Mark Plotkin IM

Who Is littleplotkin?

Mark Plotkin, known to the online chess world as littleplotkin, is a FIDE International Master whose username reads like an apology and whose game log reads like a threat. Since 2011 he has played more than 15,000 rated online games, the overwhelming majority of them at bullet speed, and along the way he transformed a humble 1305-rated debut into a peak of 3176 (2025-12-24).

From 1305 to the Stratosphere

Every overnight success is about fifteen years old. Plotkin's bullet account debuted in June 2011 at 1305, was already north of 2200 by late 2011, and sat in the 2600s by the end of 2016. He brushed 2700 late in 2018, spent 2020 brawling into the high 2800s, first touched 3000 in January 2024, and on Christmas Eve 2025 he peaked at 3176 (2025-12-24). His blitz career traced the same arc, cresting at 3126 (2026-08-04) in August 2026.

It was not a straight line. In March 2017 the rating briefly sank to 1831 during a slump featuring nearly 300 games, a stretch he presumably calls "research." He also owns a 20-game losing streak, which he describes as cardio, and a 32-game winning streak, which his opponents describe as a hostage situation.

An Opening Repertoire from the Natural History Museum

Plotkin treats opening theory less like a textbook and more like a zoo map. The lineup includes the Amar Gambit, which begins with 1.Nh3 and dares you to take a side quest; the Modern Defense; the Scandinavian Defense, his most reliable bullet weapon; and a wing of exhibits apparently catalogued by a paleontologist, such as the Colle System's Rhamphorhynchus Variation, the Amazon Attack and the Australian Defense.

• Amar Gambit: 352 bullet games with a winning record, played from both sides of the board.
• Scandinavian Defense: 139 bullet games at a win rate north of 60 percent.
• Modern Defense: 208 bullet games and a 56.73 percent score.
• Nimzo-Larsen Attack: 123 bullet games at a meek 42 percent, the one exhibit that bites its trainer.
• First moves as White include 1.e4, 1.d4, 1.Nf3, 1.c4, 1.g3, 1.b3, 1.b4, 1.f3, 1.a3 and even 1.g4 and 1.h4, apparently to see what the board would do.

Here is the Amar Gambit in its natural habitat, in case you feel like taking the knight for a stroll:

Rivalries, Lopsided and Otherwise

No online chess biography is complete without a nemesis, and Plotkin's is Grandmaster Daniel Naroditsky, against whom he has logged 285 games. The scoreboard reads 24 wins, 229 losses and 32 draws, which makes Naroditsky something between a coach, a recurring weather system and a toll booth that only accepts rating points. Twenty-four victories prove it can be done. The other 229 prove it rarely goes well.

Life is kinder elsewhere. Against mysteriouslynm he is 125-11-4, and the only real mystery is what those 11 games were about. Against hikaruismad, a username too on the nose to paraphrase, he is a staggering 73-4-3, presumably making someone, somewhere, mad.

Style: Grind, Survive, Repeat

The numbers describe a man who refuses to conclude a game is ever over. His comeback rate sits above 90 percent, his early resignation rate is about one percent, and roughly four of every five games march all the way into an endgame. Wins average 83 moves, so most Plotkin victories are not lightning strikes but slow, patient taffy pulls.

• The first capture usually waits until around move seven. Patience is a weapon.
• His peak performance window is 10 a.m., where the win rate climbs past 72 percent. High noon drops below 43 percent. Schedule accordingly.
• Tilt factor: a chilly 20. Ice water in the veins.
• Almost none of his wins arrive by checkmate; most opponents resign, flag, or quietly open a new tab.

The Daily Chess Paradox

Now the strangest entry in the file: his preferred time control is listed as Daily. The Daily record consists of 16 games, a 9-7 score and a peak of 1998 (2024-01-18). Meanwhile bullet and blitz account for better than 99 percent of everything he has ever played. Apparently "preferred" is being used aspirationally, the way one prefers a salad while ordering the second cheeseburger. Someday littleplotkin may discover the joys of thinking for more than three seconds per move. The bullet ladder hopes that day never comes.

The Bottom Line

International Master Mark Plotkin is proof that titles are earned over the board but legends are built one three-minute game at a time. From a 1305 debut to a 3176 peak, from a 20-game skid to a 32-game heater, his career is a monument to showing up, clicking fast and never resigning early. If littleplotkin appears in your queue, take a breath, take some real time, and whatever you do, do not bring a Nimzo-Larsen Attack to a dinosaur fight.