diff --git a/backend/internal/account/account.go b/backend/internal/account/account.go
index ae6046c..515294d 100644
--- a/backend/internal/account/account.go
+++ b/backend/internal/account/account.go
@@ -12,7 +12,6 @@ import (
 	"fmt"
 	"strings"
 	"time"
-	"unicode/utf8"
 
 	"github.com/go-jet/jet/v2/postgres"
 	"github.com/go-jet/jet/v2/qrm"
@@ -112,10 +111,41 @@ func (s *Store) ProvisionByIdentity(ctx context.Context, kind, externalID string
 	return s.provision(ctx, kind, externalID, provisionSeed{})
 }
 
+// ProvisionRobot provisions (or finds) the durable account backing a robot pool
+// member: a KindRobot identity carrying displayName, with chat and friend requests
+// blocked so the robot never engages socially. Robot names are system-generated, not
+// player-edited, so they bypass the editable display-name validation and may carry
+// forms the editor rejects (an abbreviated surname like "Peter J."). It is idempotent:
+// repeated calls converge the display name and both block flags.
+func (s *Store) ProvisionRobot(ctx context.Context, externalID, displayName string) (Account, error) {
+	acc, err := s.provision(ctx, KindRobot, externalID, provisionSeed{displayName: displayName})
+	if err != nil {
+		return Account{}, err
+	}
+	if acc.DisplayName == displayName && acc.BlockChat && acc.BlockFriendRequests {
+		return acc, nil
+	}
+	stmt := table.Accounts.UPDATE(
+		table.Accounts.DisplayName, table.Accounts.BlockChat,
+		table.Accounts.BlockFriendRequests, table.Accounts.UpdatedAt,
+	).SET(
+		postgres.String(displayName), postgres.Bool(true),
+		postgres.Bool(true), postgres.TimestampzT(time.Now().UTC()),
+	).WHERE(table.Accounts.AccountID.EQ(postgres.UUID(acc.ID))).
+		RETURNING(table.Accounts.AllColumns)
+
+	var row model.Accounts
+	if err := stmt.QueryContext(ctx, s.db, &row); err != nil {
+		return Account{}, fmt.Errorf("account: provision robot %q: %w", externalID, err)
+	}
+	return modelToAccount(row), nil
+}
+
 // ProvisionTelegram provisions (or finds) the account bound to a Telegram
 // identity. On first contact only, it seeds the new account's preferred language
 // from the Telegram client languageCode (when it maps to a supported language) and
-// its display name from firstName (falling back to username); an already-existing
+// its display name sanitized from firstName (falling back to username, then to a
+// generated placeholder when neither yields any letters); an already-existing
 // account is returned unchanged, so a later profile edit is never overwritten.
 func (s *Store) ProvisionTelegram(ctx context.Context, externalID, languageCode, username, firstName string) (Account, error) {
 	return s.provision(ctx, KindTelegram, externalID, telegramSeed(languageCode, username, firstName))
@@ -155,19 +185,21 @@ type provisionSeed struct {
 
 // telegramSeed derives the create-time seed from Telegram launch fields: a
 // supported preferred language from languageCode (an ISO-639 code, possibly
-// region-tagged like "ru-RU"), and a display name from firstName or, failing that,
-// username (capped to maxDisplayName runes).
+// region-tagged like "ru-RU"), and a display name sanitized from firstName or,
+// failing that, username (sanitizeDisplayName strips disallowed characters to the
+// editable format). When neither yields any letters, it falls back to a generated
+// placeholder in the seeded language (placeholderDisplayName).
 func telegramSeed(languageCode, username, firstName string) provisionSeed {
 	var seed provisionSeed
 	if lang, _, _ := strings.Cut(strings.ToLower(strings.TrimSpace(languageCode)), "-"); lang == "en" || lang == "ru" {
 		seed.preferredLanguage = lang
 	}
-	name := strings.TrimSpace(firstName)
+	name := sanitizeDisplayName(firstName)
 	if name == "" {
-		name = strings.TrimSpace(username)
+		name = sanitizeDisplayName(username)
 	}
-	if utf8.RuneCountInString(name) > maxDisplayName {
-		name = string([]rune(name)[:maxDisplayName])
+	if name == "" {
+		name = placeholderDisplayName(seed.preferredLanguage)
 	}
 	seed.displayName = name
 	return seed
diff --git a/backend/internal/account/profile.go b/backend/internal/account/profile.go
index 03f6150..daf78b5 100644
--- a/backend/internal/account/profile.go
+++ b/backend/internal/account/profile.go
@@ -4,9 +4,11 @@ import (
 	"context"
 	"errors"
 	"fmt"
+	"math/rand/v2"
 	"regexp"
 	"strings"
 	"time"
+	"unicode"
 	"unicode/utf8"
 
 	"github.com/go-jet/jet/v2/postgres"
@@ -110,6 +112,39 @@ func ValidateDisplayName(raw string) (string, error) {
 	return name, nil
 }
 
+// sanitizeDisplayName best-effort cleans a platform-supplied name (e.g. a Telegram
+// first name) to the editable display-name format: it keeps the maximal runs of
+// Unicode letters and joins them with a single space, dropping every other rune
+// (emoji, digits, punctuation), then caps the result to maxDisplayName runes. The
+// result therefore always satisfies ValidateDisplayName, or is empty when the input
+// carries no letters — in which case the caller substitutes placeholderDisplayName.
+// Mirroring the profile editor's rule means a connector-provisioned name is editable
+// later without first failing validation.
+func sanitizeDisplayName(raw string) string {
+	fields := strings.FieldsFunc(raw, func(r rune) bool { return !unicode.IsLetter(r) })
+	if len(fields) == 0 {
+		return ""
+	}
+	name := strings.Join(fields, " ")
+	if utf8.RuneCountInString(name) > maxDisplayName {
+		name = strings.TrimRight(string([]rune(name)[:maxDisplayName]), " ")
+	}
+	return name
+}
+
+// placeholderDisplayName builds a fallback display name for a platform account whose
+// supplied name had no usable letters: "Player-NNNNN" for lang "en" (the default) or
+// "Игрок-NNNNN" for "ru", with five random digits. The generated name intentionally
+// carries digits and a hyphen, so it lies outside the editable format and the player
+// is expected to rename it; provisioned names bypass that editor validation.
+func placeholderDisplayName(lang string) string {
+	prefix := "Player"
+	if lang == "ru" {
+		prefix = "Игрок"
+	}
+	return fmt.Sprintf("%s-%05d", prefix, rand.IntN(100000))
+}
+
 // validateAwayWindow checks that the daily away window's duration, wrapping across
 // midnight, does not exceed maxAwayWindow. A zero-length window (start == end) means
 // "no away time" and is allowed.
diff --git a/backend/internal/account/provision_test.go b/backend/internal/account/provision_test.go
index 5417f13..afa08a9 100644
--- a/backend/internal/account/provision_test.go
+++ b/backend/internal/account/provision_test.go
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 package account
 
 import (
+	"regexp"
 	"strings"
 	"testing"
 	"unicode/utf8"
@@ -8,21 +9,25 @@ import (
 
