Meet Daniel Milekic
Daniel Milekic, known to the online chess world as SpartacusDM, is a FIDE Master with a serious blitz addiction. Since 2013 he has racked up more than 37,000 online games, with blitz as his true home. His journey is the stuff of persistence: from a humble 1088 start to a career peak of 2685 (2023-12-11), reached in December 2023, and a current cruising altitude around 2667.
Playing Style
As White, Daniel is a 1.d4 loyalist who loves grinding through the Slav Defense, the Gruenfeld Defense, and classic Queen's Gambit structures. As Black, he is a devoted Sicilian Defense soldier, with the Najdorf Variation appearing nearly 1,000 times in his blitz games. His battles are long: average decisive games run to about 77 moves, and he reaches the endgame in over 83% of his games. He rarely surrenders, carrying a comeback rate near 85% and a 46% win rate even after losing a piece.
Rivalries
Every champion needs a foil. Against Ivan Illiev, Daniel holds a commanding 193 wins in 343 meetings. Against Michael Baron, however, the script flips: 61 wins and 161 losses in 247 clashes. If SpartacusDM has a true nemesis, his name is michaelbaron.
Numbers and Quirks
- A 23 game winning streak and a 13 game losing streak: even Spartacus stumbles sometimes.
- His best results historically come at 2:00 AM, making him the night owl of the chessboard.
- He delivers the first check in more than half of his games, with the queen as his favorite messenger.
- His volume is staggering: 17,732 blitz wins and counting.