Avatar of Alexey Ivanyuk

Alexey Ivanyuk

Username: pawnchuk

Location: St. Petersburg

Playing Since: 2012-02-07 (Active)

Wow Factor: ♟♟♟♟♟♟

Chess.com

Rapid: 2532
5213W / 4433L / 1326D
Blitz: 2333
33540W / 34400L / 5910D
Bullet: 2111
345W / 389L / 54D

Alexey Ivanyuk - The Enigmatic Chess Maestro

Meet Alexey Ivanyuk, the mysterious chess wizard known by many as pawnchuk, whose moves on the board are as unpredictable as his username is confidential.

Starting around 2012, Alexey stormed the blitz scene with a blitz rating soaring over 2300 at his peak, a clear sign that his fingers were faster than most opponents' strategies. In the realm of rapid chess, he didn't just participate—he dominated. From 2020 onwards, his rapid rating has been on a graceful incline, culminating in a peak rating over 2500 in 2025. Clearly, the art of strategy with a bit more time isn't too much for this grandmaster in the making.

Playing Style and Psychological Trends

Alexey’s playing style is a fascinating blend of patience and resilience. With an endgame frequency near 87%, he likes to drag his opponents into the final throes of battle where his cunning really shines. On average, his wins come after about 78 moves—plenty of time to brew a storm. And for losses, well, he fights till move 88 before conceding defeat.

An astounding comeback rate of nearly 90% and a perfect win rate after losing a piece (yes, 100%!) shows his nerves are ice-cold. Though he does have a tilt factor of 31 (we all have those days), he’s definitely the type to shake it off and keep on fighting.

Records, Rivalries and Secret Openings

Alexey boasts over 5,200 wins in rapid and close to 30,000 in blitz—talk about dedication! His preferred openings remain shrouded in secrecy, simply dubbed "Top Secret", making opponents squirm in anticipation.

He’s had intense battles against opponents like z2win (202 games!) and has a knack for extremely high win rates against many challengers. Take elmchess26, his recent opponent, whom he took down decisively.

The Man Behind the Pawns

With such a brilliant track record and a winning streak that once hit 17 games in a row, Alexey is a testament that chess is not just a game of kings but also kings of games. Whether blitz, bullet, or rapid, he maneuvers with the precision of a grandmaster and a mind sharper than the knight’s fork.

So next time you face pawnchuk, remember: behind that username and those secret openings lies a fierce competitor who never gives up and can turn the tide at any moment—sometimes after losing a piece, but never the game.


Coach's Avatar

Recent performance overview

You’ve shown the ability to generate pressure in complex positions and convert momentum into winning results. Your recent mate finish demonstrates you can coordinate heavy pieces and finish concrete attacking sequences. There were also moments in your losses and draws where tighter defense, clearer plans, and steadier time management would help you convert more chances into wins.

What you did well

  • You created active, forcing lines that put your opponent under real pressure, culminating in a clean mating finish in a win.
  • Your piece activity and piece coordination often kept your opponent on the defensive, especially in sharper middlegames.
  • You maintained fight in dynamic positions, showing resilience when the position became open and tactical.
  • You executed concrete pawn breaks and piece maneuvers that opened lines for your attack or created weaknesses in your opponent’s structure.

Areas to improve

  • Time management in rapid games: balance quick, solid moves with deeper calculation only when the position clearly requires it. Use a simple plan to avoid time pressure that leads to inaccuracies.
  • Opening plan consistency: for the main systems you’re using (Colle/London setups and French/QGD families), have a prepared middlegame plan after the initial moves so you don’t drift into passive structures or miss tactical opportunities.
  • Defensive awareness in transitions: in some sequences, the opponent’s counterplay or tactical resources weren’t fully checked before advancing a strong plan. Build a habit of scanning for opponent threats in every key moment.
  • Endgame technique: strengthen conversion in rook and minor piece endings, and improve practical defense when you’re slightly worse—practice standard endgame patterns to hold or convert efficiently.
  • Pattern recognition in your openings: reinforce common middlegame ideas tied to your openings (for example, typical pawn structures, piece placements, and break ideas) so you can choose plans with higher confidence.

Opening notes and practical plan

Your openings data shows you’re comfortable with Colle/London structures and some French/QGD lines. You tend to get good middlegame chances from these setups, but you can benefit from a tighter transition plan after the standard developing moves. Practical steps:

  • Pick 1-2 main lines for Colle/London and 1 main line for the French/QGD to study in depth each week. For each line, write down 2-3 middlegame plans you’re aiming for (for example, control of a key file, targeted pawn breaks, or a specific piece maneuver).
  • Create quick-reference notes on common opponent responses to those lines and your preferred counterplans.
  • Practice short, focused drills that let you practice those middlegame plans in a controlled setting (e.g., set up typical structures and play there to reinforce the plan).

Targeted 4-week training plan

  • Week 1: Tactics focus (15–20 minutes per session) on motifs seen in your recent games (back-rank ideas, forceful checks and captures, and quick decoupling of the opponent’s pieces).
  • Week 2: Opening deep dive for your main systems (Colle/London and French/QGD). Learn 2-3 middlegame plans for each line and practice them in annotated model games.
  • Week 3: Time management practice. Play longer practice games with a simple plan: solve first, then decide on a plan within the first 10 moves, and monitor clock usage to avoid late-game pressure.
  • Week 4: Endgame mastery. Focus on rook endings and practical 1-2 pawn endgames, plus common defend-and-convert patterns in slightly worse positions.

