Prepare against Igor Kowalski
IM · Poland · World #1,881 classical · FIDE ID 1172468
When preparing against Igor Kowalski, expect 1.d4 in 70% of White games. Against 1.e4 the reply is 1...e5 (24% of games); against 1.d4, 1...Nf6 (75%). Lowest win rate among frequent openings: French: Tarrasch Variation as Black, 25.0% over 16 games.
Our database contains 1,137 games by Igor Kowalski, covering Jul 2011 to Sep 2026. Below you'll find Igor Kowalski's most-played openings with White and Black, career performance record, notable wins and top events — everything you need to scout Igor Kowalski before a game. You can open the same data in the free interactive preparation workstation, which builds a move-by-move opening tree from every game.
Ratings
| Time control | Current | Peak | Peak date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Classical | 2,389 | 2,413 | Jul 2025 |
| Rapid | 2,355 | 2,414 | Nov 2024 |
| Blitz | 2,356 | 2,412 | Sep 2022 |
Performance record
| Split | Games | Wins | Draws | Losses | Win rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 1,137 | 501 | 340 | 296 | 44.1% |
| As White | 570 | 267 | 175 | 128 | 46.8% |
| As Black | 567 | 234 | 165 | 168 | 41.3% |
Move-by-move preparation stats
Straight from the preparation tree built over all of Igor Kowalski's games — the same tree the interactive prep board lets you walk to any depth. Scores are from Igor Kowalski's side.
First moves as White (570 games)
| Move | Games | Share | Player score |
|---|---|---|---|
| d4 | 397 | 69.6% | 60.7% |
| e4 | 121 | 21.2% | 63.2% |
| Nf3 | 26 | 4.6% | 78.8% |
| c4 | 25 | 4.4% | 62.0% |
| b3 | 1 | 0.2% | 100.0% |
Main lines as White
- 1.d4 — 70% of White games, 60.7% score
- …Nf6 (63% of these games) — Kowalski usually continues c4 (55.9% score)
- …d5 (22% of these games) — Kowalski usually continues c4 (60.3% score)
- …e6 (5% of these games) — Kowalski usually continues c4 (53.3% score)
- 1.e4 — 21% of White games, 63.2% score
- …c5 (47% of these games) — Kowalski usually continues Nf3 (59.1% score)
- …e5 (18% of these games) — Kowalski usually continues Nf3 (57.1% score)
- …c6 (14% of these games) — Kowalski usually continues d4 (67.6% score)
As Black against 1.e4 (288 games)
| Move | Games | Share | Player score |
|---|---|---|---|
| e5 | 69 | 24.0% | 51.4% |
| c6 | 68 | 23.6% | 61.0% |
| g6 | 60 | 20.8% | 70.8% |
| c5 | 47 | 16.3% | 51.1% |
| e6 | 41 | 14.2% | 43.9% |
| d6 | 3 | 1.0% | 83.3% |
As Black against 1.d4 (181 games)
| Move | Games | Share | Player score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nf6 | 135 | 74.6% | 59.6% |
| d5 | 34 | 18.8% | 44.1% |
| g6 | 8 | 4.4% | 62.5% |
| e6 | 4 | 2.2% | 37.5% |
Igor Kowalski's chess games
All 1,137 games by Igor Kowalski in the Chess.ceo database (Jul 2011 - Sep 2026) are free to browse, search and replay: filter by opening, opponent, event or date on the player page, or step through any game on the analysis board. Record: 501 wins, 340 draws, 296 losses.
