Overview — Aksel Bu Kvaloy (Martial2008)
Aksel Bu Kvaloy (known online as Martial2008) is a FIDE-titled Grandmaster with a taste for fast and decisive play. Aksel prefers Bullet time controls and has built a reputation as a lightning tactician who loves complications and cheeky gambits. On any given night you might find Aksel hunting tactics at 2:00 AM (his statistically best hour) or chasing streaks — he once ran a 30-game winning streak that made opponents check their mouse batteries.
Notable peaks include blistering performance in Blitz and Bullet — see quick stats below. Expect sharp openings, quick attacks, and a stubborn endgame: Aksel reaches endgames in roughly three quarters of his games.
Playing style & strengths
Martial2008 is an enterprising player: tactical, resilient, and endgame-savvy. He rarely resigns early and often grinds long, complex wins.
- Endgame frequency: about 75.7% of games reach an endgame phase.
- Average moves per win: ~74; average moves per loss: ~81 — expect long battles.
- Strong comeback ability — an impressive comeback rate of ~85.6% and >51% win rate after losing material.
- Psych profile: Tilt factor is noticeable (18), so watch for dramatic momentum swings and some theatrical comebacks.
Preferred time control & approach
Preferred time control: Bullet. Aksel thrives when the clock is a roaring beast — his Bullet play mixes fast pattern recognition with daring gambits and practical decisions.
- Bullet record shows consistent success with many sharp systems and gambits.
- Also a world-class presence online in Blitz and Rapid, with many high-volume months at elite Blitz levels.
Opening repertoire (what he brings to the board)
Aksel favors lively, unbalanced openings that lead to sharp play. He plays both offbeat surprises and solid, modern systems depending on the clock and mood.
- Bullet favorites: Amar Gambit — a very successful choice in fast games; Amar Gambit
- Also plays the Modern, Scandinavian Defense and trickier lines like the Colle System.
- In Blitz and Rapid he runs pet lines such as the London System: Poisoned Pawn and Petrov’s Defense.
- Comfortable with the Scotch and classic Italian family for longer games.
Want to study one of his signature systems? Check the embedded opening term: Scandinavian Defense.
Highlights, streaks & rivalries
Aksel’s career on the server is full of high-volume months, long winning runs and head-to-head duels. He keeps busy with marathon Blitz sessions and explosive Bullet bursts.
- Longest winning streak: 30 games. Current winning streak: 4 games — not bad for someone who drinks coffee like it’s a tactical enhancement.
- Most-played opponents include bubeliang, ioannispi and even top names like Hikaru Nakamura — results versus Hikaru are a humbling 2–73, which Aksel treats as “learning opportunities.”
- Notable opponent records: very strong head-to-head vs ioannispi (74–6).
Fun facts, embeds & quick placeholders
Aksel loves to mix serious preparation with playful novelty. Below are a few interactive widgets and quick stats you can plug into a profile viewer.
- Peak Blitz rating (placeholder): 2991 (2025-12-03)
- Peak Bullet rating (placeholder): 2728 (2025-12-06)
- Rating trend chart (Blitz, sample years):
- Study one of his typical opening games (sample moves):
- Look up a common search term he uses: Amar Gambit
SEO tip baked in: use keywords like "Aksel Bu Kvaloy Grandmaster Bullet specialist Blitz openings Amar Gambit" when indexing this profile.
Parting note
Whether you want to learn a sneaky gambit, practice long endgames, or simply enjoy a live bullet rollercoaster, Aksel (Martial2008) is always worth a follow. He’s the sort of Grandmaster who will blunder spectacularly, then win the next game by force — and smile while doing it.
Quick summary
Nice run — you’re sharp in short time controls and converting small advantages. Your recent games show strong tactical intuition, active rooks and good willingness to simplify into winning endgames. At the same time you’re still leaking practical chances because of time pressure and a few passive moments; those are easy to fix with targeted practice.
What you did well (concrete)
- Active piece play: you use rooks on open files and lift/swing them into the opponent’s back rank effectively (see repeated R-file activity in your wins).
- Willingness to simplify into favorable endgames — you trade down when it reduces counterplay and your king becomes a strong attacking piece.
- Tactical awareness: you spot forks/skewers and clean tactical shots quickly, which is essential in bullet.
- Repertoire strengths — you get good results from modern/Scandinavian-style systems (play them more; they suit your style).
- Practical conversion: when you have an extra pawn or active pieces you push for simplification and convert reliably.
Recurring issues to fix
- Time management under 30 seconds: multiple wins came via opponent flagging — that’s fine in bullet, but you’ll improve your reliability by avoiding long think on obvious moves and using safe pre-moves.
- Allowing counterplay with passed pawns: in one game your opponent managed a promotion run that created serious checks. Be cautious about mass exchanges that free an enemy pawn-run.
