Saul

SaulMN: The Blitz Battler

Meet SaulMN, a chess player whose favorite time control is Blitz—because why spend hours on one game when you can make 60 moves in less than 10 minutes and still call it a victory (or a learning experience)? Since his debut in 2015, Saul has maneuvered through thousands of games with the speed of a cheetah and the cunning of a fox, climbing up the rating charts to a peak Blitz rating of 2424 in September 2024.

Rating Rollercoaster

Starting humbly around 1000 in Blitz back in 2015, Saul didn’t let a few bumps (or a lot of bumps) on the road stop him. He steadily improved, gliding past 2200 by 2022 and cracking the 2300s by 2023. His Rapid and Bullet ratings tell a tale of versatility, hitting highs of 1609 and 2327 respectively—though Bullet seems to be the speed demon’s second favorite after Blitz.

Playing Style & Prowess

SaulMN is a strategist with patience: averaging about 73 moves per win and even more in losses, he’s not one for quick trades. In fact, he rarely resigns early (just 1.83%), choosing to soldier on in endgames—he spends about 80% of his games dancing through the final phase. His cleverness shines with a remarkable 85.21% comeback rate, meaning Saul rarely admits defeat without a fight.

The Opener’s Gambit

Ever mysterious yet effective, Saul’s top opening is named Top Secret—a fitting title for a player who often surprises his opponents. Among known openings, Saul favors the Indian Game Knights Variation and the Sicilian Defense Nyezhmetdinov Rossolimo Fianchetto Variation when precision is needed.

A Rival to Remember

He has a love-hate relationship with the chessboard, balancing 2581 wins vs 2469 losses in Blitz—and a nice collection of draws in the mix.

Recent Battles

In one of his latest victories, Saul clutched a win on time against bad1972 after maneuvering through a tense king and rook endgame—talk about nerves of steel! On the flip side, the recent bitter taste of defeat came from Wichol, showing that even greats have their days to learn from.

[Event "Live Chess"]
[Site "Chess.com"]
[Date "2025.05.15"]
[Round "-"]
[White "bad1972"]
[Black "SaulMN"]
[Result "0-1"]
[CurrentPosition "1R6/8/6p1/7p/5P1P/6P1/p5K1/r1k5 w - - 14 60"]
[Timezone "UTC"]
[ECO "A46"]
[ECOUrl "https://www.chess.com/openings/Indian-Game-Knights-Variation...4.Bg2-Be7-5.O-O-O-O-6.b3"]
[UTCDate "2025.05.15"]
[UTCTime "06:16:56"]
[WhiteElo "2177"]
[BlackElo "2218"]
[TimeControl "180"]
[Termination "SaulMN won on time"]
[StartTime "06:16:56"]
[EndDate "2025.05.15"]
[EndTime "06:23:13"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 e6 3. g3 Be7 4. Bg2 O-O 5. O-O d5 6. b3 c5 7. Bb2 b6 8. c4 Bb7
9. Ne5 Qc7 10. cxd5 exd5 11. Nc3 Rd8 12. e3 Nc6 13. Nxc6 Bxc6 14. Qd2 Rd7 15. Rfd1
Rad8 16. Rac1 Qb7 17. h4 h5 18. Bf3 g6 19. Kg2 Bf8 20. Ne2 Bg7 21. Nf4 Ne4 22. Bxe4
dxe4 23. Qc2 Bb5 24. d5 Bd3 25. Qd2 Bxb2 26. Qxb2 Qc7 27. Rd2 b5 28. Nxd3 exd3 29. e4
c4 30. bxc4 bxc4 31. Rxd3 Rc8 32. Rdc3 Qe5 33. Qe2 Rxd5 34. Rxc4 Rxc4 35. Qxc4 Rd4
36. Qc8+ Kg7 37. f3 Rd2+ 38. Kh3 Rxa2 39. Qc3 Qxc3 40. Rxc3 a5 41. Rc6 a4 42. Ra6 Kf8
43. f4 Ke7 44. e5 a3 45. Ra5 Ra1 46. Ra4 a2 47. Kh2 Ke6 48. Ra6+ Kf5 49. Ra5 Kg4 50. Ra3
Kf5 51. Kg2 f6 52. exf6 Kxf6 53. Ra5 Ke6 54. Ra6+ Kf5 55. Ra5+ Ke4 56. Ra4+ Kd3 57. Ra3+
Kc2 58. Ra8 Kb2 59. Rb8+ Kc1 0-1
    

In Summary

SaulMN is a fierce and consistent competitor whose chess journey is marked by resilience, strategic depth, and the love of the fast-paced thrill of Blitz chess. Whether he’s grinding through a skeletal endgame or blazing through opponents at lightning speed, Saul’s games are a testament to the art of balance between brain and speed.

Pro tip: If you want to catch him at his best, challenge SaulMN around 3 AM — that's reportedly his “best time of day to play,” perhaps fueled by coffee and midnight inspiration!