Victor Mikhalevski - Grandmaster of the 64 Squares
Meet Victor Mikhalevski, a chess Grandmaster whose battles on the 64 squares are as fierce as a dragon in a medieval tale. Armed with razor-sharp tactics and an uncanny ability to bounce back from setbacks, Victor isn’t just a player; he’s a chess maestro who turns openings into masterpieces and endgames into epics.
Early Moves and Rise
Victor earned the prestigious title of Grandmaster from FIDE, proudly solidifying his place among the elite. Over years online and offline, his blitz rating skyrocketed, reaching an impressive peak of 2827 in June 2020 – a rating that would intimidate even the boldest of knights.
Playing Style
Known for his resilience, Victor boasts a remarkable comeback rate of 87.18%, proving that losing a piece doesn’t mean losing the battle. His games tend to be marathons rather than sprints – averaging nearly 80 moves in wins – a testament to his strategic patience and love for endgames, which occur in over 87% of his matches. With white pieces, he strikes victorious nearly 60% of the time, and with black, he still wins more than half his duels.
The Opening Arsenal
As mysterious as a secret society, Victor’s main opening preference is the intriguingly named "Top Secret" with a solid 59% win rate over 800 games. But don’t be fooled by the secrecy: he has a perfect score in flashy lines like the Grunfeld Defense Stockholm Variation and Sicilian Defense Smith Morra Gambit — basically saying, "Surprise! I’ve got a trick up my sleeve."
Battle Records and Rivalries
Victor’s chess journey is filled with countless duels, accumulating 489 wins in blitz and 57 wins in rapid games. He’s squared off with frequent opponents like contora and rud_makarian over a dozen times each, demonstrating both endurance and a competitive spirit. His overall blitz win rate is a solid 59.13%, reflecting his sharp instincts in fast-paced battles.
When and Where to Catch Him
The Grandmaster shines brightest around 11 AM, where his win rate reaches an impressive 70%, suggesting a morning coffee might just be his secret weapon. Saturdays are especially lucky days too, with a win rate north of 63%. However, be warned – don’t let him play after too many losses; he has a “tilt factor” of 7, meaning even grandmasters occasionally feel the sting of frustration.
Last Encounter: A Tactical Triumph
In his most recent victory against apex_cordis in May 2025, Victor demonstrated his mastery of the Grunfeld Defense Stockholm Variation. The game was a strategic duel lasting 48 moves, culminating in a win on time but built on relentless pressure and precise calculation. Sometimes, chess battles are as much about endurance as genius!
The Human Behind the Board
With a career peppered by long winning streaks (up to 10 games) and a sense of humor sharp enough to checkmate opponents mentally, Victor Mikhalevski proves that chess is not just a sport but a thrilling saga. Whether crushing pawns or charming fans, he remains a living legend in the chess arena.
Victor, here is some constructive feedback based on your latest blitz games
1. Your current strengths
- Dynamic pawn breaks. In the wins vs Volodar Murzin and Rodrigo Vasquez you timed f-pawn and g-pawn thrusts perfectly, cracking the centre just as your opponents’ clocks dipped below a minute.
- Conversion technique. The rook-and-pawn endgame against scarabee43 shows calm exploitation of an outside passed pawn & king activity — a model finish.
- Reliable Black repertoire. Mixing solid ...e5 systems (vs 1.e4) with Grünfeld/Indian structures (vs 1.d4/1.c4) keeps you unpredictable and comfortable in both strategic and tactical battles.
- Competitive form. Your recent peak is 2827 (2020-06-30), with wins versus 2900- and 3000-rated grandmasters.
2. Repeating pain-points
- Back-rank & dark-square slips. The mishanick loss ended with …Ne3# — a classic mini smothered mate motif you can avoid with a quick “two-move safety check.”
- Over-ambitious queenside pawn pushes. Early
a4-b4(loss to Jumbo) anda4in the QGD line vs Arteler left weak squares and loose pawns. Delay expansion until the centre is clarified. - Clock management. Two losses (and a timeout vs Apex_cordis) occurred with you under 10 s while still better or equal. You are spending time in familiar opening positions and rushing in critical middlegame moments.
3. Targeted training plan
- Safety first drill (30 min / session). Play five 3 + 2 games focusing ONLY on asking, “What are my opponent’s forcing replies?” before every queen or pawn move. Goal: cut tactical oversights by 50 %.
- Pawn-storm laboratory. Load 25 master games where White used the Reti/KIA with
b4/a4. Play the Black side vs engine, training to punish premature pushes. This will teach you when you should delay them as White. - Endgame speed-runs. Solve 10 basic rook-and-pawn studies daily (30 s limit each) to build muscle memory and preserve time for the middlegame.
4. Micro-adjustments in your repertoire
With White
- Vs …d5 & …Bf5 setups, replace early
a3-b4with the thematich4-h5-g4. It keeps the king safer and presses the correct wing. - In the English/Grünfeld Exchange line, examine Fischer–Reshevsky 1967: delay pawn advances, load pieces on the e-file, and strike with e4 instead of wing play.
