About Tikhon Popov
Tikhon Popov is a distinguished FIDE Master known for his sharp skills and tenacity, especially in fast-paced chess games. Specializing in blitz chess, Tikhon combines a tactical flair with a deep understanding of complex positions, making him a formidable opponent on the board.
Playing Style and Strengths
Tikhon’s style is marked by endurance and resilience. He’s known to average over 80 moves per win, showing a preference for battles that stretch deep into the endgame — which he frequently reaches, with endgames appearing in about 80% of his games.
- Preferred time control: Blitz – where he shines brightest.
- Endgame expertise: Often grinds out wins even after losing material, with a comeback rate above 90%.
- Tactical awareness: Maintains a steady win rate of nearly 45% after losing pieces, a testament to his fighting spirit.
Opening Repertoire
Tikhon plays a wide variety of openings, showing versatility and adaptability, with some favorites including:
- Blitz: Sicilian Defense (Taimanov Variation and Alapin Variation), Four Knights Game, Caro-Kann Defense, and the Amazon Attack (Siberian Attack).
- Bullet: Caro-Kann Defense, Modern Defense, Alekhine Defense, and Hungarian Opening tricks.
- Rapid: Less frequent but includes bold choices like Benko Gambit, Alekhine Defense, and English Opening.
Notable Achievements & Records
- Reached a peak blitz rating of 2891 (April 2025), displaying elite-level performance.
- Surpassed a bullet rating of 2979 in August 2023, flirting with the upper echelons of bullet chess.
- Holds an impressive win record with close to 2000 wins in blitz and nearly 600 in bullet chess.
- Known for a longest winning streak of 12 games, proving consistency in form.
- Maintains a close rivalry against top opponents like zaitsev_egor and komikaoxid, showing strong performance against familiar foes.
Fun Facts
- Tikhon’s best time of day to play is midnight — looks like he’s a night owl who chesses while others sleep!
- Often wins more when playing White (nearly 49%) than Black (around 43%), suggesting he enjoys the initiative.
- Despite the intensity of blitz, Tikhon keeps a low early resignation rate at just over 2%, showing he’s always ready to battle till the end.