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.
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 |
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 |