 // TestTelegramSeed covers the pure mapping from Telegram launch fields to the
 // create-time account seed: supported-language detection (bare and region-tagged),
-// the first-name / username display-name precedence, and trimming.
+// the first-name / username display-name precedence, and the sanitization that
+// strips disallowed characters (emoji, digits, punctuation) to the editable format.
 func TestTelegramSeed(t *testing.T) {
 	cases := map[string]struct {
 		languageCode, username, firstName string
 		wantLang, wantName                string
 	}{
-		"ru bare":           {"ru", "user", "Иван", "ru", "Иван"},
-		"en region-tagged":  {"en-US", "user", "John", "en", "John"},
-		"ru region-tagged":  {"ru-RU", "", "Пётр", "ru", "Пётр"},
-		"unknown language":  {"fr", "frodo", "Frodo", "", "Frodo"},
-		"empty language":    {"", "neo", "Neo", "", "Neo"},
-		"first name wins":   {"en", "handle", "Real Name", "en", "Real Name"},
-		"username fallback": {"en", "handle", "", "en", "handle"},
-		"both empty":        {"en", "", "", "en", ""},
-		"trimmed":           {" RU ", "  ", "  Anna  ", "ru", "Anna"},
+		"ru bare":             {"ru", "user", "Иван", "ru", "Иван"},
+		"en region-tagged":    {"en-US", "user", "John", "en", "John"},
+		"ru region-tagged":    {"ru-RU", "", "Пётр", "ru", "Пётр"},
+		"unknown language":    {"fr", "frodo", "Frodo", "", "Frodo"},
+		"empty language":      {"", "neo", "Neo", "", "Neo"},
+		"first name wins":     {"en", "handle", "Real Name", "en", "Real Name"},
+		"username fallback":   {"en", "handle", "", "en", "handle"},
+		"trimmed":             {" RU ", "  ", "  Anna  ", "ru", "Anna"},
+		"emoji stripped":      {"en", "user", "🎮Kaya🎮", "en", "Kaya"},
+		"punct to space":      {"en", "user", "John❤Doe", "en", "John Doe"},
+		"digits dropped":      {"ru", "user", "Маша123", "ru", "Маша"},
+		"garbage to username": {"en", "good", "123!@#", "en", "good"},
 	}
 	for name, tc := range cases {
 		t.Run(name, func(t *testing.T) {
@@ -37,6 +42,28 @@ func TestTelegramSeed(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+// TestTelegramSeedPlaceholder checks that a name with no usable letters falls back to
+// a generated placeholder in the seeded language ("Player-NNNNN" / "Игрок-NNNNN").
+func TestTelegramSeedPlaceholder(t *testing.T) {
+	cases := map[string]struct {
+		languageCode, username, firstName string
+		wantRe                            string
+	}{
+		"en empty":     {"en", "", "", `^Player-\d{5}$`},
+		"ru empty":     {"ru", "", "", `^Игрок-\d{5}$`},
+		"default en":   {"fr", "", "", `^Player-\d{5}$`},
+		"both garbage": {"ru", "123", "!!!", `^Игрок-\d{5}$`},
+	}
+	for name, tc := range cases {
+		t.Run(name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			got := telegramSeed(tc.languageCode, tc.username, tc.firstName).displayName
+			if !regexp.MustCompile(tc.wantRe).MatchString(got) {
+				t.Errorf("displayName = %q, want match %s", got, tc.wantRe)
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}
+
 // TestTelegramSeedTruncatesLongName checks an over-long Telegram name is capped to
 // maxDisplayName runes (counted in runes, not bytes).
 func TestTelegramSeedTruncatesLongName(t *testing.T) {
diff --git a/backend/internal/adminconsole/assets/console.css b/backend/internal/adminconsole/assets/console.css
index 780d1cd..8386ee3 100644
--- a/backend/internal/adminconsole/assets/console.css
+++ b/backend/internal/adminconsole/assets/console.css
@@ -101,3 +101,17 @@ code { background: var(--bg); padding: 0.05rem 0.3rem; border-radius: 4px; }
 .actions { display: flex; flex-wrap: wrap; gap: 0.6rem; margin: 0.8rem 0; }
 .actions form { margin: 0; }
 .pill { padding: 0.05rem 0.4rem; border: 1px solid var(--line); border-radius: 999px; font-size: 0.8rem; }
+
+/* Move-timing chart: a server-rendered, script-free inline SVG line chart. */
+.chart { width: 100%; height: auto; max-width: 680px; margin-top: 0.4rem; }
+.chart .axis { stroke: var(--line); stroke-width: 1; }
+.chart .grid { stroke: var(--line); stroke-width: 1; stroke-dasharray: 2 3; opacity: 0.6; }
+.chart .lbl { fill: var(--ink-dim); font-size: 11px; }
+.chart .ln { fill: none; stroke-width: 1.5; }
+.chart .ln-min { stroke: var(--ok); }
+.chart .ln-avg { stroke: var(--accent); }
+.chart .ln-max { stroke: var(--danger); }
+.lg { font-weight: 600; }
+.lg-min { color: var(--ok); }
+.lg-avg { color: var(--accent); }
+.lg-max { color: var(--danger); }
diff --git a/backend/internal/adminconsole/chart.go b/backend/internal/adminconsole/chart.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..bfa7b39
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/internal/adminconsole/chart.go
@@ -0,0 +1,108 @@
+package adminconsole
+
+import (
+	"fmt"
+	"html/template"
+	"strings"
+	"time"
+)
+
+// ChartPoint is one move-number sample of the move-duration chart: the min, mean and
+// max think time (seconds) the account took on its Ordinal-th move across its games.
+type ChartPoint struct {
+	Ordinal int
+	Min     float64
+	Max     float64
+	Avg     float64
+}
+
+// FormatDuration renders a think-time in seconds as a compact human string
+// ("45s", "3m", "1h5m"), for the user-list columns and the chart's Y labels.
+func FormatDuration(secs float64) string {
+	d := time.Duration(secs * float64(time.Second))
+	switch {
+	case d < time.Minute:
+		return fmt.Sprintf("%ds", int(d.Seconds()+0.5))
+	case d < time.Hour:
+		return fmt.Sprintf("%dm", int(d.Minutes()+0.5))
+	default:
+		h := int(d.Hours())
+		if m := int(d.Minutes()) - h*60; m > 0 {
+			return fmt.Sprintf("%dh%dm", h, m)
+		}
+		return fmt.Sprintf("%dh", h)
+	}
+}
+
+// MoveDurationChart renders the per-move-number think-time chart as a self-contained,
+// script-free inline SVG with three series (min, mean, max). The coordinates and
+// labels are all derived from numeric data, so the result is safe template.HTML.
+// An empty series renders nothing.
+func MoveDurationChart(points []ChartPoint) template.HTML {
+	if len(points) == 0 {
+		return ""
+	}
+	const (
+		w, h = 640, 240
+		padL = 46
+		padR = 12
+		padT = 10
+		padB = 28
+	)
+	maxOrd := points[len(points)-1].Ordinal
+	if maxOrd < 1 {
+		maxOrd = 1
+	}
+	var maxY float64