Openings as White
| ECO | Opening | Games | W/D/L | Win rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| D37 | Indian Defense | 83 | 45/20/18 | 54.2% |
| D11 | Slav Defense | 43 | 20/11/12 | 46.5% |
| E71 | King's Indian Defense | 26 | 16/4/6 | 61.5% |
| B40 | Sicilian | 24 | 10/9/5 | 41.7% |
| E32 | Nimzo-Indian: Classical Variation | 23 | 10/8/5 | 43.5% |
| A57 | Benoni Defense | 21 | 9/6/6 | 42.9% |
| E12 | Queen's Indian Defense | 20 | 8/4/8 | 40.0% |
| D87 | Grünfeld Defense | 19 | 6/8/5 | 31.6% |
| B06 | Modern Defense | 15 | 10/2/3 | 66.7% |
| E05 | Catalan | 14 | 7/6/1 | 50.0% |
Openings as Black
| ECO | Opening | Games | W/D/L | Win rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| B06 | Modern Defense | 64 | 39/11/14 | 60.9% |
| D12 | Slav Defense | 40 | 11/17/12 | 27.5% |
| B43 | Sicilian | 36 | 14/11/11 | 38.9% |
| D78 | Indian Defense | 26 | 11/10/5 | 42.3% |
| B12 | Caro-Kann: Advance Variation | 23 | 9/6/8 | 39.1% |
| D02 | King's Indian Defense | 20 | 14/3/3 | 70.0% |
| C18 | French: Winawer Variation | 18 | 5/8/5 | 27.8% |
| C78 | Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense | 17 | 6/6/5 | 35.3% |
| E97 | King's Indian Defense: Orthodox Variation | 17 | 9/2/6 | 52.9% |
| C07 | French: Tarrasch Variation | 16 | 4/4/8 | 25.0% |
Notable wins
| Date | Opponent | Elo | Event | ECO |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 2022 | Dmitry Andreikin | 2,729 | Titled Tue Late | E90 |
| Dec 2021 | Igor Kovalenko | 2,668 | ch-EU Blitz | D02 |
| Nov 2018 | Jon Ludvig Hammer | 2,662 | Titled Tue | D85 |
| Nov 2018 | Alexander Moiseenko | 2,648 | Titled Tue | D00 |
| Sep 2018 | Sadig Teymur Mammadov | 2,643 | Titled Tue | A50 |
Top events
| Event | Year | Games | Score | TPR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Titled Tuesday | 2023 | 119 | 69 | 2,416 |
| ch-EU Blitz | 2022 | 38 | 26.5 | 2,564 |
| POL-chT 1st League | 2024 | 35 | 13.5 | 2,302 |
| Warsaw Maciei Memorial | 2023 | 32 | 23.5 | 2,400 |
| ch-POL blitz | 2022 | 31 | 19.5 | 2,262 |
| chT-POL U20 | 2018 | 27 | 13.5 | 2,192 |
| ch-POL U20 | 2020 | 18 | 12 | 2,297 |
| Ustron Open A | 2022 | 18 | 11 | 2,454 |
Frequent opponents
Head-to-head records: Szymon Gumularz (12 games) · Jakub Kosakowski (12 games) · Igor Janik (12 games)
Interactive opening tree from all 1,137 games, weak-spot detection and engine analysis.
Start preparationFrequently asked questions
Where can I find Igor Kowalski's chess games?
1,137 games by Igor Kowalski, from Jul 2011 to Sep 2026, are free to browse and replay move by move — no signup needed. The preparation view groups them into an opening tree showing every line Igor Kowalski has played.
What does Igor Kowalski play on the first move as White?
Across 570 games with White in our database, Igor Kowalski opens with 1.d4 (70% of games), 1.e4 (21% of games), 1.Nf3 (5% of games). Against 1.e4 as Black, Igor Kowalski answers 1...e5 (24% of games), 1...c6 (24% of games), 1...g6 (21% of games). Against 1.d4: 1...Nf6 (75% of games), 1...d5 (19% of games), 1...g6 (4% of games).
What openings does Igor Kowalski play as White?
As White, Igor Kowalski's most-played openings in our database are: Indian Defense (83 games, 54.2% win rate); Slav Defense (43 games, 46.5% win rate); King's Indian Defense (26 games, 61.5% win rate). The full breakdown of 570 games with White is in the table above.
What openings does Igor Kowalski play as Black?
As Black, Igor Kowalski most often plays: Modern Defense (64 games, 60.9% win rate); Slav Defense (40 games, 27.5% win rate); Sicilian (36 games, 38.9% win rate). See the table above for the top ten Black openings across 567 games.
What is Igor Kowalski's FIDE rating?
Igor Kowalski is currently rated 2,389 in classical chess, 2,355 in rapid and 2,356 in blitz. Peak classical rating: 2,413 (Jul 2025).
How many games has Igor Kowalski played?
Our database contains 1,137 games by Igor Kowalski, covering Jul 2011 to Sep 2026. Overall record: 501 wins, 340 draws, 296 losses (44.1% win rate).
How do I prepare against Igor Kowalski?
1,137 games by Igor Kowalski reveal their opening repertoire, most-played lines, and the variations where they score worst — the raw material for targeted preparation. The interactive opening tree lets you walk every line to any depth.