Avatar of Vahan Nalbandyan

Vahan Nalbandyan CM

Username: Vahan

Playing Since: 2018-02-20 (Active)

Wow Factor: ♟♟♟♟♟♟♟

Chess.com

Daily: 1366
25W / 17L / 5D
Rapid: 2467
164W / 54L / 18D
Blitz: 2618
3766W / 2846L / 436D
Bullet: 2656
4198W / 2783L / 364D

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

Blitz Rating2018201920202021202220232024202527092339YearBlitz Rating

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

Coach Chesswick's Profile Photo
Coach Chesswick

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
user_247779015 1W / 0L / 0D View
misa_savic 1W / 0L / 0D View
Veronika Shubenkova 4W / 4L / 0D View
Eduardo Barbosa Mesquita 5W / 3L / 0D View
Rohan Rajaram 0W / 1L / 0D View
Leonel Alejandro Amato 2W / 4L / 0D View
Karina Ambartsumova 6W / 7L / 1D View
Sergei Zhigalko 0W / 3L / 0D View
Meri Arabidze 3W / 3L / 1D View
Andre Kunz 6W / 2L / 0D View
Most Played Opponents
gangster_h 64W / 58L / 11D View Games
César Frank Talledo Lagos 56W / 28L / 8D View Games
haashinib 37W / 35L / 3D View Games
Advaith Karthik 21W / 34L / 5D View Games
jeyhun_huseynzade 25W / 25L / 3D View Games

Rating

Year Bullet Blitz Rapid Daily
2025 2656 2618 2467
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
Rating by Year2018201920202021202220232024202527371366YearRatingBulletBlitzRapidDaily

Stats by Year

Year White Black Moves
2025 1009W / 737L / 101D 931W / 793L / 122D 90.3
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

Blitz Opening Games Wins Losses Draws Win Rate
Caro-Kann Defense 344 218 108 18 63.4%
English Opening: Symmetrical Variation 221 108 97 16 48.9%
Amar Gambit 208 134 62 12 64.4%
Czech Defense 204 112 78 14 54.9%
Amazon Attack 200 130 62 8 65.0%
Unknown 199 128 70 1 64.3%
Scandinavian Defense 179 137 39 3 76.5%
Amazon Attack: Siberian Attack 175 107 52 16 61.1%
French Defense 167 113 48 6 67.7%
Benko Gambit 166 82 71 13 49.4%
Bullet Opening Games Wins Losses Draws Win Rate
Caro-Kann Defense 495 309 158 28 62.4%
Colle System: Rhamphorhynchus Variation 315 171 132 12 54.3%
Amar Gambit 305 181 105 19 59.3%
Nimzo-Larsen Attack 285 155 116 14 54.4%
Modern 259 153 95 11 59.1%
Scandinavian Defense 231 160 65 6 69.3%
Hungarian Opening: Wiedenhagen-Beta Gambit 227 143 71 13 63.0%
Czech Defense 226 123 96 7 54.4%
Australian Defense 189 105 81 3 55.6%
Amazon Attack 188 126 55 7 67.0%
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%
Scandinavian Defense 12 9 2 1 75.0%
Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, Berlin Wall 12 7 1 4 58.3%
Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense 12 11 1 0 91.7%
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%
Modern 3 1 1 1 33.3%
Caro-Kann Defense 3 2 1 0 66.7%
Amar Gambit 3 2 1 0 66.7%
English Opening: Symmetrical Variation 2 0 0 2 0.0%
Sicilian Defense 2 1 1 0 50.0%
London System: Poisoned Pawn Variation 1 1 0 0 100.0%
Vienna Gambit: 3...d5 4.exd5 1 1 0 0 100.0%

🔥 Streaks

Streak Longest Current
Winning 52 2
Losing 12 0
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