mudilo: Chess Biography of the Caro-Kann Loyalist
Some players collect openings like stamps. mudilo has committed, body and soul, to exactly two: the English Opening as White and the Caro-Kann Defense as Black. Across more than 40,000 recorded online games, including over 19,000 blitz wins, mudilo has become a tireless grinder whose long-term devotion to c4 and c6 borders on the romantic.
The Daily Chess Era (2010 to 2011)
mudilo first surfaced in 2010 playing daily chess, sprinted past 2100 in a single summer, and peaked at 2203 that October. Then, after a mysterious six-game cameo in 2011, mudilo vanished from the chess world for nearly a decade. An intermission, as it turned out.
The Blitz Renaissance (2021 to 2026)
In July 2021, mudilo returned, this time to blitz, entering at 1334 and breaking 2400 within weeks. What followed was five years of astonishing volume: months of 600 to 900 games, some 841 at once, grinding the rating ever upward toward a 2596 peak in May 2026.
The grind had moods. The longest losing streak ran 24 games; the longest winning streak hit 15. That is the emotional rollercoaster of a true blitz veteran.
The Rapid Revolution (2026)
Today, Rapid is mudilo's preferred time control. After a single rapid game back in 2022, mudilo returned in July 2026 and rocketed from 1550 to a 2508 (2026-09-14) within months, stacking up a sparkling 139-50-17 record along the way.
Repertoire and Playing Style
As White, mudilo opens 1.c4 virtually every game. The Mikenas-Carls Variation is the workhorse, winning over 53% of more than 1,300 blitz outings:
As Black, the Caro-Kann has been played over 6,000 times in blitz alone. If you open 1.e4 against mudilo, you are about to meet 1...c6, and you may not enjoy it:
mudilo wins long: victories average about 81 moves, and roughly three of every four games reach a genuine endgame. The rook is the favored checking piece, and even after dropping material, mudilo still wins nearly half of those games. Lost positions get resigned early and gracefully. No drama, just the next game.
Notable Rivalries
- Knyaz13: the defining rivalry at 77 games, with mudilo ahead 42-27-8.
- Sergey Kornilov: 70 battles fought, mudilo on top 34-25-11.
- Nejmeddine Dhaouadi: dead even at 22-21-5. Somebody must break the tie.
- ff aa: the nemesis, holding a 22-17 edge over mudilo.
Fun Facts
- Best hour to play: 6 AM. Worst: 9 AM. Never schedule breakfast chess with mudilo.
- Has faced the Amazon Attack: Siberian Attack nearly 1,000 times and would politely like to see it less.
- Favorite checking piece: the rook, deployed over 30,000 times. Subtle as a brick.
- Only 71 career checkmate wins; the rest of the defeats were spared the final blow by an early resignation.
- Plays best against lower-rated opponents, and treats equal ratings like a friendly coin flip.