Dmitry Mischuk: International Master of the Midnight Blitz
International Master Dmitry Mischuk, known online as Mischuk_D (the defiant capital I in his display name is apparently load-bearing), is one of the busiest blitz chess players you will find anywhere. Since October 2015 he has stacked up more than 32,700 rated games, and the overwhelming majority arrived at blitz speed, over 29,000 of them in that single time control. If blitz is cardio, Dmitry brought the hydration plan and a second breakfast.
The Long Climb
His online blitz journey began at 1416, which should comfort every human who has ever clicked a clock for the first time. Within two months he was above 2300, and the graph has pointed generally upward ever since, with a few scenic detours. He crossed the 3000 mark in January 2026 and set his peak of 3055 (2026-05-15) in May 2026. On the bullet board he has also climbed to 2921. A decade of grinding, one click at a time:
Style: Grind First, Ask Questions Later
A remarkable 88.9% of his games reach an endgame, his wins average around 91 moves, and his early resignation rate is a microscopic 1.1%. Translation: he does not do mercy folds. When material goes wrong the game continues, and with a comeback rate north of 90%, opponents are advised to stay nervous. As Black, his home addresses are the Najdorf Variation and the Grünfeld Defense, where he has fought hundreds of exchange-variation marathons. As White he favors 1.e4 and has deep experience against the Caro-Kann, the Czech Defense, and Yugoslav Attacks against his own Dragon Variation. His favorite checking piece? The rook, with over 33,000 rook checks and counting. A token Najdorf position for the road:
The Nemesis Files
- Nigel Short: 189 games, a near-even 74 wins, 81 losses and 34 draws. Most people pay for one lesson with Nigel Short; Dmitry arranged roughly 189 of them and split the take.
- Nihal Sarin: 100 games against one of the sharpest tactical players online, going 38-48-14.
- Oliver Dimakiling: his most played rival at 197 games, sitting at 82-93-22.
- Rinat Jumabayev: 23-75-10. Some names on this list are simply sad.
- Edgar Karagyozian: 64-22-8, comfortably his favorite punching bag.
Quirks and Fun Numbers
- His best hour is midnight, with a 55.6% win rate at 00:00, and his worst is 2 AM at 28.6%. Challenge him at midnight at your own peril; challenge him at 2 AM for charity.
- Sunday is his best day, Monday his worst. Even International Masters dislike Mondays.
- His rapid record is 46 wins, 4 losses and zero draws. He plays rapid so rarely that the four losses look like typos.
- In daily chess he is 164-12-24, including a perfect 7-0 against Petrov's Defense and an untarnished record with the Blackburne Shilling Gambit.
- Longest winning streak: 13. Longest losing streak: 15. The universe insisted on symmetry.
- Tilt factor: 15, roughly as tiltable as a granite statue.
- Casual games suit him about 34 percentage points better than rated ones. Rated mode makes him sweat.
Bottom Line
Dmitry Mischuk is an International Master who treats blitz as a lifestyle, refuses to resign, drags every game into an endgame, and somehow gets stronger after midnight. If you spot Mischuk_D in the lobby at 00:00 on a Sunday, bring snacks, hydration, and low expectations.