Dmitrii Gubin: The Blitz Marathoner
Dmitrii Gubin, better known on the board as Taimanov_20, is a FIDE Master with a serious appetite for blitz. In recent recorded play, he has torn through more than 1,100 blitz games, climbing to a peak 2861 (2026-01-15) of 2861. That number becomes even more impressive when you remember he started one month at 1763 and still clawed his way back above 2600. His volume is genuinely heroic: a 326-game month in January 2026 would break most players, but that is exactly where he hit his highest rating.
A Rollercoaster Rating Graph
Dmitrii's blitz rating is a living testimony to the phrase "keep playing."
He has absorbed seven-loss slides, then responded with a ten-game winning streak. His comeback rate sits at an absurd 87%, which fits a player who simply refuses to log off after a bad beat.Opening Repertoire: English by Nature, Sicilian by Choice
Dmitrii is nearly a one-move wonder with the white pieces: he plays c4, and then he plays c4 again. The English Opening is his bread and butter, especially the Drill Variation and the Agincourt Defense. He also has a soft spot for the Taimanov Variation in the Closed English, a fitting signature for a player named Taimanov_20. In that line his win rate jumps to a remarkable 71.43%.
As Black, he is a creature of habit as well. The Sicilian Defense dominates his black repertoire, with the Four Knights Cobra Variation, the Closed Sicilian, and the Nyezhmetdinov-Rossolimo Attack all showing up regularly. His ruthlessness against weaker opposition is on display: he wins 65.95% of his games when facing players rated below him.
Rivalries and Grudge Matches
No opponent has seen more of Taimanov_20 than Uhti-Puhti, who has faced him 21 times. Their rivalry is delightfully close: Dmitrii holds a narrow 10 wins to 8 edge, with 3 draws. It is the kind of even series that keeps both players queuing up for more.
The Numbers Nerd Corner
- Preferred battleground: Blitz, hands down.
- Favorite time to play: 6am, where his win rate spikes to 61.54%.
- Endgame frequency: 86.44%. He rarely avoids a long grind.
- Average decisive game length: about 86 moves, so bring a snack.
- Tilt factor: 7. He feels the pain, but he always starts the next game anyway.