+	for _, p := range points {
+		maxY = max(maxY, p.Max)
+	}
+	if maxY <= 0 {
+		maxY = 1
+	}
+	xOf := func(ord int) float64 {
+		if maxOrd == 1 {
+			return padL
+		}
+		return padL + (float64(ord-1)/float64(maxOrd-1))*(w-padL-padR)
+	}
+	yOf := func(v float64) float64 { return padT + (1-v/maxY)*(h-padT-padB) }
+	line := func(get func(ChartPoint) float64) string {
+		pts := make([]string, len(points))
+		for i, p := range points {
+			pts[i] = fmt.Sprintf("%.1f,%.1f", xOf(p.Ordinal), yOf(get(p)))
+		}
+		return strings.Join(pts, " ")
+	}
+
+	var b strings.Builder
+	fmt.Fprintf(&b, `<svg viewBox="0 0 %d %d" class="chart" role="img" aria-label="Move duration by move number">`, w, h)
+	fmt.Fprintf(&b, `<line x1="%d" y1="%d" x2="%d" y2="%.1f" class="axis"/>`, padL, padT, padL, float64(h-padB))
+	fmt.Fprintf(&b, `<line x1="%d" y1="%.1f" x2="%d" y2="%.1f" class="axis"/>`, padL, float64(h-padB), w-padR, float64(h-padB))
+	for _, frac := range []float64{0, 0.5, 1} {
+		v := maxY * frac
+		y := yOf(v)
+		fmt.Fprintf(&b, `<line x1="%d" y1="%.1f" x2="%d" y2="%.1f" class="grid"/>`, padL, y, w-padR, y)
+		fmt.Fprintf(&b, `<text x="%d" y="%.1f" class="lbl" text-anchor="end">%s</text>`, padL-5, y+3, FormatDuration(v))
+	}
+	for _, ord := range xTicks(maxOrd) {
+		fmt.Fprintf(&b, `<text x="%.1f" y="%d" class="lbl" text-anchor="middle">%d</text>`, xOf(ord), h-padB+15, ord)
+	}
+	fmt.Fprintf(&b, `<polyline points="%s" class="ln ln-max"/>`, line(func(p ChartPoint) float64 { return p.Max }))
+	fmt.Fprintf(&b, `<polyline points="%s" class="ln ln-avg"/>`, line(func(p ChartPoint) float64 { return p.Avg }))
+	fmt.Fprintf(&b, `<polyline points="%s" class="ln ln-min"/>`, line(func(p ChartPoint) float64 { return p.Min }))
+	b.WriteString(`</svg>`)
+	return template.HTML(b.String())
+}
+
+// xTicks returns up to three distinct ordinal labels for the chart's X axis.
+func xTicks(maxOrd int) []int {
+	if maxOrd <= 2 {
+		out := make([]int, 0, maxOrd)
+		for i := 1; i <= maxOrd; i++ {
+			out = append(out, i)
+		}
+		return out
+	}
+	return []int{1, (maxOrd + 1) / 2, maxOrd}
+}
diff --git a/backend/internal/adminconsole/chart_test.go b/backend/internal/adminconsole/chart_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5a53fa9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/internal/adminconsole/chart_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,51 @@
+package adminconsole
+
+import (
+	"strings"
+	"testing"
+)
+
+func TestFormatDuration(t *testing.T) {
+	cases := map[float64]string{
+		0: "0s", 30: "30s", 59: "59s", 60: "1m", 150: "3m", 3600: "1h", 3660: "1h1m", 7800: "2h10m",
+	}
+	for secs, want := range cases {
+		if got := FormatDuration(secs); got != want {
+			t.Errorf("FormatDuration(%v) = %q, want %q", secs, got, want)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+func TestMoveDurationChartEmpty(t *testing.T) {
+	if got := MoveDurationChart(nil); got != "" {
+		t.Errorf("empty chart = %q, want empty", got)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestMoveDurationChart(t *testing.T) {
+	pts := []ChartPoint{{Ordinal: 1, Min: 5, Max: 20, Avg: 10}, {Ordinal: 2, Min: 8, Max: 40, Avg: 18}, {Ordinal: 3, Min: 12, Max: 90, Avg: 30}}
+	svg := string(MoveDurationChart(pts))
+	for _, want := range []string{"<svg", "ln-min", "ln-avg", "ln-max", "</svg>"} {
+		if !strings.Contains(svg, want) {
+			t.Errorf("chart missing %q\n%s", want, svg)
+		}
+	}
+	if n := strings.Count(svg, "<polyline"); n != 3 {
+		t.Errorf("polylines = %d, want 3", n)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestXTicks(t *testing.T) {
+	cases := map[int][]int{1: {1}, 2: {1, 2}, 3: {1, 2, 3}, 10: {1, 5, 10}}
+	for maxOrd, want := range cases {
+		got := xTicks(maxOrd)
+		if len(got) != len(want) {
+			t.Fatalf("xTicks(%d) = %v, want %v", maxOrd, got, want)
+		}
+		for i := range want {
+			if got[i] != want[i] {
+				t.Errorf("xTicks(%d) = %v, want %v", maxOrd, got, want)
+			}
+		}
+	}
+}
diff --git a/backend/internal/adminconsole/templates/pages/user_detail.gohtml b/backend/internal/adminconsole/templates/pages/user_detail.gohtml
index 0d932c5..eb0f664 100644
--- a/backend/internal/adminconsole/templates/pages/user_detail.gohtml
+++ b/backend/internal/adminconsole/templates/pages/user_detail.gohtml
@@ -28,6 +28,12 @@
 {{else}}<p class="note">no statistics</p>{{end}}
 </section>
 </div>
+{{if .MoveChart}}
+<section class="panel"><h2>Move timing</h2>
+<p class="note">Think time per move number across all games — <span class="lg lg-min">min</span> · <span class="lg lg-avg">mean</span> · <span class="lg lg-max">max</span>.</p>
+{{.MoveChart}}
+</section>
+{{end}}
 <section class="panel"><h2>Identities</h2>
 <table class="list">
 <thead><tr><th>Kind</th><th>External ID</th><th>Confirmed</th><th>Created</th></tr></thead>
diff --git a/backend/internal/adminconsole/templates/pages/users.gohtml b/backend/internal/adminconsole/templates/pages/users.gohtml
index 4ed3b6d..bf2d777 100644
--- a/backend/internal/adminconsole/templates/pages/users.gohtml
+++ b/backend/internal/adminconsole/templates/pages/users.gohtml
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 <h1>Users</h1>
 {{with .Data}}
 <table class="list">
-<thead><tr><th>Account</th><th>Display name</th><th>Kind</th><th>Lang</th><th>Created</th></tr></thead>
+<thead><tr><th>Account</th><th>Display name</th><th>Kind</th><th>Lang</th><th>Created</th><th title="per-move think time across all games">Move min</th><th>avg</th><th>max</th></tr></thead>
 <tbody>
 {{range .Items}}
 <tr>
@@ -11,9 +11,10 @@
 <td>{{.Kind}}</td>
 <td>{{.Language}}</td>
 <td>{{.CreatedAt}}</td>
+{{if .HasMoveStats}}<td>{{.MoveMin}}</td><td>{{.MoveAvg}}</td><td>{{.MoveMax}}</td>{{else}}<td colspan="3"><span class="note">—</span></td>{{end}}
 </tr>
 {{else}}
-<tr><td colspan="5"><span class="note">no users</span></td></tr>
+<tr><td colspan="8"><span class="note">no users</span></td></tr>
 {{end}}
 </tbody>
 </table>
diff --git a/backend/internal/adminconsole/views.go b/backend/internal/adminconsole/views.go
index d05ddc6..9874d50 100644
--- a/backend/internal/adminconsole/views.go
+++ b/backend/internal/adminconsole/views.go
@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
 package adminconsole
 
