Michael Kraitsberg
Michael Kraitsberg, known online as RandomOracle, is a FIDE Master whose digital chess career reads like a love letter to speed chess. While he holds the prestigious FIDE Master title, his true kingdom is the blitz board, where he has played tens of thousands of games and climbed as high as 2600.
Early Career
Kraitsberg's online journey began in late 2010 with a modest blitz rating near 1300. Within a few months he crossed the 2000 barrier, and by the mid 2010s he was a permanent fixture in the 2100 to 2200 range. His progress has been steady rather than explosive, a patient grind that eventually carried him to a peak blitz rating of 2600 (2025-08-25).
Playing Style
As an opener, Kraitsberg is both practical and adventurous. He is comfortable in classical structures like the Caro-Kann Defense and the French Defense, yet he also enjoys offbeat tries such as the Amazon Attack and the Amar Gambit. His results are significantly stronger with the white pieces, where he wins 55.52% of the time, compared to 50.33% with black.
Kraitsberg loves the fight. His endgame frequency is remarkably high, and his comeback rate of 80.62% shows that he rarely surrenders even after losing material. Opponents resign early against him in 73% of his wins, perhaps sensing that the oracle has already calculated the finish.
Rivalries
No online career is complete without familiar foes, and Kraitsberg has plenty. His most played opponent is eg0210, with 83 meetings and 56 wins for the oracle. He has also enjoyed great success against Anton Nikolov, winning 47 of their 62 encounters. These recurring battles give his match history a true clubhouse feel, even if the clubhouse happens to be the internet.
Peak Moments
Kraitsberg reached his highest blitz rating of 2600 (2025-08-25) in August 2025, and his bullet rating peaked at 2525 (2025-06-10) shortly before. His longest winning streak stretched to 22 games, a run that surely felt like a prophecy fulfilled. The oracle is not infallible, though, and a 17 game losing streak proves that even seers have bad days.
Legacy
With more than 48,000 analyzed games and over 12,500 blitz victories, Michael Kraitsberg embodies the modern chess grinder. He is a FIDE Master, a blitz warrior, and living proof that volume, courage, and a well timed queen check can take you very far. When the clock is low and the position is messy, the oracle usually sees the truth first.