The Blitz Heart of a FIDE Master
Bernardo Vainzoff Sztokbant, better known on the board as MFBerna, holds a FIDE Master title that suggests a deep calm over the board. On this platform, the calm is optional. The data makes it obvious: this is a player who lives for the blitz clock.
Blitz: There, Done That
With nearly 24,000 blitz games played, MFBerna has made blitz his home field. His rating graph reads like an adventure novel, full of climbs, collapses and several dramatic recoveries.
At his best he reached 2726 (2026-01-18), and in those moments he probably felt invincible. Then the next game happened.
Openings of a Loyal Radical
Ask Bernardo for his favorite opening and the answer will almost certainly be the Caro-Kann Defense. He has played it more than 1500 times in blitz alone, treating it like a favorite chair: reliable, comfortable and hard to leave. When the mood swings, he reaches for the Scandinavian Defense and takes the game to distant territories.
Friends Turned Rivals
A player with 24,000 blitz games never walks the path alone. Bernardo has built a fierce rivalry with Lucas Do Valle Cardoso across more than 400 games, producing wins, losses and a whole collection of narrow escapes. The regulars list goes on with Allan Arriada, Rodrigo Akira Terao and Ribeiro Domingues Ribeiro, all of whom have crossed swords with him again and again.
One example may speak for dozens:
Streaks to Brag About
MFBerna is not a casual spectator. He once rattled off 16 straight wins and then answered the universe at hand with 16 straight losses, because that is what symmetry looked like in his eyes. His comeback rate after losing a piece is 88%, which means he will take the gift of your blunder and keep fighting. This is a player who never leaves the board quietly.