Chira_Junior

Ilya “Chira_Junior” Chirtsov was born on January 21, 2005, in Russia. He is a professional Dota 2 midlaner currently playing for Team Yandex.

Chira_Junior is part of the younger generation of Eastern European mid players. He is known for an extensive hero pool, confident laning, and the ability to alternate between active playmakers, utility mids, and scaling cores.

Early Career

Chira_Junior began competing professionally in 2021 with NoUndying. His early career included periods with Azimut, ARCRED, No Vision, Winter Bear, cybercats, and UALEIKUMNIHAO.

These teams primarily competed in Eastern European leagues, qualifiers, and online tournaments. Although results varied, the experience allowed Chira_Junior to develop against a wide range of opponents and team systems.

He later joined Klim Sani4 before becoming a member of 1w Team in February 2024.

1w Team

Chira_Junior’s period with 1w represented his first sustained opportunity with an internationally competitive roster.

The team finished second at Elite League Season 2 in 2024 after reaching the Grand Final against Team Liquid. Chira_Junior’s performances helped establish him as a midlaner capable of competing beyond the regional Tier 2 circuit.

He remained with 1w through May 2025 before joining the roster that became Team Yandex.

Team Yandex

Chira_Junior was part of the initial Team Yandex roster when the organization entered Dota 2 by acquiring the Cyber Goose lineup in June 2025.

The original roster produced mixed results, but the organization retained Chira_Junior during its later rebuild. After watson, Malady, and Saksa joined, Team Yandex quickly became a regular contender at Tier 1 tournaments.

Chira_Junior won his first major international title at DreamLeague Season 27. He later added championships at PGL Wallachia Season 7 and BLAST Slam VII, while also finishing second at ESL One Birmingham 2026 and third at the Esports World Cup 2026.

The International 2026

TI 2026 was Chira_Junior’s first International with Team Yandex. After a difficult group stage, he helped the team defeat LGD Gaming in the Elimination Round and advance to the main event.

Yandex subsequently eliminated Team Liquid and defeated Nigma Galaxy before falling to TEAM VISION and Team Spirit. Their third-place finish became the best result of Chira_Junior’s career at The International.

The tournament also demonstrated his drafting flexibility. He played conventional mids such as Invoker, Ember Spirit, and Snapfire, while Team Yandex also experimented with Io, Slark, and other role-flexible strategies.

Playstyle and Reputation

Chira_Junior is a versatile midlaner whose hero pool includes Invoker, Pangolier, Tiny, Ember Spirit, Storm Spirit, Puck, Void Spirit, Earth Spirit, and Dragon Knight.

He is comfortable creating early pressure through rotations but can also take significant farm and become another scaling core. This flexibility supports Team Yandex’s willingness to move heroes and resources between watson and the mid lane.

His laning can be aggressive, particularly on mobile heroes, but his broader value comes from adapting his role to the requirements of the draft.

Fun Facts

Chira_Junior reached 16,000 MMR in May 2025.

Before joining Team Yandex, he had already represented more than ten regional teams and stacks, giving him an unusually broad range of experience for a player of his age.

His second-place finish at Elite League Season 2 was his first major international podium result.