Want a deeper look?

If you’d like, I can annotate a specific recent game (win, loss, or draw) and point out exact turning points, missed resources, and concrete improvements. Tell me which game you want reviewed and I’ll provide a focused, battle-tested improvement plan.



🆚 Opponent Insights

Recent Opponents
Jhon Alexander Zapata Hincapie 8W / 5L / 0D
giovanny20094 4W / 1L / 1D
Molarband 7W / 7L / 2D
thehumancalc 1W / 0L / 0D
mightymated 1W / 1L / 0D
stevo_prepelica 1W / 0L / 0D
violoncello13 11W / 7L / 2D
kengnejr 1W / 0L / 0D
lowkichess 2W / 0L / 0D
jw19666 0W / 1L / 0D
Most Played Opponents
zvika gutfroind 81W / 103L / 10D
bledi12 74W / 87L / 15D
cruz29 55W / 77L / 14D
2011KING 54W / 87L / 4D
Dragomirescu Calin 55W / 59L / 22D

Rating

Year Bullet Blitz Rapid Daily
2025 2313 2532
2024 2370 2430
2023 2320 2474
2022 2112 2355 2360
2021 2485 2336
2020 2329 2116
2019 2028 2333
2018 2118 2361
2017 2016 2206
2016 2208
2015 2136
2014 2051
2013 1958
2012 2040
Rating by Year2012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024202525321958YearRatingBulletBlitzRapid

Stats by Year

Year White Black Moves
2025 1602W / 1220L / 246D 1420W / 1399L / 250D 83.9
2024 414W / 306L / 146D 414W / 329L / 130D 90.2
2023 706W / 531L / 185D 647W / 568L / 205D 88.8
2022 799W / 655L / 163D 722W / 703L / 179D 88.3
2021 2194W / 2063L / 469D 2037W / 2243L / 465D 87.5
2020 2399W / 2232L / 363D 2170W / 2415L / 398D 86.4
2019 2931W / 2722L / 486D 2559W / 3088L / 528D 85.9
2018 3072W / 3080L / 532D 2780W / 3380L / 501D 84.9
2017 1917W / 1681L / 305D 1661W / 1908L / 306D 84.4
2016 1000W / 911L / 164D 904W / 1037L / 164D 84.4
2015 315W / 304L / 51D 295W / 322L / 59D 86.5
2014 243W / 227L / 40D 241W / 239L / 30D 84.1
2013 583W / 553L / 85D 540W / 577L / 106D 83.8
2012 989W / 907L / 154D 904W / 994L / 148D 81.6

Openings: Most Played

Rapid Opening Games Wins Losses Draws Win Rate
Colle: 3...e6 4.Bd3 c5 1254 580 530 144 46.2%
London System: Poisoned Pawn Variation 771 381 290 100 49.4%
Döry Defense 630 340 229 61 54.0%
French Defense: Exchange Variation 498 233 182 83 46.8%
QGD Tarrasch: 7.Bg2 Be7 8.O-O 460 213 187 60 46.3%
QGD Tarrasch: 4.cxd5 437 217 148 72 49.7%
French Defense: Advance Variation 435 203 196 36 46.7%
French Defense: Burn Variation 420 203 175 42 48.3%
French Defense 406 201 160 45 49.5%
French Defense: MacCutcheon Variation 390 183 165 42 46.9%
Bullet Opening Games Wins Losses Draws Win Rate
Australian Defense 98 40 49 9 40.8%
French Defense 62 24 34 4 38.7%
Amar Gambit 52 18 30 4 34.6%
London System: Poisoned Pawn Variation 44 24 18 2 54.5%
Colle: 3...e6 4.Bd3 c5 40 22 15 3 55.0%
Colle System: Rhamphorhynchus Variation 38 20 16 2 52.6%
French Defense: Exchange Variation 37 19 13 5 51.4%
Dutch Defense 36 13 20 3 36.1%
Döry Defense 35 13 21 1 37.1%
Modern 22 8 13 1 36.4%
Blitz Opening Games Wins Losses Draws Win Rate
Colle: 3...e6 4.Bd3 c5 4533 2392 1804 337 52.8%
London System: Poisoned Pawn Variation 4220 1937 1917 366 45.9%
Döry Defense 4218 1996 1907 315 47.3%
Modern 3731 1587 1863 281 42.5%
Australian Defense 2762 1305 1236 221 47.2%
QGD Tarrasch: 7.Bg2 Be7 8.O-O 2281 991 1060 230 43.5%
French Defense 2062 896 1001 165 43.5%
King's Indian Defense: Orthodox Variation, Aronin-Taimanov Defense 1975 1043 787 145 52.8%
QGD Tarrasch: 4.cxd5 1770 785 840 145 44.4%
French Defense: Burn Variation 1698 741 813 144 43.6%

🔥 Streaks

Streak Longest Current
Winning 17 2
Losing 31 0