+import "html/template"
+
 // The *View types are the display models the gin handlers fill and the templates
 // render. Time values are pre-formatted to strings by the handlers so the
 // templates stay logic-free.
@@ -50,14 +52,19 @@ type UsersView struct {
 	Pager Pager
 }
 
-// UserRow is one account row in the list.
+// UserRow is one account row in the list. MoveMin/Avg/Max are the account's
+// pre-formatted move-duration summary (empty when it has no timed move).
 type UserRow struct {
-	ID          string
-	DisplayName string
-	Kind        string
-	Language    string
-	Guest       bool
-	CreatedAt   string
+	ID           string
+	DisplayName  string
+	Kind         string
+	Language     string
+	Guest        bool
+	CreatedAt    string
+	HasMoveStats bool
+	MoveMin      string
+	MoveAvg      string
+	MoveMax      string
 }
 
 // UserDetailView is one account with its stats, identities and recent games.
@@ -80,6 +87,9 @@ type UserDetailView struct {
 	Games            []GameRow
 	TelegramID       string
 	ConnectorEnabled bool
+	// MoveChart is the pre-rendered inline SVG of the account's per-move-number think
+	// time (min/mean/max), empty when the account has no timed move.
+	MoveChart template.HTML
 }
 
 // StatsRow is an account's lifetime statistics.
diff --git a/backend/internal/game/analytics.go b/backend/internal/game/analytics.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3b0a301
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/internal/game/analytics.go
@@ -0,0 +1,116 @@
+package game
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"fmt"
+	"strings"
+
+	"github.com/google/uuid"
+)
+
+// A move's "duration" is the think time from the previous move's commit (the moment
+// the turn started) to this move's commit. Only play/pass/exchange moves count;
+// timeouts and resignations are not think time. The very first move of a game has no
+// previous move, so its baseline is the game's creation time. The figures are derived
+// from the move journal (game_moves.created_at), so no schema change is needed.
+//
+// timedMovesCTE is the shared subquery yielding (account, game, ordinal, seconds) for
+// every timed move; the two reports aggregate it differently.
+const timedMovesCTE = `
+  SELECT gp.account_id AS aid,
+         m.game_id AS gid,
+         ROW_NUMBER() OVER (PARTITION BY m.game_id ORDER BY m.seq) AS ord,
+         EXTRACT(EPOCH FROM (m.created_at - COALESCE(prev.created_at, g.created_at))) AS secs
+  FROM backend.game_moves m
+  JOIN backend.games g ON g.game_id = m.game_id
+  LEFT JOIN backend.game_moves prev ON prev.game_id = m.game_id AND prev.seq = m.seq - 1
+  JOIN backend.game_players gp ON gp.game_id = m.game_id AND gp.seat = m.seat
+  WHERE m.action IN ('play', 'pass', 'exchange')`
+
+// MoveDurationStat is the min, max and mean per-move think time (in seconds) for an
+// account across all its games, with the number of timed moves counted.
+type MoveDurationStat struct {
+	MinSecs float64
+	MaxSecs float64
+	AvgSecs float64
+	Moves   int
+}
+
+// MoveDurationStats returns the move-duration summary for each of accountIDs that has
+// at least one timed move; accounts with none are absent from the map. It powers the
+// admin user-list columns. The scan over the journal is acceptable for the low-traffic
+// console; per-human analysis is the authoritative use (the live metric aggregates all
+// seats including robots).
+func (s *Store) MoveDurationStats(ctx context.Context, accountIDs []uuid.UUID) (map[uuid.UUID]MoveDurationStat, error) {
+	if len(accountIDs) == 0 {
+		return map[uuid.UUID]MoveDurationStat{}, nil
+	}
+	q := `WITH d AS (` + timedMovesCTE + `)
+SELECT aid, MIN(secs), MAX(secs), AVG(secs), COUNT(*) FROM d WHERE aid = ANY($1::uuid[]) GROUP BY aid`
+	rows, err := s.db.QueryContext(ctx, q, uuidArrayLiteral(accountIDs))
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("game: move-duration stats: %w", err)
+	}
+	defer rows.Close()
+	out := make(map[uuid.UUID]MoveDurationStat, len(accountIDs))
+	for rows.Next() {
+		var id uuid.UUID
+		var st MoveDurationStat
+		if err := rows.Scan(&id, &st.MinSecs, &st.MaxSecs, &st.AvgSecs, &st.Moves); err != nil {
+			return nil, fmt.Errorf("game: scan move-duration stat: %w", err)
+		}
+		out[id] = st
+	}
+	return out, rows.Err()
+}
+
+// OrdinalDuration is the min/max/mean think time (seconds) at an account's k-th move
+// (Ordinal) across all its games.
+type OrdinalDuration struct {
+	Ordinal int
+	MinSecs float64
+	MaxSecs float64
+	AvgSecs float64
+}
+
+// MoveDurationByOrdinal returns the account's per-move-number think-time summary,
+// ordered by move number, for the admin user-detail chart. The ordinal counts the
+// account's own moves within each game (its 1st, 2nd, … move).
+func (s *Store) MoveDurationByOrdinal(ctx context.Context, accountID uuid.UUID) ([]OrdinalDuration, error) {
+	q := `WITH d AS (` + timedMovesCTE + ` AND gp.account_id = $1)
