Avatar of Salem AR Saleh

Salem AR Saleh GM

Username: Salem-AR

Location: Sharjah

Playing Since: 2016-03-10 (Active)

Wow Factor: ♟♟♟♟♟♟

Chess.com

Rapid: 2650
51W / 40L / 22D
Blitz: 3125
5859W / 4590L / 1116D
Bullet: 3086
2065W / 1348L / 197D

Salem AR Saleh: The Grandmaster of Surprises

Salem AR Saleh, known in the chess world simply as Salem-AR, is a formidable Grandmaster recognized by FIDE, the international chess federation. A player whose rating seems to sprint past the 3100 mark in Blitz and Bullet, Salem’s chess prowess is nothing short of lightning-fast brilliance matched with meticulous strategy.

Rise Through the Ranks

Salem's journey is a thrilling rollercoaster of chess ratings, starting from humble beginnings around 1373 in Blitz during early 2016, skyrocketing spectacularly to an eye-watering peak of 3162 by March 2025. This indicates not only immense talent but relentless dedication and an uncanny ability to adapt under pressure.

The Stats That Matter

Dominating over 10,300 games in Blitz alone, Salem boasts a win rate just shy of 52% in one of the most nerve-wracking time controls in chess. His Bullet rating peak of 3152 shows he’s just as lethal when the clock is merciless, flash-moving pieces with blistering speed. And when it comes to Rapid, while slightly less frequented, Salem pulls a solid rating near 2700 – enough to make opponents think twice.

Playing Style: The Psychological Thrill

Salem may look calm, even serene, but don’t be fooled. His games are marked by long average moves per win (around 82 moves) and an impressive endgame frequency, proving his stamina and patience. A comeback rate soaring over 90% means Salem rarely surrenders when down a piece, often turning the tables when least expected. Bit of a chess ninja, or maybe just a mind reader?

Favorite Openings & Memorable Battles

While some secrets remain closely guarded ('Top Secret' opening line dominates his repertoire), Salem has dabbled successfully with the Colle System tradition, the Ruy Lopez Morphy Defense, and the King's Indian Defense in recent wins. In a recent dramatic live game dated May 1, 2025, Salem showcased his tactical wizardry by winning with the white pieces in a classic Colle System line. His style knows when to strike and when to silently build the pressure.

Rivals and Records

Facing titans like Hikaru Nakamura and Daniel Naroditsky often, Salem has fought battles both fierce and fair. Though Hikaru’s win rate against Salem hovers around 82%, Salem’s resilience shines through in his impressive longest winning streak of 29 games and a current winning streak that would make any competitor raise an eyebrow.

The Grandmaster Off the Board

Whether it’s playing at his peak around 16:00 hours (his prime blitz time) or outsmarting opponents across all days, Salem exemplifies the modern chess warrior: quick, smart, and unpredictable. His psychological tilt factor is low, which means even bad calls don’t throw him off balance — a calming presence in the face of chaos.

"Chess is a labyrinth of infinite moves, but Salem AR Saleh always seems to find the exit... or create a new one!"


Coach Chesswick's Profile Photo
Coach Chesswick

Overall Performance Review

Salem AR Saleh, over your recent bullet games, you've maintained a solid performance with a strength-adjusted win rate of approximately 51.2%. Your rating has shown a steady improvement, gaining 35 points in the last month and 47 points over six months, indicating positive and consistent progress. Keep up this momentum!

What You Did Well

  • Strong Opening Choices: You frequently utilized openings like the Nimzo-Indian Defense and the Caro-Kann Defense, showing good familiarity and effectiveness in these lines.
  • Endgame Technique: Several of your wins came from strong endgame play, capitalizing on small advantages and pressure, such as well-timed pawn pushes and accurate king activation.
  • Calculated Attacks: You displayed tactical awareness, orchestrating some precise combinations and mating nets, leading to several forced wins and checkmates.
  • Time Management: You managed your clock well in most games, balancing speed and accuracy which is critical in the bullet format.

Areas to Improve

  • Handling Pressure: Some losses resulted from defensive oversights or late-game precision errors, especially in complex positions. Practicing defensive techniques and calculation under time pressure can help.
  • Opportunities in Critical Moments: Look for chances to convert advantages earlier. For example, in games where the opponent mounted counterplay, you could improve in consolidating gains and neutralizing threats quickly.
  • Opening Flexibility: While your main openings are solid, introducing varied responses could make you less predictable and better prepared against different styles.
  • Endgame Simplification: In a few losses, timely simplification of the position might have saved the game or at least led to drawing possibilities. Sharpen your endgame knowledge to recognize these moments.

