Arpit Shah - The Stealthy PitviperX of the Chessboard
Also known in chess circles as pitviperX, Arpit Shah is a force to be reckoned with, even if the ratings might not always suggest grandmaster dominance... yet. With a peak blitz rating soaring over 1100 and rapid hitting around 780, Arpit pirouettes through the 64 squares with a cunning style that’s part artsy, part tactical beast.
Playing Style & Strengths
Arpit’s gameplay is characterized by his dogged perseverance and remarkable comeback rate of 80%—yes, this viper doesn’t just strike once, he often manages to climb back from the brink like a chess phoenix rising from his own tactical ashes. He embraces long, strategic endgames, averaging over 74 moves per win, which shows both patience and charm.
Players have noted his uncanny ability to win even after losing a piece, boasting a win rate afterward of nearly 45%. With an Early Resignation Rate of just 1.64%, Arpit rarely throws in the towel prematurely, making every game a suspense thriller.
Blitz Battles and Beyond
Blitz is Arpit's battleground of choice, with an impressive over 3800 wins and a nearly even tally of losses (~3770), sprinkled with draws showing his adaptable nature. His blitz journey is a rollercoaster—from a lowly 400s rating to crossing the 1100+ threshold in just a couple of years, proving that even pit vipers learn new tricks.
He is fond of openings like the King's Pawn Opening, King's Knight Variation and the Van 't Kruijs Opening, where his win rates hug the 50% mark—a sign he's comfortable both defending and attacking.
Psychological Game & Timing
Sometimes, even a pit viper can get rattled; Arpit’s tilt factor sits at 11, not too shabby for someone who spends hours immersed in fierce battles. Oddly enough, his peak hours to strike are around 1 AM, possibly proving that while others sleep, Arpit sharpens his chess fang skills.
His win rates fluctuate throughout the day, peaking notably in the early morning hours—maybe coffee fuels those inspired moves? If there’s a chessboard near a 2 AM espresso shot, you know where Arpit might be lurking.
Recent Games - A Quick Peek
Among his latest victories: a gritty win by resignation against opponent J-a-y-a-n-t featuring a Vienna Game with some sneaky maneuvers and clinical execution over 49 intense moves. You can watch this game here, if you want some inspiration (or just to watch a pit viper devour its prey).
In Summary
Arpit isn’t just a number-crunching profile; he’s a spirited gladiator on the digital battlefield who values resilience, cunning strategies, and never backs down early. Whether you’re facing him in blitz or rapid, prepare for long fights and unexpected comebacks—because pitviperX might just be coiling for a surprise strike.
Keep an eye on Arpit Shah — the chessboard is his jungle, and he’s still hunting!
Quick summary
Nice work, Arpit — you’re creating chances and converting them when your opponents slip. Your recent wins show good piece activity and the ability to punish loose play. Your loss vs pasteldave highlights a recurring weak spot: king safety and tactical awareness right after material grabs. Below are concrete, actionable steps to keep improving in blitz.
What you’re doing well
- Active pieces — you get rooks and queens into the game quickly (examples in your wins vs soybeanking and jaser_05).
- Hunting targets — you spot and punish opponents who leave pawns and squares weak (you turned that into a win in the game where you captured on c5).
- Practical conversion — when a small advantage appears you press and often make the opponent crack rather than letting them settle.
- Opening diversity — you’re comfortable in many sharp lines; that gives you practical chances in blitz (keep the lines you know well and simplify others).
Key weaknesses to fix (high impact, quick wins)
- King safety before material grabs — in the loss vs pasteldave you accepted sharp complications and the opponent punished with a mating/tactical net (common theme: grabbing pawns while the king remains exposed).
- Repeating the same piece moves — in one winning game you shuffled a bishop between two squares for many moves instead of creating a clear plan. That is time-consuming and often loses momentum in blitz.
- Time management — several games show very low remaining clock time in the final phase. In blitz you need a 10–15 second buffer; avoid long think when the position is equal or when a simple practical move works.
- Calculation of forcing sequences — missing Qxf7-style shots against you and failing to see tactical resources when you have the initiative are recurring issues. Practice short combinations with an emphasis on checks, captures, and threats.
Concrete examples & what you could have done
Short, plain-English notes from recent games (so you can replay the moments and learn quickly):
- Vs pasteldave (Queen’s Gambit / Chigorin-ish): You allowed Bxc7 and Qxf7+ motifs when your king was still in the center. Next time: if your opponent is threatening Qxf7 or similar, prioritize castle or force an exchange that reduces their attacking potential before grabbing material.
- Vs soybeanking (Italian-ish setup): You converted pressure on the queenside well — but you spent moves shuffling the same bishop and knight back and forth. Instead pick one plan: open a file, trade one pair of pieces, or push a pawn break. Commit early and execute.
- Vs jaser_05 (Vienna/Vienna Gambit terrain): You used active rook lifts and exploitation of weak squares nicely. That game is a good model — keep the habit of improving inactive rooks and coordinating queen + rook tactics when the opponent's king is exposed.
- Practical tip: when you see repeating piece moves from the opponent, look for either a forcing continuation (win material) or a simplifying exchange — don’t mirror the shuffle.
Want to replay one of your wins quickly? Use this game viewer to review the tactical flow and the moment you turned the advantage into a win:
orientation|white]]Weekly blitz training plan (simple, 30–60 minutes total)
- Daily (10–15 min): Tactics trainer — focus on mates and forks; do 20 problems but stop after 2 repeated misses and analyze them.