+SELECT ord, MIN(secs), MAX(secs), AVG(secs) FROM d GROUP BY ord ORDER BY ord`
+	rows, err := s.db.QueryContext(ctx, q, accountID)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("game: move-duration by ordinal: %w", err)
+	}
+	defer rows.Close()
+	var out []OrdinalDuration
+	for rows.Next() {
+		var od OrdinalDuration
+		if err := rows.Scan(&od.Ordinal, &od.MinSecs, &od.MaxSecs, &od.AvgSecs); err != nil {
+			return nil, fmt.Errorf("game: scan ordinal duration: %w", err)
+		}
+		out = append(out, od)
+	}
+	return out, rows.Err()
+}
+
+// uuidArrayLiteral renders ids as a Postgres array literal ("{u1,u2,…}") for an
+// ANY($1::uuid[]) parameter. UUIDs are fixed-format, so the literal is injection-safe.
+func uuidArrayLiteral(ids []uuid.UUID) string {
+	ss := make([]string, len(ids))
+	for i, id := range ids {
+		ss[i] = id.String()
+	}
+	return "{" + strings.Join(ss, ",") + "}"
+}
+
+// MoveDurationStats exposes the store report to the admin console handlers.
+func (svc *Service) MoveDurationStats(ctx context.Context, accountIDs []uuid.UUID) (map[uuid.UUID]MoveDurationStat, error) {
+	return svc.store.MoveDurationStats(ctx, accountIDs)
+}
+
+// MoveDurationByOrdinal exposes the per-move-number report to the admin console.
+func (svc *Service) MoveDurationByOrdinal(ctx context.Context, accountID uuid.UUID) ([]OrdinalDuration, error) {
+	return svc.store.MoveDurationByOrdinal(ctx, accountID)
+}
diff --git a/backend/internal/game/emit_test.go b/backend/internal/game/emit_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..03f6509
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/internal/game/emit_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,52 @@
+package game
+
+import (
+	"slices"
+	"testing"
+	"time"
+
+	"github.com/google/uuid"
+
+	"scrabble/backend/internal/engine"
+	"scrabble/backend/internal/notify"
+)
+
+// recordingPublisher captures every published intent for assertions.
+type recordingPublisher struct{ intents []notify.Intent }
+
+func (p *recordingPublisher) Publish(in ...notify.Intent) { p.intents = append(p.intents, in...) }
+
+// TestEmitMoveNotifiesActor checks a committed move sends opponent_moved to every
+// seat — including the actor's own account, so the mover's other devices refresh —
+// and your_turn only to the next mover.
+func TestEmitMoveNotifiesActor(t *testing.T) {
+	actor, opp := uuid.New(), uuid.New()
+	pub := &recordingPublisher{}
+	svc := &Service{pub: pub}
+	g := Game{
+		ID:            uuid.New(),
+		Status:        StatusActive,
+		ToMove:        1,
+		TurnStartedAt: time.Now(),
+		TurnTimeout:   time.Hour,
+		Seats:         []Seat{{Seat: 0, AccountID: actor}, {Seat: 1, AccountID: opp}},
+	}
+	svc.emitMove(g, engine.MoveRecord{Player: 0, Action: engine.ActionPlay, Score: 10, Total: 10})
+
+	kinds := map[uuid.UUID][]string{}
+	for _, in := range pub.intents {
+		kinds[in.UserID] = append(kinds[in.UserID], in.Kind)
+	}
+	if !slices.Contains(kinds[actor], notify.KindOpponentMoved) {
+		t.Errorf("actor should get opponent_moved, got %v", kinds[actor])
+	}
+	if !slices.Contains(kinds[opp], notify.KindOpponentMoved) {
+		t.Errorf("opponent should get opponent_moved, got %v", kinds[opp])
+	}
+	if !slices.Contains(kinds[opp], notify.KindYourTurn) {
+		t.Errorf("next mover should get your_turn, got %v", kinds[opp])
+	}
+	if slices.Contains(kinds[actor], notify.KindYourTurn) {
+		t.Errorf("actor is not next to move, should not get your_turn")
+	}
+}
diff --git a/backend/internal/game/metrics.go b/backend/internal/game/metrics.go
index 8a59185..b9596d3 100644
--- a/backend/internal/game/metrics.go
+++ b/backend/internal/game/metrics.go
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ const meterName = "scrabble/backend/game"
 type gameMetrics struct {
 	replay    metric.Float64Histogram
 	validate  metric.Float64Histogram
+	moveDur   metric.Float64Histogram
 	started   metric.Int64Counter
 	abandoned metric.Int64Counter
 }
@@ -39,6 +40,7 @@ func newGameMetrics(meter metric.Meter) *gameMetrics {
 	return &gameMetrics{
 		replay:    histogram(meter, "game_replay_duration", "Seconds to rebuild a live game from its journal on a cache miss."),
 		validate:  histogram(meter, "game_move_validate_duration", "Seconds to validate and score a tentative play (EvaluatePlay)."),
+		moveDur:   histogram(meter, "game_move_duration", "Seconds a seat spent on a committed move (play/pass/exchange), by variant and phase. Aggregates all seats including robots; per-human analysis lives in the admin console."),
 		started:   counter(meter, "games_started_total", "Games created and started."),
 		abandoned: counter(meter, "games_abandoned_total", "Player seats dropped by the turn-timeout sweeper."),
 	}
@@ -75,6 +77,30 @@ func (m *gameMetrics) recordValidate(ctx context.Context, v engine.Variant, star
 	m.validate.Record(ctx, time.Since(start).Seconds(), variantAttr(v))
 }
 
