Meet Taha Nikatefeh
Taha Nikatefeh, known online as Taha-N, has been a constant presence in the chess world since 2016. As of mid-2025 he has played nearly 4,900 rated games across bullet, blitz, rapid, and daily formats. His preferred time control is Rapid, and his style fits it perfectly: fast enough to be dangerous, thoughtful enough to be punishing.
A decade of growth
Taha did not arrive as a finished product. He climbed from the lower rungs of the rating ladder one game at a time. He crossed 1500 in Rapid in 2019, reached the 1800s in 2020, and touched 1997 (2024-10-03) in 2024. His bullet game also exploded past 2000 in August 2023, proving that when the clock is cruel, Taha can still be kind to himself.
Playing style and favorite openings
Taha is an e4 loyalist. Almost every recorded first move in his recent seasons is 1.e4, and he loves to keep the tension high. His opening choices show a player who is not afraid of uncharted territory:
- He keeps returning to the Blackburne Shilling Gambit, playing it more than 530 times.
- His Scandinavian Defense is a steady weapon, with about 60 percent wins in Rapid.
- He also performs well in French Defense lines, especially in Blitz, where his win rate is over 77 percent.
Fighter's mentality
The numbers show a stubborn competitor. Taha's comeback rate sits at 77 percent, and he still wins almost 47 percent of the time after losing a piece. His longest winning streak was 13 games and his longest losing streak was 11, but he treated that rough patch as a lesson. One-sided losses are rare, under 2 percent of his games. He also plays far better in rated games than casual ones, with a win difference of nearly 34 percentage points.
Rivalries and late nights
Every online competitor has at least one rival. For Taha, that role belongs to Mohsen Ghorbani, who has faced him 41 times and holds the edge. Taha's record in that series is 8 wins, 32 losses, and 1 draw, yet he kept queueing up for more. Against berise, he holds the bragging rights with 9 wins and 6 losses. If you meet Taha-N at midnight, beware: his stats show that is his most dangerous hour.