Wiktoria Śmietańska: The Polish Blitz Warrior
Wiktoria Śmietańska, known online as WiktoriaPOL, is a Polish Woman International Master who has turned blitz chess into an endurance sport. She has played over 2,000 rated blitz games, climbed from the 1800s to a peak of 2608 (2026-08-25), and allegedly does her best thinking at 2 AM.
The Long Climb Back
Wiktoria entered the online scene in late 2019 with a blitz rating near 2200. Then 2020 arrived, and her rating went on a roller coaster through the 1800s and 1900s as she played hundreds of games against tough competition. Instead of walking away, she kept grinding, and the graph below tells the rest of the story.
By 2022 she was back above 2200, in 2024 she cracked 2400, and in 2025 she broke 2500. Her all-time best so far is 2608 (2026-08-25), reached in August 2026. For someone who once dipped into the 1800s, that is the definition of a comeback.
Fighting Above Her Weight Class
Her raw blitz record of 652 wins, 1238 losses and 117 draws looks lopsided at first glance, until you notice her strength-adjusted win rate is near 51%. Wiktoria consistently queues into stronger players, and she wins 23.7% of games against higher-rated opposition while converting 56.3% against lower-rated opponents.
No one embodies her tough schedule better than Krzysztof Raczek, her most frequent opponent, who has won 25 of their 26 meetings. Wiktoria has a healthier rivalry with Blazej Grot, taking 6 of 10 games, while Justin Sarkar has been a stubborn puzzle she has yet to solve.
- Most played opponent: Krzysztof Raczek, 26 games
- Best big sample score: Blazej Grot, 6 wins in 10 games
- Toughest nut to crack: Justin Sarkar, 7 losses in 8 games
Openings: The English Kingdom and the Sicilian Jungle
As White, Wiktoria is fiercely loyal to the English Opening, pushing c4 in the vast majority of her games, frequently reaching the Four Knights System with the Nimzowitsch Variation. Her favorite white weapon is the Symmetrical Variation, Botvinnik System, where she scores above 55%.
As Black, she lives in the sharp world of the Sicilian Defense, with the Najdorf Variation as her most visited home, played more than 80 times. The position below is the classic Najdorf starting point she knows inside out.
Streaks, Comebacks and 2 AM Magic
Wiktoria plays the long game. Her wins average about 79 moves and her losses about 75, so she rarely blitzes out a blitz game. She reaches endgames in 81.1% of her games and her comeback rate is 82.4%, making her a nightmare to put away. Her longest winning streak is 7, her longest losing streak is 15, and she survived both without losing her love for the game.
Her most productive hour is 2 AM, where she holds a perfect record, and her queen is her favorite checking piece overall, though her rook made a late surge in 2026. With an early resignation rate just above 1%, you know she will fight until the last pawn drops.
- Comeback rate: 82.4%
- Endgame frequency: 81.1%
- Longest winning streak: 7
- Longest losing streak: 15
- Peak hour of power: 2 AM