+// recordMoveDuration records how long a seat spent on a committed move, attributed by
+// variant and the game phase derived from moveCount. A non-positive duration (a clock
+// skew or a move with no recorded turn start) is dropped.
+func (m *gameMetrics) recordMoveDuration(ctx context.Context, v engine.Variant, moveCount int, d time.Duration) {
+	if d <= 0 {
+		return
+	}
+	m.moveDur.Record(ctx, d.Seconds(),
+		metric.WithAttributes(attribute.String("variant", v.String()), attribute.String("phase", phaseOf(moveCount))))
+}
+
+// phaseOf buckets a move ordinal into the game phase used as a metric attribute. The
+// thresholds reflect a typical ~28-move game (docs/ARCHITECTURE.md §7).
+func phaseOf(moveCount int) string {
+	switch {
+	case moveCount <= 8:
+		return "opening"
+	case moveCount <= 20:
+		return "middle"
+	default:
+		return "endgame"
+	}
+}
+
 // recordStarted counts one started game of variant.
 func (m *gameMetrics) recordStarted(ctx context.Context, v engine.Variant) {
 	m.started.Add(ctx, 1, variantAttr(v))
diff --git a/backend/internal/game/metrics_test.go b/backend/internal/game/metrics_test.go
index dad8b97..cd1d5c5 100644
--- a/backend/internal/game/metrics_test.go
+++ b/backend/internal/game/metrics_test.go
@@ -26,6 +26,8 @@ func TestGameMetrics(t *testing.T) {
 	m.recordAbandoned(ctx, engine.VariantErudit)
 	m.recordReplay(ctx, engine.VariantEnglish, time.Now().Add(-time.Millisecond))
 	m.recordValidate(ctx, engine.VariantRussianScrabble, time.Now().Add(-time.Millisecond))
+	m.recordMoveDuration(ctx, engine.VariantEnglish, 3, 5*time.Second)
+	m.recordMoveDuration(ctx, engine.VariantEnglish, 3, 0) // non-positive: dropped
 
 	var rm metricdata.ResourceMetrics
 	if err := reader.Collect(ctx, &rm); err != nil {
@@ -45,6 +47,19 @@ func TestGameMetrics(t *testing.T) {
 	if c := histogramCount(t, rm, "game_move_validate_duration"); c != 1 {
 		t.Errorf("game_move_validate_duration observations = %d, want 1", c)
 	}
+	if c := histogramCount(t, rm, "game_move_duration"); c != 1 {
+		t.Errorf("game_move_duration observations = %d, want 1 (zero-duration dropped)", c)
+	}
+}
+
+// TestPhaseOf checks the move-ordinal to phase bucketing.
+func TestPhaseOf(t *testing.T) {
+	cases := map[int]string{1: "opening", 8: "opening", 9: "middle", 20: "middle", 21: "endgame", 50: "endgame"}
+	for mc, want := range cases {
+		if got := phaseOf(mc); got != want {
+			t.Errorf("phaseOf(%d) = %q, want %q", mc, got, want)
+		}
+	}
 }
 
 // counterByAttr sums the int64 counter named name, grouped by the value of the
diff --git a/backend/internal/game/service.go b/backend/internal/game/service.go
index 0b220aa..780bf8e 100644
--- a/backend/internal/game/service.go
+++ b/backend/internal/game/service.go
@@ -226,6 +226,9 @@ func (svc *Service) transition(ctx context.Context, gameID, accountID uuid.UUID,
 	if err != nil {
 		return MoveResult{}, err
 	}
+	// Record the seat's think time (turn start to commit) for the move-duration
+	// metric; the timeout path commits separately and is excluded by design.
+	svc.metrics.recordMoveDuration(ctx, pre.Variant, post.MoveCount, svc.clock().Sub(pre.TurnStartedAt))
 	return MoveResult{Move: rec, Game: post}, nil
 }
 
@@ -287,14 +290,15 @@ func (svc *Service) commit(ctx context.Context, gameID uuid.UUID, g *engine.Game
 }
 