Next Steps and Recommendations

  • Continue working on sharpening your tactical vision to catch and create winning combinations quickly.
  • Study endgame fundamentals and common theoretical positions to improve your technique in bullet time controls.
  • Review games where you lost to understand missed opportunities and defensive lapses; consider setting aside time for focused analysis after each session.
  • Try experimenting with different openings from time to time to keep your play flexible and unpredictable.
  • Keep practicing time management skills by playing bullet games under various time controls to increase your adaptability.

Summary

Your recent performances demonstrate solid knowledge and skills, highlighted by a steady rating increase. Focusing on precision in critical phases and diversifying your opening repertoire will elevate your bullet game even further. Great progress so far—continue driving forward!



🆚 Opponent Insights

Recent Opponents
Nihal Sarin 64W / 137L / 24D View
Maxim Matlakov 7W / 11L / 2D View
Aleksandr Shimanov 16W / 9L / 4D View
Aram Hakobyan 33W / 23L / 10D View
handplay01 24W / 35L / 4D View
Bornio 3W / 9L / 3D View
NoobMaster176 15W / 17L / 2D View
Magnus Carlsen 5W / 37L / 1D View
Lembke407 22W / 38L / 5D View
Vladimir Fedoseev 155W / 198L / 23D View
Most Played Opponents
Daniel Naroditsky 228W / 284L / 33D View Games
Hikaru Nakamura 91W / 362L / 46D View Games
Vladimir Fedoseev 155W / 198L / 23D View Games
tigranlpetrosyan 171W / 119L / 19D View Games
Michael Roiz 128W / 111L / 53D View Games

Rating

Year Bullet Blitz Rapid Daily
2025 3086 3128 2650
2024 3036 3087
2023 3033 3006 2670
2022 3015 3019 2620
2021 3045 2909
2020 3025 2912
2019 3058 2803 2660
2018 2872 2890 2628
2017 2924 2811 2628
2016 2818 2717
Rating by Year201620172018201920202021202220232024202531282620YearRatingBulletBlitzRapid

Stats by Year

Year White Black Moves
2025 539W / 446L / 82D 472W / 497L / 85D 95.3
2024 405W / 281L / 60D 382W / 288L / 71D 91.6
2023 125W / 41L / 18D 111W / 47L / 11D 84.0
2022 376W / 268L / 65D 353W / 288L / 72D 90.6
2021 341W / 236L / 57D 281W / 270L / 65D 85.2
2020 406W / 243L / 60D 371W / 258L / 64D 88.1
2019 592W / 323L / 67D 524W / 379L / 78D 86.0
2018 415W / 272L / 59D 368W / 325L / 59D 85.7
2017 486W / 380L / 87D 440W / 397L / 106D 87.2
2016 609W / 373L / 77D 531W / 415L / 110D 87.2

Openings: Most Played

Blitz Opening Games Wins Losses Draws Win Rate
Caro-Kann Defense 572 296 229 47 51.8%
Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation 369 202 140 27 54.7%
Sicilian Defense 286 139 120 27 48.6%
QGD: 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e3 281 128 119 34 45.5%
East Indian Defense 258 124 111 23 48.1%
Amazon Attack: Siberian Attack 224 110 90 24 49.1%
Nimzo-Indian Defense: Sämisch Variation, Accelerated 211 121 74 16 57.4%
Slav Defense: Alekhine Variation 206 111 75 20 53.9%
Nimzo-Indian Defense: Three Knights Variation, Duchamp Variation 205 119 68 18 58.0%
King's Indian Defense: Sämisch Variation, Bobotsov-Korchnoi-Petrosian Variation 200 95 86 19 47.5%
Bullet Opening Games Wins Losses Draws Win Rate
Caro-Kann Defense 173 104 62 7 60.1%
Australian Defense 110 58 48 4 52.7%
East Indian Defense 106 63 36 7 59.4%
Slav Defense: Alekhine Variation 92 56 31 5 60.9%
Amar Gambit 88 37 42 9 42.0%
Nimzo-Larsen Attack 81 31 45 5 38.3%
Amazon Attack: Siberian Attack 79 49 25 5 62.0%
Sicilian Defense 76 45 27 4 59.2%
Modern 59 33 23 3 55.9%
King's Indian Defense: Accelerated Averbakh Variation 58 30 27 1 51.7%

🔥 Streaks

Streak Longest Current
Winning 29 0
Losing 17 2
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