Meet Yashar Shahinzadeh
Yashar Shahinzadeh, better known to the chess world as voorivex, is a Blitz specialist who has packed more than 28,000 rated games into his online career. He started as a 1400 player in 2014 and slowly turned himself into a 2300 force, peaking at 2347 (2025-02-26) in February 2025. If you check his profile at 20:00, you might catch him in the middle of a hot streak.
The Amar Gambit Affair
Ask any regular opponent about voorivex and they will mention one word: b4. He has played the Amar Gambit over 2,000 times in Blitz, and in 2025 he actually played 1.b4 more often than 1.e4. It is not a joke opening for him, it is a lifestyle. He also loves the fight in open Sicilians, especially the Najdorf Variation, where he has scored more than 800 wins.
Grit and Grind
Yashar does not believe in quiet games. His average win stretches to about 66 moves, and his comeback rate is 86.78%. Even after dropping a piece, he still wins around half the time, which explains why his record against longtime rival behrooz mirzaie is so one-sided. Between 2014 and 2026 they faced each other 531 times in Blitz and Yashar took 428 wins.
- 16 game winning streak, a sign of his ability to ride momentum
- 12 game losing streak, proof that even b4 enthusiasts have bad days
- Best time of day: 20:00, when the coffee is kicking in
Opening and Rating Journey
When he is not pushing the b-pawn, Yashar is comfortable as White against the Caro-Kann Defense, winning 58% of his 1,100 plus games in that line. His rating climbed from the 1400s in 2014 to a peak near 2350, with most of the damage done in Blitz.