Avatar of Victor Mikhalevski

Victor Mikhalevski GM

Username: VMikhalevski

Location: Beer-Sheva

Playing Since: 2010-04-12 (Inactive)

Wow Factor: ♟♟♟

Chess.com

Rapid: 2291
18W / 9L / 2D
Blitz: 2763
416W / 256L / 48D

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.


Coach's Avatar

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) and a4 in 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

  1. 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 %.
  2. 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.
  3. 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-b4 with the thematic h4-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, …Bf8 before …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:

01234511121314151617181920212223100%0%Hour of Day
 
MonTueWedThuFriSatSun100%0%Day of Week

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
Rating by Year20112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024202527872290YearRatingBlitzRapid

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