Profile: Murugan Thiruchelvam
Murugan Thiruchelvam, known online as muruganthiruchelvam, is a tireless online chess competitor. His favorite time control may be bullet, but his real battleground is the blitz board. Since January 2017 he has played more than 19,000 rated blitz games, turning an 800 starting rating into a stunning 2835 (2026-07-09) peak. He is the kind of player who never seems to run out of games, energy, or ideas.
The Long Climb
Murugan's rise was not instant, but it was relentless. His first recorded month began at 800, and within a few months he was already trading above 2,400. By 2019 he was regularly playing above 2,500, and in 2025 and 2026 he reinvented himself with patient opening systems such as 1.e3. The result was a remarkable run that reached an all-time high blitz rating of 2,835 in July 2026.
Repertoire and Style
Ask Murugan for a favorite opening and the answer is almost always the Caro-Kann Defense. He has played it in nearly 5,000 blitz games, making it one of the most reliable constants in his career. Against 1.e4 he also enjoys the Sicilian Defense, particularly the Chekhover Variation, while as White he frequently experiments with the Nimzo-Larsen Attack. In recent seasons his White repertoire has gravitated toward 1.e3, a quiet move that fits his endgame-heavy approach. Around 76 percent of his games reach the endgame, and his wins often stretch beyond 77 moves. This is a player who loves the full fight.
Rivalries
Every online competitor has familiar faces, and for Murugan one of the most familiar is Christian Stevens. They have faced each other 60 times, with 22 wins for Murugan, 34 for cstevens1, and 4 draws. He also has a deep history with ErnestoGuevaraLynch, winning 22 of their 45 meetings while losing 19. These rivalries help explain his durability: he keeps showing up even when the matchups are difficult.
His longest winning streak reached 28 games, while his toughest stretch lasted 12 losses. Through all of that, his comeback rate sits at 85 percent, and he still wins 44 percent of games even after losing a piece. For a player who has tasted both extremes, that resilience is the true trademark.
Early Bird or Night Owl?
The data also reveals a wonderfully strange daily pattern. Murugan's best winning percentage comes at 06:00, when he wins nearly 53 percent of his games. By 07:00, however, that number drops to just 32 percent. If there is a lesson in his stats, it is this: play him at sunrise if you want a real test, but perhaps let him have that first cup of coffee before sitting down at the board.