to stop scheduling rematches. He has also faced Rasan04 nearly a hundred times, while Timour Koliada has been a frequent and fruitful opponent, with Gerzhoy holding a comfortable edge in that series.
These long-running feuds speak to his competitive nature. He does not dodge tough opposition, and he clearly enjoys the psychological grind of facing the same familiar faces again and again.
A Fighter Who Comes Back
Gerzhoy is not just a volume player. His tactical awareness numbers are striking: he comes back to win from difficult positions at an incredibly high rate, and he still wins nearly half of his games after losing a piece. That is the mark of a player who trusts his defensive skills and rarely panics.
He also tends to be first to give check in more than half of his games, with rooks doing the heavy lifting. His longest winning streak reached 13 games, and even his best chess seems to happen in the small hours, with his strongest win rate coming around 3 a.m. Some people chase the sunrise. Leonid chases the clock.
Why Follow Leonid?
For fans of practical, no-nonsense opening play and marathon fighting spirit, Leonid Gerzhoy is a joy to watch. He sticks to his lines, grinds out endgames, and turns online chess into a test of endurance as much as talent. Whether you are studying the Torre Attack or just want to see someone take on the same opponent for the hundredth time, his games are worth your attention.