Grigori Zaborovsky: The Man Who Never Stops Playing
Profile
Grigori Zaborovsky, known to the chess internet as luchshiy1 (roughly "the best one" in Russian), is a tireless online chess warrior. Since 2017 he has turned the blitz board into a 24/7 residence, playing tens of thousands of games with a mix of fury, flair, and an unshakable love for the clock. He may list bullet as his preferred time control, but his true home is the blitz marathon, where he has spent years grinding out battles at all hours.
Career Snapshot
Grigori reached a peak blitz rating of 2595 (2021-12-23) in December 2021, then showed his speed credentials by touching 2539 (2023-01-01) in bullet. The blitz journey has been long, noisy, and full of swings, as the chart below shows.
Playing Style and Openings
With the black pieces, Grigori is a Sicilian Defense loyalist. He has played the Taimanov Variation's American Attack more than 2,400 times in blitz, and the Alapin and Four Knights Cobra variations each well over 1,700 times. If a Sicilian line exists, he has probably played it, lost to it, and then played it again.
As White, he prefers sturdy setups around the Queen's Gambit Declined, the Scotch Game, and the Caro-Kann Defense. He is also happy to enter the sharp Sozin Attack, where his blitz win rate climbs toward 59%. The opening chart below tells the story of a player with a deep, repetitive, and highly personal repertoire.
Rivalries
Nobody escapes the Zaborovsky schedule. His most frequent dance partner is GSWHoops, with 104 blitz meetings and a razor-thin rivalry that could fill a small book. Next up is 2011KING, who has faced him 97 times. These repeated clashes have made them online chess neighbors, for better or worse.
Mind Games and Fun Facts
- His comeback rate is 84.59%, and he wins 44.51% of games even after losing a piece.
- His longest winning streak and longest losing streak are both 13, so karma is clearly keeping score.
- His best hour is 3 a.m., and his queen is his favorite checking piece.
- He has won more than 6,000 games by checkmate and over 4,300 by timeout. He treats the clock as a piece.
- He almost never resigns early, and his games often stretch deep into the endgame.