About Shayan Rahmatian (mahkum8)
Shayan Rahmatian — who often plays under the handle mahkum8 — is a relentless online chess grinder known for huge volumes of fast games and a soft spot for weird gambits. Active since 2018, Shayan made a name by turning chaotic openings into long, technical endgames and surprising comebacks. Preferred time control: Daily (yes, the patient kind — when not blitzing through 100+ bullet games in an evening).
- Active online since: 2018
- Preferred time control: Daily
- Volume: thousands of bullet games and steady blitz activity
Career highlights & peaks
Shayan's trajectory is the classic grinder-to-peaks story: steady work, lots of bullet practice, and occasional fireworks. Notable high-water marks:
- Peak Bullet rating:
- Peak Blitz rating:
- Peak Rapid & Daily moments often come from focused patches of study and long endgame battles.
Trend snapshot (interactive):
Playing style
Funny, stubborn and endgame-happy — Shayan loves long fights. Opponents might win material early, then find themselves slowly outplayed over dozens of moves.
- Endgame frequency: 82.12% — prefers the attritional route.
- Avg moves per win: ~75.4; per loss: ~73.9 — games go long.
- Comeback rate: 88.62% — excellent at salvaging games after setbacks.
- Best time to play: around 22:00 (prime comeback hour).
- Tactical edge: wins often follow gritty, persistent play rather than lightning tactics.
Favorite openings & signature lines
Shayan experiments widely, but several openings show up more than most — sometimes with surprising success. Click the terms to explore the ideas when building your repertoire.
- Amar Gambit — a frequent, aggressive choice in bullet (win rate ~50%).
- Caro-Kann Defense — a reliable mainstay with many games across time controls.
- Dutch Defense — used both as surprise weapon and practical battleground.
- Australian Defense and Bird Opening: Dutch Variation — offbeat lines where Shayan often feels at home.
- For a quick playable example (Sicilian-ish tactical pulse):
Records, rivals & streaks
Shayan has logged duels with many regular opponents and piles up both wins and invaluable lessons along the way.
- Most-played opponents: Sasan Alibabaie (285 games), Never_walk_alone (121), ali shahibzadegan (99).
- Longest winning streak: 20 games — a run of feeling like a grandmaster in a sauna.
- Longest losing streak: 19 games — the kind of slump that prompts both tears and eccentric opening experiments.
- Current winning streak: 1 (always optimistic!)
Routine & fun facts
Shayan balances a love for rapid, tactical games with a surprisingly patient approach in daily correspondence play.
- Preferred time to grind: late evening (22:00 is statistically the best hour).
- Psychologically: a TiltFactor of 19 — human, competitive, occasionally dramatic.
- Termination habits: overwhelmingly decisive games — resignations and decisive finishes are the norm.
- SEO-friendly tags: chess, bullet, blitz, daily chess, Amar Gambit, Caro-Kann, mahkum8, Shayan Rahmatian.
Curious to follow the journey? Keep an eye on the rating chart above and the player handle mahkum8 for fresh games, quirky openings, and late-night endgame lessons.