From Neftegor to International Master
Oleg Karpeshov, known online as Neftegor, is an International Master with an unusual chess fingerprint: he is a blitz specialist. While his bullet and rapid results are modest, his blitz board tells the story of a tireless online warrior with tens of thousands of games.
Volume and Streaks
Neftegor's blitz record is staggering: over 34,000 analysed games, more than 17,800 wins and 14,850 losses. His longest winning streak reached 23 games, and even his worst slump, a 13 game losing streak, shows he keeps queueing up.
- Longest winning streak: 23
- Longest losing streak: 13
- Current mood: a two game skid after a long career of bouncing back
Style and Openings
As White, Oleg is a devotee of solid and dangerous setups. The Slav Defense appears hundreds of times in his White repertoire, and he also enjoys the Modern and the King's Indian Defense, Orthodox Variation, Aronin-Taimanov Defense. As Black, he leans on the sharp Amazon Attack: Siberian Attack, the Bogo-Indian Defense and the Sicilian Defense. His opening data suggests he wins more often as White at 55.8% than as Black at 48.8%, a classic sign of someone who likes to dictate the first move.
His games are long battles: average decisive games last around 74 to 83 moves depending on the result. The first capture often comes early, but Neftegor rarely resigns early, with an endgame frequency near 85%.
Rivalries
A player with over 30,000 blitz games inevitably develops rivals. His most played opponent is 2011KING, with 164 meetings and a solid 108 wins for Neftegor. Other frequent partners in crime include Juliano Resende M Pereira, Ignacio Raviolo, and Rogelio Jr Antonio, all with over 140 games against him. Few rivalries are one sided: against caraguru he has 32 wins in 117 tries, proof that even a blitz machine has tough matchups.
The Numbers Behind the Name
- Peak blitz rating: 2651 (2018-09-12)
- Comeback rate after losing a piece: 87.3%
- Win rate after losing a piece: 50.6%
- Best time of day to play: 07:00, when he wins more often
- Most common checking piece: the queen, followed by the rook
Neftegor's French Defense experience alone would fill a small library. With strengths like the Slav Defense and the ever present Bogo-Indian Defense, he can switch between sharp tactical battles and grinding positional play without missing a beat.