- King activity timing: you march the king into the center quickly (good), but sometimes early king moves on the kingside (Kf2/Kf1 type) invite tactics — prefer to consolidate first or ensure there are no forks/checks available.
- Occasional hanging pieces when switching gears quickly — keep one short checklist before moving in bullet (is my piece guarded/attacked?).
Quick fixes you can apply next session (5–15 minutes)
- Set one simple pre-move rule: only pre-move captures when the capture is safe (no discovered check, no possible intermezzo).
- Use 10-minute warm-up of 1|0 bullet games with the explicit goal: play with 10–15s less per move than normal to force faster instincts.
- Run a 5–10 minute tactics trainer focusing on forks/pins/skewers — high yield for bullet accuracy.
- Before each move in time trouble, run a mini-check: checks, captures, threats — then move.
Short training plan (30 / 60 / 90 days)
- 30 days — Tactical consistency: 15 minutes/day on tactics (focus on puzzles with 1–3 moves), 20 blitz games concentrating on pre-move discipline and the “checks-captures-threats” scan.
- 60 days — Endgame basics + opening consolidation: 10–15 basic endgames (king+rook vs king, queen endings, rook+pawn endings) and pick 2 openings you love — deepen main lines and the 5 common sidelines you meet. Reinforce Modern and Scandinavian Defense if those are part of your rep.
- 90 days — Practical play & review: weekly 60–90 minute analysis of your 6 worst losses (annotate why you lost time, missed tactic, or allowed counterplay). Maintain daily 10–20 minute tactics and 30 bullet games a week with focused goals (no pre-move spam; convert small advantages).
Concrete in-game checklist (use in bullet)
- Before each move under 30s: checks, captures, threats (1–2 second mental scan).
- If you have +material: simplify; actively exchange down when it reduces enemy counterplay.
- If behind on time: avoid complex long-forcing lines unless they win on the spot — trade into simpler positions and flag safely.
- Pre-move rules: only pre-move recaptures that are safe and pawn pushes that cannot be counter-checked.
Example position / key sequence
Here’s a short sequence that shows how you turned pressure into a decisive simplification. Replay it quickly to internalize the plan: win material, exchange queens and activate the king/rooks.
Small technical points from the PGNs
- Against kingside pawn storms, you handled the blockade well — but watch the timing of pawn recaptures that open files toward your king.
- You do well converting material advantage into simpler, winning endgames (good judgment on exchanges). Keep practicing basic rook endgames — they’re common in blitz conversion.
- When you have an extra pawn on the queenside (passed b- or a-pawn), activate the king early to escort it — you already do this, just tighten the timing to prevent a counter-queen run.
Next-session checklist
- 10 min tactics (forks/pins/skewers)
- 15–20 bullet games with one rule: no speculative pre-moves
- Analyze 1 loss in-depth (what allowed the opponent counterplay?)
- Drill one endgame (rook + pawn vs rook) for 10 minutes
Use these quick references
- Review openers you play often: Modern and Scandinavian Defense — tighten move-order traps and 3–4 typical sidelines.
- Check a few of these opponent profiles from recent games for patterns: SheeepHippo2025, overmind888, flipsjde, eaglevalley.
Final note
You’ve got the instincts and conversion sense for bullet. Focus a little on time technique and routine checks under 30 seconds and you’ll turn more of those time wins into clean, confident finishes. If you want, send 3 losses you felt unhappy with and I’ll annotate the tactical turning points and a short plan to fix each one.
🆚 Opponent Insights
| Recent Opponents | ||
|---|---|---|
| Oleg Vastrukhin | 1W / 4L / 3D | View |
| Rafail Antoniou | 2W / 0L / 0D | View |
| Alan Morris-Suzuki | 5W / 2L / 1D | View |
| jagadeesh_siddharth | 1W / 1L / 1D | View |
| Petros Trimitzios | 0W / 4L / 1D | View |
| singuIar_brain_ceIl | 1W / 0L / 0D | View |
| psyhopeek | 3W / 0L / 0D | View |
| targetthetop | 2W / 4L / 0D | View |
| Vitus Bondo Medhus | 2W / 0L / 0D | View |
| umidaomonova99 | 0W / 1L / 0D | View |
| Most Played Opponents | ||
|---|---|---|
| Havard Haug | 28W / 38L / 15D | View Games |
| ioannispi | 74W / 6L / 1D | View Games |
| Hikaru Nakamura | 2W / 73L / 0D | View Games |
| bigblandar | 22W / 21L / 5D | View Games |
| whaleisland | 25W / 12L / 2D | View Games |
Rating
| Year | Bullet | Blitz | Rapid | Daily |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2717 | 2936 | 1936 | 1827 |