 // emitMove publishes the live events for a just-committed move: opponent_moved to
-// every seat other than the actor, and your_turn to the next mover while the game
-// is still active. Delivery is best-effort (notify.Publisher never blocks).
+// every seat — including the actor's own account, so the mover's other devices (and
+// their lobby) refresh too — and your_turn to the next mover while the game is still
+// active. opponent_moved is in-app only (the gateway never turns it into an
+// out-of-app push), so the actor is not notified out of band about their own move.
+// Delivery is best-effort (notify.Publisher never blocks) and the gateway fans each
+// event out to all of the recipient's live streams.
 func (svc *Service) emitMove(post Game, rec engine.MoveRecord) {
 	intents := make([]notify.Intent, 0, len(post.Seats)+1)
 	for _, s := range post.Seats {
-		if s.Seat == rec.Player {
-			continue
-		}
 		intents = append(intents, notify.OpponentMoved(s.AccountID, post.ID, rec.Player, rec.Action.String(), rec.Score, rec.Total))
 	}
 	if post.Status == StatusActive {
diff --git a/backend/internal/inttest/analytics_test.go b/backend/internal/inttest/analytics_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4697dd8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/internal/inttest/analytics_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,81 @@
+//go:build integration
+
+package inttest
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"testing"
+	"time"
+
+	"github.com/google/uuid"
+
+	"scrabble/backend/internal/account"
+	"scrabble/backend/internal/game"
+)
+
+// TestMoveDurationAnalytics seeds a game with crafted move timestamps and checks the
+// admin-console move-duration reports compute the think time (gap to the previous
+// move, the first move measured from game creation) correctly, per account and per
+// the account's move ordinal.
+func TestMoveDurationAnalytics(t *testing.T) {
+	ctx := context.Background()
+	accounts := account.NewStore(testDB)
+	a, err := accounts.ProvisionByIdentity(ctx, account.KindTelegram, "tg-"+uuid.NewString())
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("provision A: %v", err)
+	}
+	b, err := accounts.ProvisionByIdentity(ctx, account.KindTelegram, "tg-"+uuid.NewString())
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("provision B: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	gid := uuid.New()
+	t0 := time.Date(2026, 1, 1, 12, 0, 0, 0, time.UTC)
+	if _, err := testDB.ExecContext(ctx,
+		`INSERT INTO backend.games (game_id, variant, dict_version, seed, players, turn_timeout_secs, created_at)
+		 VALUES ($1,'english','v1',1,2,86400,$2)`, gid, t0); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("insert game: %v", err)
+	}
+	if _, err := testDB.ExecContext(ctx,
+		`INSERT INTO backend.game_players (game_id, seat, account_id) VALUES ($1,0,$2),($1,1,$3)`, gid, a.ID, b.ID); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("insert seats: %v", err)
+	}
+	// seq, seat, commit time as seconds from t0. Durations: A:60,50  B:120,200.
+	moves := []struct{ seq, seat, at int }{{0, 0, 60}, {1, 1, 180}, {2, 0, 230}, {3, 1, 430}}
+	for _, m := range moves {
+		if _, err := testDB.ExecContext(ctx,
+			`INSERT INTO backend.game_moves (game_id, seq, seat, action, created_at) VALUES ($1,$2,$3,'play',$4)`,
+			gid, m.seq, m.seat, t0.Add(time.Duration(m.at)*time.Second)); err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("insert move %d: %v", m.seq, err)
+		}
+	}
+
+	store := game.NewStore(testDB)
+	stats, err := store.MoveDurationStats(ctx, []uuid.UUID{a.ID, b.ID})
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("stats: %v", err)
+	}
+	if sa := stats[a.ID]; sa.Moves != 2 || sa.MinSecs != 50 || sa.MaxSecs != 60 || sa.AvgSecs != 55 {
+		t.Errorf("A stats = %+v, want min50 max60 avg55 moves2", sa)
+	}
+	if sb := stats[b.ID]; sb.Moves != 2 || sb.MinSecs != 120 || sb.MaxSecs != 200 || sb.AvgSecs != 160 {
+		t.Errorf("B stats = %+v, want min120 max200 avg160 moves2", sb)
+	}
+
+	byOrd, err := store.MoveDurationByOrdinal(ctx, a.ID)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("by ordinal: %v", err)
+	}
+	want := []game.OrdinalDuration{
+		{Ordinal: 1, MinSecs: 60, MaxSecs: 60, AvgSecs: 60},
+		{Ordinal: 2, MinSecs: 50, MaxSecs: 50, AvgSecs: 50},
+	}
+	if len(byOrd) != len(want) {
+		t.Fatalf("by ordinal = %+v, want %+v", byOrd, want)
+	}
+	for i, w := range want {
+		if byOrd[i] != w {
+			t.Errorf("ordinal[%d] = %+v, want %+v", i, byOrd[i], w)
+		}
+	}
+}
diff --git a/backend/internal/inttest/robot_test.go b/backend/internal/inttest/robot_test.go
index a212484..33efe14 100644
--- a/backend/internal/inttest/robot_test.go
+++ b/backend/internal/inttest/robot_test.go
@@ -82,13 +82,16 @@ func TestRobotPoolProvisionsRobotAccounts(t *testing.T) {
 	if err := r.EnsurePool(ctx); err != nil {
 		t.Fatalf("ensure pool (idempotent): %v", err)
 	}
-	id, err := r.Pick()
+	id, err := r.Pick(engine.VariantEnglish)
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatalf("pick: %v", err)
 	}
 	if !isRobotAccount(t, id) {
 		t.Errorf("picked account %s is not a robot identity", id)
 	}
+	if ru, err := r.Pick(engine.VariantRussianScrabble); err != nil || !isRobotAccount(t, ru) {
+		t.Errorf("russian pick = (%s, %v), want a robot account", ru, err)
+	}
 	acc, err := account.NewStore(testDB).GetByID(ctx, id)
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatalf("get robot account: %v", err)
@@ -109,7 +112,7 @@ func TestRobotPlaysAutoMatchToEnd(t *testing.T) {
 	if err := robots.EnsurePool(ctx); err != nil {
 		t.Fatalf("ensure pool: %v", err)
 	}
-	robotID, err := robots.Pick()
+	robotID, err := robots.Pick(engine.VariantEnglish)
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatalf("pick: %v", err)
 	}
@@ -210,7 +213,7 @@ func TestRobotProactiveNudge(t *testing.T) {
 	if err := robots.EnsurePool(ctx); err != nil {
 		t.Fatalf("ensure pool: %v", err)
 	}
-	robotID, err := robots.Pick()
+	robotID, err := robots.Pick(engine.VariantEnglish)
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatalf("pick: %v", err)
 	}
diff --git a/backend/internal/inttest/stage6_test.go b/backend/internal/inttest/stage6_test.go
index bade281..6c3ea48 100644
--- a/backend/internal/inttest/stage6_test.go
+++ b/backend/internal/inttest/stage6_test.go
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ func TestGuestAutoMatchLeavesNoStats(t *testing.T) {
 	if err := robots.EnsurePool(ctx); err != nil {
 		t.Fatalf("ensure pool: %v", err)
 	}
-	robotID, err := robots.Pick()
+	robotID, err := robots.Pick(engine.VariantEnglish)
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatalf("pick: %v", err)
 	}
diff --git a/backend/internal/lobby/lobby.go b/backend/internal/lobby/lobby.go
index 80395a8..8908a38 100644
--- a/backend/internal/lobby/lobby.go
+++ b/backend/internal/lobby/lobby.go
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ import (
 
