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.
Tikhon, your recent blitz games demonstrate both solid strengths and areas ripe for improvement. You have a substantial number of games under your belt, reflecting strong experience at a high level. Your win rate stands just under 50%, with a balanced record in many popular openings. Notably, your performance in some lines such as the Four Knights Game and the Sicilian Closed Anti-Sveshnikov Variation is quite impressive, showcasing good preparation and tactical awareness.
What You Are Doing Well
Opening Preparation: Your results in the Four Knights Game and the closed Sicilian indicate strong opening skills. You handle these structures confidently and it pays off consistently.
Positional Play and Tactics: Your recent winning games show good use of piece activity and calculated aggression. For example, in your game against MikhailPanin, you aggressively exploited weaknesses and coordinated your pieces to force resignation.
Endgame Technique: In several matches such as the one with guillembaches, you converted advantages smoothly in complex endgames under time pressure.
Adaptability: You play a variety of openings with success, indicating versatility in your approach to opponents and positions.
Areas to Focus On for Improvement
Managing Critical Moments: Some losses, like the one against ChesssKnock in the Caro-Kann, suggest that key tactical skirmishes or middle game transitions need sharper calculation and positional judgment.
Time Management: A couple of your losses were on time, highlighting the importance of balancing speed and accuracy in blitz to maintain pressure but avoid rushed mistakes.
Opening Consistency: While strong in several openings, your win rates in the Sicilian Alapin and Caro-Kann hover in the low-40%s. Experimenting with alternative lines or deeper study could improve consistency and surprise value.
Endgame Precision: Focus on converting complex positions when you have an advantage; small inaccuracies under time pressure can allow opponents to escape.
Maintaining Momentum: Your recent rating trend shows a slight decline in the last month and three months, despite significant gains over half a year. Work on sustaining focus and consistency through long sessions.
Practical Tips to Enhance Your Play
Deepen your study in openings where your win rates are lower; use your existing games as case studies to identify typical pitfalls and key plans.
Practice blitz games with a focus on maintaining composure in time scrambles. Set mini-goals for time usage on critical moves.
Analyze losses in positions where you felt uncertain to improve calculation skills and decision-making under pressure.
Incorporate endgame drills regularly, especially on rook and minor piece endings you encounter most often.
Record and review your tournament sessions to recognize when your performance dips and what external factors might influence your play.
Looking Ahead
Your overall rating trajectory points to substantial improvement over the last six months and twelve months, which is encouraging. With focused adjustments, especially on consistency during critical junctures and time control management, you can further solidify your position and push your rating even higher. Keep leveraging your opening strengths and work systematically on the nuances of middle and endgame transitions.
Keep up the good work and continue learning from every game, win or lose!
