Avatar of Maria Emelianova

Maria Emelianova WFM

Username: PhotoChess

Location: Antwerp

Playing Since: 2017-01-28 (Inactive)

Wow Factor: ♟♟

Chess.com

Daily: 1237
85W / 118L / 8D
Rapid: 1900
32W / 16L / 5D
Blitz: 1732
460W / 357L / 40D
Bullet: 1703
180W / 149L / 20D

Maria Emelianova: Woman FIDE Master & Chess Streamer Extraordinaire

Meet Maria Emelianova, a fiercely talented chess player who proudly wears the title of Woman FIDE Master. Not just a wizard over the 64 squares, Maria is also known in the streaming world as PhotoChess, where she entertains and educates fellow chess lovers with her strategic brilliance and sharp wit.

Maria's chess journey is a rollercoaster of epic wins and spectacular comebacks. Her blitz rating peaked at a sizzling 1974 in May 2021, while her bullet quickfire games saw her crest an impressive 1893 in late 2020. On the daily chess front, she soared to over 2000, proving her steadiness and patience aren't just for show. And let's not forget rapid chess, where she reached a high of 1921 in 2024. Clearly, Maria dominates all formats—fast or slow!

Known for a strong penchant for the Scotch Game and the Alapin Sicilian Defense, Maria's opening repertoire blends classic chess wisdom with crafty surprises that keep her opponents guessing (and often resigning). Her win rates in these lines are nothing short of majestic, boasting up to 87% success in the Scotch Game during blitz matches.

Beyond the stats, Maria is a strategic mastermind with an impressive comeback rate of 76%. Trap one of her pawns, and she'll bounce back with a vengeance—no tilting here, except maybe a 17% tilt factor that reminds us she’s human too. Her average games tend to be long affairs, with winning games stretching over 63 moves on average, showing her love for a good, strategic battle.

When does Maria bring out her A-game? Ask any chess enthusiast and they’ll say around 1 PM, her statistically best time of day. Whether she’s streaming live or battling it out online, her peak concentration hours turn her into an unstoppable force.

And for those who think chess players only live in gloomy silence and intense focus, Maria flips the script as a vibrant streamer, mixing great gameplay with engaging personality. If you want to watch chess played with style, humor, and the occasional trolling move, catch her streams—you might even pick up a tip or two.

Her recent games are equally thrilling, including a nifty win in a Chess960 format that ended with a graceful resignation from her opponent—because losing to Maria is apparently a thing that even grandmasters dread.

In summary: Maria Emelianova is a chess connoisseur, a streamer with charm, and a tactical beast on the board. Whether you’re a beginner looking for inspiration or a seasoned player craving fierce competition, Maria’s journey is one to admire and follow.

Check her out online under the username PhotoChess—and prepare to be dazzled!


🆚 Opponent Insights

Most Played Opponents
Anna Cramling 15W / 20L / 4D
Dirkje 99 25W / 10L / 0D
The Face of Chess. 8W / 27L / 0D
Nikola Stojsin 12W / 16L / 6D
Alexandra Botez 4W / 24L / 2D

Rating

Year Bullet Blitz Rapid Daily
2025 1510 1506
2024 1710 1732 1900 1237
2023 1744 1848 1841 1273
2022 1657 1839 1768 1087
2021 1794 1878 1768 1087
2020 1819 1833 1717 1495
2019 1576 1681 1716 1512
2018 1867
2017 1087 1691 2011
Rating by Year20172018201920202021202220232024202520111087YearRatingBulletBlitzRapidDaily

Stats by Year

Year White Black Moves
2025 37W / 28L / 2D 41W / 24L / 3D 62.5
2024 37W / 25L / 0D 31W / 26L / 3D 59.3
2023 33W / 18L / 3D 31W / 15L / 3D 61.8
2022 72W / 60L / 4D 79W / 55L / 4D 62.8
2021 200W / 113L / 21D 202W / 124L / 15D 64.8
2020 243W / 153L / 16D 222W / 158L / 24D 64.7
2019 130W / 162L / 13D 144W / 153L / 9D 56.9
2018 5W / 3L / 1D 5W / 5L / 1D 27.5
2017 26W / 12L / 3D 20W / 13L / 1D 65.7

Openings: Most Played

Blitz Opening Games Wins Losses Draws Win Rate
Sicilian Defense: Four Knights Variation, Cobra Variation 110 64 42 4 58.2%
Scotch Game 96 64 29 3 66.7%
Sicilian Defense: Alapin Variation 82 50 29 3 61.0%
Sicilian Defense: Accelerated Dragon 78 50 26 2 64.1%
Scandinavian Defense 69 46 21 2 66.7%
Sicilian Defense: Closed 67 37 28 2 55.2%
Amar Gambit 62 32 28 2 51.6%
Sicilian Defense 61 36 23 2 59.0%
Bird Opening: Dutch Variation, Batavo Gambit 56 36 19 1 64.3%
Sicilian Defense: Closed, Anti-Sveshnikov Variation, Kharlov-Kramnik Line 50 35 13 2 70.0%
Rapid Opening Games Wins Losses Draws Win Rate
Amar Gambit 21 11 8 2 52.4%
London System: Poisoned Pawn Variation 11 8 2 1 72.7%
Scotch Game 11 8 2 1 72.7%
Sicilian Defense: Alapin Variation 9 5 4 0 55.6%
Sicilian Defense 9 2 5 2 22.2%
Amazon Attack: Siberian Attack 9 7 2 0 77.8%
Sicilian Defense: Closed 9 6 2 1 66.7%
Caro-Kann Defense 8 5 2 1 62.5%
Barnes Defense 7 6 1 0 85.7%
Nimzo-Larsen Attack 7 7 0 0 100.0%
Daily Opening Games Wins Losses Draws Win Rate
Scotch Game 23 10 13 0 43.5%
Amar Gambit 18 6 12 0 33.3%
Unknown 16 10 6 0 62.5%
Sicilian Defense: Accelerated Dragon 12 5 7 0 41.7%
Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation 11 4 7 0 36.4%
Barnes Defense 10 8 2 0 80.0%
Sicilian Defense: Four Knights Variation, Cobra Variation 9 5 3 1 55.6%
London System: Poisoned Pawn Variation 9 3 6 0 33.3%
Sicilian Defense 8 3 4 1 37.5%
Amazon Attack 7 3 4 0 42.9%

🔥 Streaks

Streak Longest Current
Winning 16 0
Losing 17 2