With Black
- Giuoco Pianissimo: after 10…d5 adopt the Carlsen plan
…Re8, …Bf8before …dxe4. It frees the queen and keeps knights from g5/f5. - Grünfeld Exchange: swap 16…Bg4 for 16…Qd6 to restrain d- and c-pawns and avoid the pin that cost you tempi vs scarabee43.
5. Track your progress
Review results weekly and look for steady green bars on:
Commit to one adjustment per week, annotate every game in bullet-point form, and you should see 2800+ stability soon.
Keep sharpening and enjoy the climb!
🆚 Opponent Insights
| Most Played Opponents | ||
|---|---|---|
| Boris Avrukh | 6W / 8L / 0D | |
| Rudik Makarian | 2W / 11L / 1D | |
| ChessTrener | 5W / 7L / 1D | |
| S.L. Narayanan | 4W / 4L / 3D | |
| Spapan | 9W / 1L / 0D | |
Rating
| Year | Bullet | Blitz | Rapid | Daily |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2405 | 2291 | ||
| 2024 | 2756 | 2290 | ||
| 2023 | 2298 | |||
| 2022 | 2720 | |||
| 2021 | 2787 | 2298 | ||
| 2020 | 2728 | 2369 | ||
| 2019 | 2565 | |||
| 2018 | 2511 | 2547 | ||
| 2017 | 2511 | 2523 | ||
| 2016 | 2503 | |||
| 2015 | 2543 | |||
| 2014 | 2453 | |||
| 2013 | 2417 | |||
| 2012 | 2417 | |||
| 2011 | 2398 |
Stats by Year
| Year | White | Black | Moves |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 82W / 36L / 8D | 71W / 52L / 3D | 80.9 |
| 2024 | 9W / 3L / 2D | 7W / 4L / 2D | 91.9 |
| 2023 | 1W / 0L / 0D | 0W / 0L / 0D | 53.0 |
| 2022 | 3W / 6L / 0D | 3W / 5L / 1D | 75.2 |
| 2021 | 44W / 13L / 0D | 33W / 24L / 5D | 88.8 |
| 2020 | 72W / 42L / 15D | 84W / 37L / 7D | 91.5 |
| 2019 | 7W / 2L / 2D | 4W / 5L / 3D | 107.0 |
| 2018 | 0W / 2L / 4D | 4W / 2L / 0D | 90.3 |
| 2017 | 30W / 18L / 1D | 30W / 20L / 3D | 87.7 |
| 2016 | 18W / 18L / 11D | 24W / 18L / 6D | 93.1 |
| 2015 | 3W / 2L / 0D | 3W / 1L / 0D | 73.1 |
| 2014 | 20W / 11L / 1D | 14W / 16L / 3D | 82.8 |
| 2013 | 0W / 0L / 0D | 1W / 0L / 0D | 30.0 |
| 2012 | 3W / 0L / 0D | 1W / 2L / 0D | 58.5 |
| 2011 | 2W / 0L / 0D | 2W / 0L / 0D | 61.2 |
Openings: Most Played
| Blitz Opening | Games | Wins | Losses | Draws | Win Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amar Gambit | 38 | 22 | 12 | 4 | 57.9% |
| Hungarian Opening: Wiedenhagen-Beta Gambit | 36 | 20 | 15 | 1 | 55.6% |
| Indian Defense: Przepiorka Variation | 33 | 21 | 11 | 1 | 63.6% |
| Nimzo-Larsen Attack | 30 | 18 | 9 | 3 | 60.0% |
| Amazon Attack | 29 | 19 | 8 | 2 | 65.5% |
| Colle System: Rhamphorhynchus Variation | 28 | 14 | 12 | 2 | 50.0% |
| English Opening: Agincourt Defense | 27 | 16 | 7 | 4 | 59.3% |
| King's Indian Attack | 27 | 18 | 6 | 3 | 66.7% |
| Grünfeld Defense: Counterthrust Variation | 24 | 14 | 8 | 2 | 58.3% |
| English Opening: Symmetrical Variation | 24 | 12 | 11 | 1 | 50.0% |
| Rapid Opening | Games | Wins | Losses | Draws | Win Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| English Opening: Agincourt Defense | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 60.0% |
| Ruy Lopez | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
| King's Indian Attack | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 80.0% |
| Slav Defense | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 40.0% |
| Gruenfeld: Exchange Variation | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 50.0% |
| Döry Defense | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 50.0% |
| Grünfeld Defense: Counterthrust Variation | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 25.0% |
| Hungarian Opening: Wiedenhagen-Beta Gambit | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 33.3% |
| East Indian Defense | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 33.3% |
| English Opening: Anglo-Grünfeld Defense | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 66.7% |
🔥 Streaks
| Streak | Longest | Current |
|---|---|---|
| Winning | 10 | 1 |
| Losing | 7 | 0 |