Daniil Plyasunov: The FIDE Master Who Lives in Blitz
Meet the Player
Daniil Plyasunov, known online as luckyswitchback, is a FIDE Master with a serious appetite for fast chess. He has made Blitz his preferred battlefield, playing thousands of games and pushing his rating to remarkable heights. His Blitz peak reached 3063 (2026-08-07), while his Bullet peak hit 3004 (2025-09-30), but Blitz remains the place where his chess personality truly shines.
A Blitz Career in Motion
Plyasunov's rating journey is not a calm climb. It is a wild ride with sharp surges and dramatic dips, driven by enormous playing volume. His rating arc from 2023 through 2026 tells the story:
He has played hundreds of Blitz games in a single month on multiple occasions, often topping 150 games before the month ends. At one point he put together a 17-game winning streak, and at another he suffered a 13-game losing streak. The losses never chase him away. He simply queues up again, which may be the most honest definition of an online chess grinder.
Opening Repertoire
Plyasunov is a practical and stubborn opening fighter. His statistics show deep trust in the Caro-Kann Defense, which appears in hundreds of his games. He is also a devoted student of the Sicilian Defense, exploring lines such as the Najdorf, Taimanov, and Moscow Variations. His love for fighting chess extends to the endgame, where he is dangerous and difficult to put away.
He is not afraid of unusual structures either. His history includes dozens of games in the Amazon Attack and the Siberian Attack, which gives his repertoire an offbeat and aggressive edge. He clearly enjoys the battle as much as the result.
Rivalries and Repeat Battles
One of the most entertaining parts of the luckyswitchback story is his marathon rivalry with Alexey Grachev. Across 75 Blitz meetings, neoternemo claimed 57 wins. A less determined player might have stopped accepting the rematch, but Plyasunov treats every defeat as a lesson. Against Anton Vasilenok, the story is much brighter, as he has 55 wins and only 12 losses.
He has also shared the virtual stage with tough handles such as Nigel Short and Sam Shankland. These repeated battles show a player who is willing to test himself against strong opposition whenever the chance appears.
Mindset and Resilience
What makes Plyasunov stand out is his recovery rate. After losing a piece, he still wins 44 percent of his games, and his comeback rate sits near 88 percent. He reaches the endgame in the vast majority of his battles and rarely suffers a one-sided loss. His winning games often stretch beyond 89 moves, a sign that he never stops looking for chances.
His data also hints that the best version of him appears close to midnight. Whether he is a night owl or just a chess vampire, one thing is certain: Daniil Plyasunov is never easy to beat.