The Rise of a Blitz Titan
Safal Bora, known online as want2lose, is a FIDE Grandmaster who has turned the art of losing on its head. With a username that screams irony, Safal has spent over a decade dismantling opponents in the fastest and most unforgiving format: blitz chess. His rating trajectory reads like a rocket launch, from a humble 1500 in 2010 to a peak of 3169 (2026-07-14) in 2026, and his win rate in blitz hovers near 60% across tens of thousands of games.
Early on, Safal dabbled in bullet and rapid, but blitz quickly became his true love. By 2017 he was already crossing 2600, and by 2020 he had joined the elite 2800 club. His most explosive period came in 2025-2026, when he repeatedly touched the 3100 mark, making him one of the most feared online blitz players in the world.
Signature Openings and a Fearless Repertoire
Safal is not a man of quiet theory. His opening choices are as bold as his username suggests. He loves the Nimzo-Larsen Attack and its Classical Variation, where he scores an impressive 70% in bullet and 67% in blitz. He also has a soft spot for the French Defense, particularly the Classical Svenonius Variation, which he plays with equal confidence on both sides of the board.
His willingness to enter sharp, offbeat lines has made him a nightmare to prepare against. The Colle System (with a twist that some call the Rhamphorhynchus Variation) and the Hungarian Opening are frequent guests in his games, and he turns them into weapons of mass confusion.
Rivalries and Grudge Matches
No player reaches these heights without a few nemeses. Safal's most played opponent is masterleif, against whom he has squared off 672 times, winning 361 and losing 240. The rivalry is fierce, but Safal holds the edge. Another frequent foe is helepolis, with 425 encounters and a positive score of 242 wins. Even in defeat, Safal never backs down, and his 34-game winning streak and 15-game current streak show he knows how to bounce back.
One of his most memorable battles against MasterLeif can be relived here: Watch the chaos unfold.
Numbers That Make You Blink
Safal's statistics are absurd. He has played over 74,000 rated games, delivering an average of 2.95 checks per game. His endgame frequency is 87.58%, meaning he rarely blunders into a quick loss. He wins 61% of his White games and 55.56% of his Black games, proving he is dangerous from either color.
His rating history in blitz is a thing of beauty:
He is also a master of the comeback, with a comeback rate of 89.72% and a win rate of 56.5% after losing a piece. Opponents who think they have him on the ropes are in for a shock.
The Man Behind the Board
Despite the username, Safal Bora is anything but a loser. He is a Grandmaster who has earned his title through sheer volume and relentless aggression. His best time to play is 11:00 AM, when his win rate soars to 78.12%. He prefers blitz above all else, and his 24,102 blitz wins speak for themselves.
So next time you see want2lose in a lobby, beware. You might be the one losing, and Safal will be smiling all the way to the rating ladder.