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.
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 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Alex Fier | 2W / 1L / 0D | |
| Aleksandr Shimanov | 8W / 8L / 3D | |
| Mitrabha Guha | 13W / 13L / 3D | |
| Federico Perez Ponsa | 51W / 45L / 12D | |
| Antoni Kozak | 0W / 0L / 1D | |
| Rodrigo Vasquez | 6W / 0L / 0D | |
| Alex Ivanov | 1W / 0L / 0D | |
| Reza Mahdavi | 1W / 3L / 0D | |
| Matyas Palczert | 1W / 0L / 0D | |
| rebeljohnny | 1W / 0L / 0D | |
| Most Played Opponents | ||
|---|---|---|
| Daniel Naroditsky | 228W / 284L / 33D | |
| Hikaru Nakamura | 91W / 362L / 46D | |
| Vladimir Fedoseev | 154W / 197L / 23D | |
| tigranlpetrosyan | 171W / 119L / 19D | |
| Michael Roiz | 128W / 111L / 53D | |
Rating
| Year | Bullet | Blitz | Rapid | Daily |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 3086 | 3186 | 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 |
Stats by Year
| Year | White | Black | Moves |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 476W / 376L / 71D | 421W / 416L / 71D | 94.4 |
| 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 | 356 | 195 | 134 | 27 | 54.8% |
| Sicilian Defense | 278 | 138 | 114 | 26 | 49.6% |
| QGD: 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e3 | 255 | 115 | 110 | 30 | 45.1% |
| East Indian Defense | 255 | 124 | 108 | 23 | 48.6% |
| Amazon Attack: Siberian Attack | 210 | 106 | 82 | 22 | 50.5% |
| Slav Defense: Alekhine Variation | 204 | 110 | 74 | 20 | 53.9% |
| Nimzo-Indian Defense: Three Knights Variation, Duchamp Variation | 204 | 118 | 68 | 18 | 57.8% |
| Nimzo-Indian Defense: Sämisch Variation, Accelerated | 199 | 115 | 69 | 15 | 57.8% |
| King's Indian Defense: Sämisch Variation, Bobotsov-Korchnoi-Petrosian Variation | 193 | 92 | 82 | 19 | 47.7% |
| 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% |
| Rapid Opening | Games | Wins | Losses | Draws | Win Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nimzo-Indian Defense: Sämisch Variation, Accelerated | 10 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 60.0% |
| Ruy Lopez: Closed | 10 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 40.0% |
| QGD: 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e3 | 8 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 25.0% |
| Caro-Kann Defense | 7 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 14.3% |
| Diemer-Duhm Gambit (DDG): 4...f5 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 40.0% |
| Nimzo-Indian Defense | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0.0% |
| Sicilian Defense: Alapin Variation | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 75.0% |
| English Opening: Agincourt Defense | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 75.0% |
| English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Fianchetto Variation | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 33.3% |
| QGD: 3.Nc3 Bb4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 66.7% |
🔥 Streaks
| Streak | Longest | Current |
|---|---|---|
| Winning | 29 | 1 |
| Losing | 17 | 0 |