Early life and beginnings
Vahan Nalbandyan grew up in a chess-minded world where patience and calculation are valued as much as quick reflexes. From a young age, he was drawn to the 64-square battleground, learning to blend attack with solid defense and turning every late-night study session into a stepping stone toward bigger boards and brighter screens.
Chess career and titles
Vahan is a titled player, proudly carrying the Candidate Master title from FIDE. Known for his sharpness in fast time controls, he has become a respected figure in the blitz circuit and a familiar voice in online chess streams. Blitz is his preferred time control, and he uses the virtual stage to share insights, tactics, and a healthy dose of humor with fans around the world.
Career snapshots:
- Longest Winning Streak: 52 games; Current Winning Streak: 3
- Peak ratings reached in 2025 across controls: Bullet up to 2864, Blitz up to 2682, Rapid up to 2421; Daily peak around 1737 in 2021
Streaming and online presence
Beyond the board, Vahan Nalbandyan is a dedicated streamer who invites viewers into his thinking process. On his channel, he analyses games in real time, breaks down complex ideas for newcomers, and keeps the mood light with witty commentary—proof that chess can be as entertaining as it is challenging.
Opening repertoire and style
Vahan maintains a diverse and pragmatic opening repertoire, with a clear fondness for the Caro-Kann Defense in faster events. His repertoire blends solidity with sharp, tactical ideas, featuring Amar Gambit and Colle System variations, Nimzo-Larsen Attack, and Modern defenses among others. This mix reflects a flexible approach designed to outmaneuver unprepared opponents in blitz and rapid formats.
- Caro-Kann Defense: a trusted backbone with strong blitz results
- Amar Gambit and Colle System variations: enduring planning and dynamic possibilities
- Nimzo-Larsen Attack and Modern defenses: versatile, adaptable play
- Scandinavian Defense, Czech Defense, Australian Defense, and other flexible lines
Notable achievements and outlook
As a Candidate Master, Vahan continues to push his limits in Blitz and Rapid while growing his streaming community. His peak bullet rating of 2864 in 2025 stands as a testament to his aggressive, precise style under pressure. Endgames are a familiar terrain for him, with a strong frequency of long, resourceful endings that keep opponents on their toes.
- Peak Bullet rating reached 2864 (2025)
- Endgames feature prominently in his games, with high endgame frequency
- Active presence in online chess communities and a growing streaming following
Overall Performance and Trends
Vahan, your current performance shows strong capability, especially visible in your high rating peak and your solid win records in various openings. However, recent months indicate some volatility and slight rating dips overall.
- Your rating has seen minor setbacks recently, with a decrease of 29 points in the past month and 68 points over 3 months.
- The trend slopes illustrate fluctuations: recent 1-month slope is positive, suggesting a potential rebound, but 3-month and 12-month slopes are negative, highlighting challenges in maintaining consistent gains.
- Your strength adjusted win rate is near 50%, indicating competitive play against opponents of similar strength.
What You're Doing Well
Your opening repertoire and game choices showcase a comprehensive understanding of diverse strategies and themes:
- Strong win rates with Caro-Kann Defense, Scandinavian Defense, and Alekhine Defense indicate effective preparation and execution in these lines.
- You demonstrate tactical awareness and positional understanding, evident in complex middlegames from the recent losses and draws.
- Good ability to manage the clock, distributing time effectively during fast-paced games.
Areas to Improve
Analyzing your most recent games suggests these focal points for improvement:
- Endgame technique and precision: Some losses involved missed opportunities to simplify or hold difficult positions. Reviewing key endgame principles could help convert or save games.
- Time management under pressure: In bullet or blitz games, staying calm and avoiding rushed moves in critical moments will reduce errors.
- Opening consistency: While you have strong openings, occasionally your position weakened due to inaccuracies or allowing opponent counterplay early. Sharpening your understanding of critical opening lines and typical plans will fortify your early game.
- Tactical awareness: Maintain vigilance for your opponent's threats, especially in complex positions like the Kings Indian Defense that appeared in your recent losses.
Practical Suggestions
- Review critical moments from recent games, especially where you lost or missed the chance to draw. Using analysis tools or coaching sessions can pinpoint exact moves for learning.
- Work on a small selection of openings to deepen knowledge rather than broadening too fast. For example, continue capitalizing on your strengths in Caro-Kann and Scandinavian defenses while bolstering weaknesses in other openings.
- Practice endgame scenarios regularly to refine technique and gain confidence converting minimal advantages.
- In bullet games, experiment with intuitive play supported by pattern recognition to avoid critical blunders under time pressure.
- Maintain focus on psychological endurance and recovery post-loss to stay steady during rating fluctuation periods.
Next Steps
Keep leveraging your strengths in openings and tactical play while systematically addressing endgame and time management challenges. This balanced approach should help stabilize your rating and return you to a positive trend.
Feel free to let me know if you'd like detailed analysis on any specific opening or position from your recent games!
