Maksim Gogin is a distinguished FIDE Master known for his tactical awareness and remarkable prowess in blitz chess. His rapid and intuitive play style has thrilled opponents and fans alike, making him a formidable competitor especially in fast-paced time controls like Rapid and Blitz.
Playing Style and Strengths
Maksim exhibits a high level of tactical sharpness, reflected in his strong comeback ability with an impressive 86.34% comeback rate. His games are generally exciting, averaging over 80 moves per decisive game, showcasing his resilience and deep understanding of the endgame.
Known for a solid Endgame technique, with endgames featuring in over 85% of his games.
Maintains balanced play with a White win rate above 51% and a Black win rate near 47.5%.
Strategic in early game, with an average of about the 7th move for the first capture.
Has a tilted yet focused mindset with noted best performance around 1 AM.
Titles and Accomplishments
Holding the title of FIDE Master, Maksim Gogin has steadily climbed the ranks, reaching a peak blitz rating of 2906 in early 2025 — an extraordinary achievement signaling his elite status in the blitz community.
Preferred Openings
Maksim has crafted a versatile opening repertoire that serves him well in various competitive settings:
Amazon Attack: Siberian Attack – A favorite in blitz with over 1450 games and a strong 51.27% win rate.
Alekhine Defense – A classic choice with a nearly 48% win rate in 563 games.
Sicilian Defense: Alapin Variation – Maksim’s weapon of choice with more than 300 games and a 51.7% win rate.
French Defense – Solid and reliable, boasting a 53.38% win rate in over 280 games.
Australian Defense and Caro-Kann Defense also feature prominently in his opening arsenal.
Competitive Highlights & Records
Over 11,000 games played across all time controls including blitz, bullet, rapid, and daily formats.
Blitz career wins exceed 6,500 games with a healthy win to loss ratio.
Strong performances against top regulars like blitzstream and khatanbaatarbazar, holding winning records versus these fierce opponents.
Long winning streak peaked at 13 games, while his longest losing streak shows resilience through upsets.
Preferred time control: Rapid, where his precision and calm lead to consistent winning results.
Fun Facts
Maksim’s best hour to play is early morning (around 1 AM), perfect for nocturnal chess warriors.
Despite his blitz dominance, he has a tactical style that shines even in slower formats.
Average game lengths suggest Maksim enjoys the long haul – many games stretching to a fascinating 80+ moves.
Coach Chesswick
Recent Game Highlights
Maksim, your recent games show strong attacking skills and effective opening knowledge. In particular, your successes with the Amar Gambit and French Defense demonstrate good preparation and tactical awareness. In one rapid game, you executed a classic knight attack leading to a quick checkmate, showcasing sharp execution in the opening phase.
Strong win by tactical motifs in the Italian Game - Knight Attack variation.
Good handling of complex middlegame positions, especially seen in your game with the Hungarian Defense where you capitalized on strategic pawn pushes and piece activity.
Utilizing open files and pressure effectively in the endgames you played, converting material advantage smoothly.
Areas for Improvement
Your recent rating trend shows a slight decline overall, despite the positive slope in some data points. This suggests inconsistency in performance, possibly due to tactical oversights or time management challenges in rapid games.
Work on avoiding inaccuracies in the Sicilian Defense, where your results are mixed. Specifically, focus on the Alapin Variation to maintain your good results and shore up weaknesses.
Review positions where you allowed opponent counterplay in the middlegame, such as allowing your opponent to create strong passed pawns or infiltrate with rooks. Improving positional judgment here will stabilize your results.
Time management is key in rapid chess. Ensure you allocate your time well, especially in critical positions where calculation accuracy is paramount.
Opening Recommendations
Your choice of openings is very solid and suits your style well. To continue improving, consider:
Deepening your understanding of the Amar Gambit and Amazon Attack lines where your winning percentages are high. Experiment with new ideas and prepare responses for common sidelines.
Consolidate your repertoire in the French Defense where you have a 100% win rate - this can be a reliable weapon in your arsenal.
For openings with mixed results like the Sicilian Defense and its variations, analyze your losses carefully to identify recurring tactical or strategic themes to work on.
General Advice
Based on your performance and stats, here are some tailored suggestions for ongoing progress:
Study annotated games in your favored openings to understand deeper plans beyond opening moves.
Practice tactics regularly to improve your calculation speed and pattern recognition, essential for rapid games.
Analyze your losses and draws deeply to find root causes, focusing on moments where the evaluation shifted.
Maintain a consistent training schedule to capitalize on your current form and positive trend slope.
