Henry Grob
Henry Grob, who plays online as Mattovich, is a FIDE Master built for the blitz battlefield. With more than 20,000 analyzed online games to his name, he has spent more time fighting the clock than most players spend on the whole board. His preferred time control is clearly blitz, and his style is unmistakably his own.
Career Path
Henry appeared on the online rating scene in late 2014 with modest results, then quickly showed he was in it for the long haul. Month after month, he piled up games and slowly pushed his blitz ceiling upward. In April 2022, all that work produced a personal best of 2300 (2022-04-15).
The full shape of that climb is best seen in his blitz history:
. It is a graph of patience, volume, and stubborn improvement rather than overnight magic.Openings and Style
Mattovich is an aggressive improviser. He likes to land the first punch, delivering the first check in 56.2 percent of his measured games. His comeback rate of 82.96 proves that even when a position goes sideways, he keeps searching for chances.
His opening repertoire refuses to be boring. As White he has won more than half his games against the French Defense, the Scandinavian Defense, and the Caro-Kann Defense. As Black, the Czech Defense is a trusted shield, used more than 600 times in his blitz battles. He also loves the Amar Gambit, showing that a titled player can still play for fun.
His full opening menu, with win rates across every major line, is shown here:
.Rivalries and Endurance
Henry's most frequent dance partner is Imre varasdy. Their 31-game series is a true online rivalry, filled with sharp blitz swings and more than a few bruises. Henry has also put together a 14-game winning streak, survived a 12-game losing streak, and somehow plays his best chess at 06:00 in the morning.
Long after opponents have logged off, Mattovich is still there, clicking out another move and hunting for the next win.