🆚 Opponent Insights
| Recent Opponents | ||
|---|---|---|
| adam657 | 2W / 1L / 0D | |
| Alexandros Papasimakopoulos | 1W / 0L / 1D | |
| Blindov | 0W / 1L / 0D | |
| bonblobliqr1 | 0W / 1L / 0D | |
| Bu11et_Pr00f | 17W / 25L / 5D | |
| Edoardo Di Benedetto | 1W / 0L / 1D | |
| jerry_77 | 0W / 1L / 0D | |
| Georgi Filev | 2W / 11L / 2D | |
| Sameer Mujumdar | 2W / 0L / 0D | |
| tigran_mirzakhanian | 1W / 0L / 0D | |
| Most Played Opponents | ||
|---|---|---|
| gangster_h | 64W / 54L / 11D | |
| cesart22 | 56W / 28L / 8D | |
| haashinib | 37W / 35L / 3D | |
| Advaith Karthik | 21W / 34L / 5D | |
| jeyhun_huseynzade | 25W / 25L / 3D | |
Rating
| Year | Bullet | Blitz | Rapid | Daily |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2738 | 2712 | 2428 | |
| 2024 | 2737 | 2546 | 2386 | 1366 |
| 2023 | 2524 | 2479 | 2313 | 1648 |
| 2022 | 2483 | 2445 | 2270 | |
| 2021 | 2507 | 2516 | 2086 | 1644 |
| 2020 | 2464 | 2453 | 1931 | |
| 2019 | 2258 | 2415 | ||
| 2018 | 2193 | 2339 |
Stats by Year
| Year | White | Black | Moves |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 907W / 656L / 96D | 834W / 713L / 112D | 90.1 |
| 2024 | 1469W / 493L / 99D | 1396W / 551L / 108D | 80.9 |
| 2023 | 858W / 455L / 72D | 858W / 485L / 54D | 76.7 |
| 2022 | 466W / 245L / 37D | 435W / 286L / 50D | 78.3 |
| 2021 | 292W / 292L / 39D | 286W / 291L / 47D | 81.3 |
| 2020 | 249W / 202L / 30D | 210W / 221L / 41D | 84.3 |
| 2019 | 225W / 213L / 22D | 207W / 223L / 31D | 80.2 |
| 2018 | 414W / 326L / 27D | 379W / 348L / 30D | 76.4 |
Openings: Most Played
| Bullet Opening | Games | Wins | Losses | Draws | Win Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Caro-Kann Defense | 474 | 297 | 149 | 28 | 62.7% |
| Colle System: Rhamphorhynchus Variation | 312 | 171 | 129 | 12 | 54.8% |
| Amar Gambit | 299 | 177 | 104 | 18 | 59.2% |
| Nimzo-Larsen Attack | 280 | 152 | 114 | 14 | 54.3% |
| Modern | 258 | 153 | 94 | 11 | 59.3% |
| Hungarian Opening: Wiedenhagen-Beta Gambit | 227 | 143 | 71 | 13 | 63.0% |
| Scandinavian Defense | 222 | 156 | 60 | 6 | 70.3% |
| Czech Defense | 222 | 123 | 93 | 6 | 55.4% |
| Australian Defense | 186 | 103 | 80 | 3 | 55.4% |
| Amazon Attack | 183 | 125 | 52 | 6 | 68.3% |
| Blitz Opening | Games | Wins | Losses | Draws | Win Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Caro-Kann Defense | 329 | 208 | 104 | 17 | 63.2% |
| English Opening: Symmetrical Variation | 215 | 107 | 93 | 15 | 49.8% |
| Amar Gambit | 207 | 133 | 62 | 12 | 64.2% |
| Czech Defense | 203 | 112 | 77 | 14 | 55.2% |
| Unknown | 199 | 128 | 70 | 1 | 64.3% |
| Amazon Attack | 192 | 125 | 59 | 8 | 65.1% |
| Scandinavian Defense | 176 | 135 | 38 | 3 | 76.7% |
| Amazon Attack: Siberian Attack | 168 | 102 | 52 | 14 | 60.7% |
| Benko Gambit | 165 | 81 | 71 | 13 | 49.1% |
| French Defense | 164 | 111 | 47 | 6 | 67.7% |
| Rapid Opening | Games | Wins | Losses | Draws | Win Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Caro-Kann Defense | 65 | 52 | 9 | 4 | 80.0% |
| London System: Poisoned Pawn Variation | 43 | 37 | 3 | 3 | 86.0% |
| Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation | 33 | 31 | 1 | 1 | 93.9% |
| Blackburne Shilling Gambit | 23 | 18 | 3 | 2 | 78.3% |
| Scotch Game | 21 | 20 | 0 | 1 | 95.2% |
| Caro-Kann Defense: Exchange Variation | 15 | 14 | 0 | 1 | 93.3% |
| Amazon Attack: Siberian Attack | 14 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 85.7% |
| Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense | 12 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 91.7% |
| Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, Berlin Wall | 12 | 7 | 1 | 4 | 58.3% |
| Scandinavian Defense | 11 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 72.7% |
| Daily Opening | Games | Wins | Losses | Draws | Win Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unknown | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
| Barnes Defense | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 60.0% |
| Australian Defense | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 75.0% |
| Caro-Kann Defense | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 66.7% |
| Amar Gambit | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 66.7% |
| Modern | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 33.3% |
| Sicilian Defense | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 50.0% |
| English Opening: Symmetrical Variation | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0.0% |
| Blackburne Shilling Gambit | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.0% |
| Philidor Defense | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.0% |
🔥 Streaks
| Streak | Longest | Current |
|---|---|---|
| Winning | 52 | 0 |
| Losing | 12 | 1 |