| 2024 | 2444 | 2760 | 1936 | 1827 |
| 2023 | 2343 | 2731 | 1492 | 1827 |
| 2022 | 2326 | 2500 | 1273 | |
| 2021 | 2273 | 2300 | 1579 | |
| 2020 | 2180 | 2244 | 1749 | |
| 2019 | 1900 | 2019 | 1720 | 1794 |
| 2018 | 1992 | 2020 | 1691 | 1767 |
| 2017 | 1688 | 1823 | 1650 | 962 |
| 2016 | 1532 | 1750 | 1678 | 1669 |
| 2015 | 1137 | 1402 | 1576 | 1606 |
| 2014 | 1113 | 1366 | 1475 | 1592 |
Stats by Year
| Year | White | Black | Moves |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 328W / 205L / 79D | 267W / 249L / 94D | 94.3 |
| 2024 | 270W / 173L / 48D | 230W / 213L / 43D | 92.5 |
| 2023 | 399W / 303L / 74D | 372W / 322L / 68D | 86.7 |
| 2022 | 223W / 139L / 35D | 201W / 155L / 30D | 81.6 |
| 2021 | 188W / 112L / 17D | 142W / 123L / 27D | 80.4 |
| 2020 | 123W / 74L / 10D | 108W / 91L / 12D | 80.5 |
| 2019 | 204W / 164L / 18D | 194W / 162L / 12D | 58.1 |
| 2018 | 183W / 109L / 10D | 173W / 123L / 13D | 74.1 |
| 2017 | 128W / 79L / 8D | 128W / 79L / 6D | 69.5 |
| 2016 | 283W / 192L / 8D | 267W / 201L / 12D | 67.4 |
| 2015 | 93W / 83L / 7D | 93W / 82L / 11D | 72.7 |
| 2014 | 43W / 31L / 0D | 42W / 29L / 2D | 74.6 |
Openings: Most Played
| Daily Opening | Games | Wins | Losses | Draws | Win Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blackburne Shilling Gambit | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 33.3% |
| Sicilian Defense | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 50.0% |
| Sicilian Defense: Closed | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 50.0% |
| Döry Defense | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
| Four Knights Game: Spanish Variation | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 80.0% |
| Philidor Defense | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
| Scotch Game | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 60.0% |
| Sicilian Defense: Classical Variation | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 50.0% |
| Petrov's Defense | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
| Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Fegatello Attack, Leonhardt Variation | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
| Blitz Opening | Games | Wins | Losses | Draws | Win Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| London System: Poisoned Pawn Variation | 283 | 152 | 109 | 22 | 53.7% |
| Petrov's Defense | 247 | 128 | 99 | 20 | 51.8% |
| Döry Defense | 244 | 137 | 91 | 16 | 56.1% |
| Amazon Attack: Siberian Attack | 232 | 110 | 95 | 27 | 47.4% |
| Modern | 189 | 92 | 88 | 9 | 48.7% |
| Four Knights Game | 165 | 78 | 59 | 28 | 47.3% |
| Unknown | 158 | 77 | 80 | 1 | 48.7% |
| Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation | 152 | 73 | 65 | 14 | 48.0% |
| Sicilian Defense: Alapin Variation, Sherzer Variation | 135 | 76 | 53 | 6 | 56.3% |
| Sicilian Defense: Closed | 120 | 65 | 49 | 6 | 54.2% |
| Rapid Opening | Games | Wins | Losses | Draws | Win Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scotch Game | 12 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 75.0% |
| London System: Poisoned Pawn Variation | 8 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 50.0% |
| Four Knights Game | 8 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 75.0% |
| Sicilian Defense: Alapin Variation, Sherzer Variation | 6 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 33.3% |
| Amar Gambit | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 83.3% |
| Blackburne Shilling Gambit | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
| Petrov's Defense | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 80.0% |
| Amazon Attack | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 50.0% |
| Sicilian Defense: Accelerated Dragon, Exchange Variation | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 25.0% |
| Sicilian Defense: Closed | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 50.0% |
| Bullet Opening | Games | Wins | Losses | Draws | Win Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amar Gambit | 182 | 114 | 56 | 12 | 62.6% |
| Modern | 105 | 66 | 37 | 2 | 62.9% |
| Scandinavian Defense | 71 | 48 | 22 | 1 | 67.6% |
| Colle System: Rhamphorhynchus Variation | 61 | 40 | 18 | 3 | 65.6% |
| Hungarian Opening: Wiedenhagen-Beta Gambit | 59 | 31 | 24 | 4 | 52.5% |
| Czech Defense | 51 | 32 | 16 | 3 | 62.8% |
| Sicilian Defense | 51 | 30 | 20 | 1 | 58.8% |
| Sicilian Defense: Alapin Variation, Sherzer Variation | 47 | 30 | 17 | 0 | 63.8% |
| Australian Defense | 44 | 29 | 14 | 1 | 65.9% |
| Barnes Defense | 39 | 24 | 13 | 2 | 61.5% |
🔥 Streaks
| Streak | Longest | Current |
|---|---|---|
| Winning | 30 | 0 |
| Losing | 18 | 1 |