Overview
Shilong Li, known online as levqcq, is a FIDE Grandmaster with an appetite for blitz that borders on the heroic. Shilong's blitz rating peaked at 2980 (2026-09-20) in September 2026, and the rating path through 2025 and 2026 shows a player who is constantly in motion and rarely satisfied with a quiet draw.
The volume is staggering. Across recorded blitz games, Shilong has piled up over 2,250 wins, more than 2,340 losses, and only 221 draws. Shilong simply does not do peaceful. With a comeback rate approaching 89%, even when things look grim, Shilong keeps hunting.
Playing Style and Openings
With the white pieces, Shilong regularly steers games into deep opening theory. Shilong deals with the Caro-Kann Defense frequently after 1.e4, and as Black is a devoted student of the Sicilian Defense, with the razor sharp Najdorf Variation as a favorite weapon. The Najdorf record sits near breakeven against tough opposition, which is no small achievement. Shilong also enjoys the Catalan Opening, the Bogo-Indian Defense and King's Indian Defense structures, and is not afraid to uncork the speculative Diemer-Duhm Gambit when the mood strikes.
Shilong's games are marathons. Average decisive games stretch past 75 moves, and the endgame is reached in over 85% of battles. Shilong outlasts opponents, trades down, and keeps pressing until the point is secured. A typical Najdorf setup from these games looks like this:
Rivalries
Every gladiator has a nemesis. For Shilong, that player is Alexander Rustemov, who leads their 40 game series 27 wins to 12. It is a rivalry full of wild swings, long streaks, and the occasional hard fought draw. Against Sambit Panda, the story flips, as Shilong has won 20 of 34 meetings. Frequent rematches with familiar names like mischuk_d, mch2236 and alexei_kornev show that Shilong thrives on familiarity and learns from every encounter.
For a taste of the grind, view this Najdorf battle.
Fun Facts and Quirks
- Best time to play: 22:00, when the win rate jumps to a scary 60%.
- Saturdays are lucky. Mondays, not so much.
- Shilong once won 18 games in a row, then lost 10 in a row, and kept playing.
- Shilong wins nearly 46% of the time even after losing a piece. Giving up material is not a shortcut to victory.
- Favorite checking piece: the queen, by a wide margin.