The Strongest In Blitz?

Over the past few years the chess world has had to consider a question that previously would not warrant a mention: Who is the best?

Since the 80s and until a few years ago the chess world was dominated by two great players, Anatoly Karpov and Garry Kasparov. But now in the computer generation era there currently is a multitude of players with abilities to be considered. This, combined with the recent inadequate and sometimes confusing policies of the world chess federation (FIDE) leave the question open to speculative judgement.

Four years have passed since the humble beginnings of chess.com and we are now on the brink of live blitz tournaments to go with the online events. Once again the question that engages a curious chess player emerges... just who is the strongest in blitz here? Magnus Carlsen? Viswanathan Anand? Ah, but have you seen those players actively playing here?

During my time here, I have not seen the world elite competing in blitz here but I give you my take on the strongest three blitz players to visit this site.

The Strongest Three Blitz Players at Chess.Com as of October 2011

Qualifications:

*** Must have played at least 75 rated blitz games.
*** Average Opponents must be at least 2000 rated.
*** Cheaters are not considered.

3rd Place: Adriendemuth

Primarily a bullet player, Adrien could win his fair share of battles against even the KNVB enigma. This 19 year old shows great speed of thought at the board, which puts his opponents under pressure right from the start. Recently obtaining the international master title (IM), and actively participating in over-the-board events, Adrien looks set for a bright future in the game. Enjoying sharp tactical complications while essaying his favourite Grünfeld Defence, the following game shows that he is also adept in other areas of the game:

A lovely positional game where Adrien grinds his opponent down, giving them no counterplay at all.

And now to the top two:

2nd Place: Janosik

Also a relative youngster, becoming a grandmaster (GM) at 16 years of age, Falko Bindrich has already represented his country at two chess olympiads. His next challenge is underway with the introduction of the Amateur Chess Organization  designed to give all chessplayers a chance to participate in events, and not just the elite. This also will ensure that the standards of FIDE will need to be raised, or they will fade into obscurity. Falko's style is to balanced simple strong moves with a sharp eye for taking chances. However in the following game he manages to "see further" than a computer:

Falko seems to have an ability to find the right squares for his pieces, almost effortlessly. Here is an example of this against none other than Adriendemuth:

 A hard fought game! We wish Falko the best of luck with his new chess organization.

And now to the number one spot in Live Chess blitz:

1st Place: gmjoey1

Somewhat of an unsung hero in the chess world, Joey Antonio maintains his level despite being one of the most active players when online, and also sometimes playing on his iPhone! Becoming a grandmaster (GM) at the relatively old age of 31, Joey is ranked number two in his country at over-the-board chess. With a love of tactics and a kind of street hustling style, he is a ferocious competitor that you cannot rule out until checkmate has been given. An inspiration coach for his students, Joey shows an abundant love for the game, and takes on all players at a decent level. A specialist at the Caro-Kann defence, here he is on the White side of this opening:

A lovely game where Black did not know what was happening until right at the end. Here is another Caro-Kann demolition:

 In true swashbuckling style with firstly the advance of the a-pawn, and then the centre destruction. With the Black pieces, he can also be devastating:

And also against the same player, a great Queen sacrifice that could not be accepted:

 Here are a few more great games to play through:

And just when you think you are getting on top, he comes back at you:

And now for the finale, a game where he sacrifices his queen and a rook:

Hope you enjoyed the games =)

Demo