- 3× per week (20 min): Play 5–10 blitz games with the rule “no premoves and no move-shuffling” — force yourself to pick plans quickly.
- 2× per week (15–30 min): Review 3 recent games (one win, one loss, one messy draw). For each, find the turning move and write down one better alternative. Spend most time on mistakes that lost material or opened your king.
- Weekly (30 min): Opening hygiene — keep 1–2 main lines and learn the key tactical motifs in them. For example, consolidate a safe response to gambits you face often (King’s Gambit / Vienna-type positions).
Blitz checklist (use before pressing the clock)
- Is my king safe? (If not — castle or force an exchange.)
- Any immediate checks, captures or threats for either side?
- Am I repeating moves? If yes, pick one clear plan to avoid wasting time.
- How much clock left — do I need a simple practical move to keep time buffer?
Small habit changes that help a lot
- When you grab a pawn early: do a 2-second scan for immediate tactical refutations or enemy checks (Qxf7, discovered checks, pins).
- If you notice yourself shuffling a piece twice in a row, stop and choose a plan (improve a piece, open a file, or swap off).
- After each game, mark the single worst blunder and the single best decision — that gives focused, fast improvement.
Next steps & encouragement
Your recent games show the raw ingredients of a strong blitz player: activity, tactical sense, and persistence. Clean up king safety and time usage, and you’ll convert many more wins. Take the training plan for two weeks and then we’ll review your toughest losses to fine-tune openings and calculation drills.
If you want, tell me which game you want a deeper move-by-move postmortem on (pick one vs soybeanking, pasteldave, or jaser_05) and I’ll give a short annotated line-by-line critique.
🆚 Opponent Insights
| Recent Opponents | ||
|---|---|---|
| stallionhorse | 0W / 1L / 0D | View |
| flibustyn | 0W / 1L / 0D | View |
| silice87 | 1W / 0L / 0D | View |
| k-dorri | 1W / 0L / 0D | View |
| sergioromero79 | 0W / 1L / 0D | View |
| rico3006 | 1W / 0L / 0D | View |
| andreytsu | 1W / 1L / 0D | View |
| zzzvasilizzz | 1W / 0L / 0D | View |
| msrchelo99 | 1W / 0L / 0D | View |
| merethereza | 0W / 1L / 0D | View |
| Most Played Opponents | ||
|---|---|---|
| Pratik Shah | 7W / 1L / 1D | View Games |
| Willy Gunawan | 2W / 4L / 0D | View Games |
| ahmmadullah | 3W / 1L / 0D | View Games |
| kekkinho94 | 2W / 2L / 0D | View Games |
| Pelocha | 2W / 2L / 0D | View Games |
Rating
| Year | Bullet | Blitz | Rapid | Daily |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1075 | |||
| 2024 | 979 | 712 | 800 | |
| 2023 | 552 | 714 |
Stats by Year
| Year | White | Black | Moves |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 919W / 883L / 112D | 900W / 925L / 97D | 77.9 |
| 2024 | 1321W / 1230L / 139D | 1262W / 1311L / 116D | 72.9 |
| 2023 | 315W / 257L / 24D | 280W / 301L / 32D | 68.4 |
Openings: Most Played
| Blitz Opening | Games | Wins | Losses | Draws | Win Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amar Gambit | 975 | 485 | 441 | 49 | 49.7% |
| Barnes Opening: Walkerling | 512 | 240 | 239 | 33 | 46.9% |
| Blackburne Shilling Gambit | 512 | 234 | 254 | 24 | 45.7% |
| Dresden Opening: The Goblin | 473 | 236 | 214 | 23 | 49.9% |
| French Defense | 450 | 201 | 222 | 27 | 44.7% |
| Vienna Gambit, with Max Lange Defense | 415 | 197 | 194 | 24 | 47.5% |
| Barnes Defense | 373 | 171 | 186 | 16 | 45.8% |
| Amazon Attack | 368 | 180 | 176 | 12 | 48.9% |
| Philidor Defense | 367 | 178 | 174 | 15 | 48.5% |
| Scandinavian Defense | 357 | 150 | 187 | 20 | 42.0% |
| Rapid Opening | Games | Wins | Losses | Draws | Win Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amar Gambit | 213 | 108 | 95 | 10 | 50.7% |
| Nimzo-Larsen Attack | 108 | 58 | 47 | 3 | 53.7% |
| Barnes Defense | 73 | 31 | 36 | 6 | 42.5% |
| French Defense | 63 | 28 | 32 | 3 | 44.4% |
| Modern | 57 | 31 | 25 | 1 | 54.4% |
| Australian Defense | 39 | 18 | 19 | 2 | 46.1% |
| Colle System: Rhamphorhynchus Variation | 32 | 17 | 13 | 2 | 53.1% |
| Amazon Attack | 29 | 18 | 11 | 0 | 62.1% |
| Scandinavian Defense | 20 | 11 | 8 | 1 | 55.0% |
| Barnes Opening: Walkerling | 11 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 45.5% |
| Daily Opening | Games | Wins | Losses | Draws | Win Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elephant Gambit | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
🔥 Streaks
| Streak | Longest | Current |
|---|---|---|
| Winning | 21 | 0 |
| Losing | 11 | 2 |