 	"github.com/google/uuid"
 
+	"scrabble/backend/internal/engine"
 	"scrabble/backend/internal/game"
 )
 
@@ -25,7 +26,7 @@ type GameCreator interface {
 // auto-match. robot.Service satisfies it; it returns an error when no robot is
 // available so the matchmaker can defer substitution.
 type RobotProvider interface {
-	Pick() (uuid.UUID, error)
+	Pick(variant engine.Variant) (uuid.UUID, error)
 }
 
 // Blocker reports whether two accounts have a block between them (either
diff --git a/backend/internal/lobby/matchmaker.go b/backend/internal/lobby/matchmaker.go
index 649e98f..48da0dd 100644
--- a/backend/internal/lobby/matchmaker.go
+++ b/backend/internal/lobby/matchmaker.go
@@ -197,12 +197,12 @@ func (m *Matchmaker) Reap(ctx context.Context, now time.Time) {
 	}
 	var subs []sub
 	for _, acc := range due {
-		robotID, err := m.robots.Pick()
+		variant := m.queued[acc]
+		robotID, err := m.robots.Pick(variant)
 		if err != nil {
 			m.log.Warn("robot substitution deferred", zap.Error(err))
 			continue
 		}
-		variant := m.queued[acc]
 		m.removeLocked(acc, variant)
 		seats := []uuid.UUID{acc, robotID}
 		if m.rng.Intn(2) == 0 {
diff --git a/backend/internal/lobby/matchmaker_test.go b/backend/internal/lobby/matchmaker_test.go
index 6d59772..e2d145c 100644
--- a/backend/internal/lobby/matchmaker_test.go
+++ b/backend/internal/lobby/matchmaker_test.go
@@ -28,13 +28,15 @@ func (f *fakeCreator) Create(_ context.Context, p game.CreateParams) (game.Game,
 }
 
 // fakeRobots is a RobotProvider returning a fixed robot id, or an error to model
-// an empty pool.
+// an empty pool. It records the variant of the last substitution request.
 type fakeRobots struct {
-	id  uuid.UUID
-	err error
+	id          uuid.UUID
+	err         error
+	lastVariant engine.Variant
 }
 
-func (f *fakeRobots) Pick() (uuid.UUID, error) {
+func (f *fakeRobots) Pick(variant engine.Variant) (uuid.UUID, error) {
+	f.lastVariant = variant
 	if f.err != nil {
 		return uuid.Nil, f.err
 	}
diff --git a/backend/internal/robot/names.go b/backend/internal/robot/names.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a49d2fe
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/internal/robot/names.go
@@ -0,0 +1,146 @@
+package robot
+
+// Robot display names are composed, not hand-listed. Per language there is a pool of
+// 32 full first names and a paired pool of 32 colloquial forms (William/Bill,
+// Анастасия/Настя), a surname pool, and three rendering forms: first name only;
+// first name plus a surname initial; first name plus full surname. Because robots are
+// durable accounts whose name must stay stable across restarts (a player's opponent
+// must not rename itself on every deploy, nor mid-game), the composition is
+// deterministic per pool slot — seeded by the slot index through mix — rather than
+// re-randomised each boot. Russian surnames are gender-agreed with the first name.
+
+// robotPoolSize is the number of robot accounts provisioned per language. It equals
+// the first-name pool size, so each slot draws a distinct person.
+const robotPoolSize = 32
+
+// latinShareInRussian is the approximate percentage of Russian-variant games that
+// draw a Latin-named robot rather than a Russian-named one (the owner's "≤20%").
+const latinShareInRussian = 20
+
+// name composition forms.
+const (
+	nameFormFirstOnly = iota // "Anna"
+	nameFormInitial          // "Anna C."
+	nameFormFull             // "Anna Carter"
+)
+
+// genderedName is a Russian first name tagged by grammatical gender so the surname
+// form (masculine vs feminine) can agree with it.
+type genderedName struct {
+	name   string
+	female bool
+}
+
+// surnamePair holds a Russian surname's masculine and feminine forms.
+type surnamePair struct{ m, f string }
+
+// firstNamesFullEN and firstNamesShortEN are paired by index: the same person's
+// official and colloquial English first name (William/Bill).
+var firstNamesFullEN = []string{
+	"William", "Robert", "Thomas", "Nicholas", "Joseph", "Edward", "Charles", "Margaret",
+	"Elizabeth", "Katherine", "Alexander", "Samuel", "Andrew", "Christopher", "Benjamin", "Daniel",
+	"Matthew", "Anthony", "Michael", "Richard", "Jonathan", "Patricia", "Jennifer", "Jessica",
+	"Stephanie", "Victoria", "Theodore", "Frederick", "Gabriel", "Vincent", "Eleanor", "Josephine",
+}
+
+var firstNamesShortEN = []string{
+	"Will", "Bob", "Tom", "Nick", "Joe", "Eddie", "Charlie", "Maggie",
+	"Liz", "Kate", "Alex", "Sam", "Drew", "Chris", "Ben", "Dan",
+	"Matt", "Tony", "Mike", "Rick", "Jon", "Pat", "Jen", "Jess",
+	"Steph", "Vicky", "Ted", "Fred", "Gabe", "Vince", "Ellie", "Josie",
+}
+
+// surnamesEN is a pool of gender-neutral English surnames.
+var surnamesEN = []string{
+	"Carter", "Hayes", "Brooks", "Reed", "Cole", "Lane", "Bishop", "Hart",
+	"Shaw", "Wells", "Pierce", "Wade", "Frost", "Doyle", "Boyd", "Marsh",
+	"Hale", "Nash", "Webb", "Dale", "Park", "Lyon", "Snow", "Cross",
+	"Vance", "Knox", "Page", "Ford", "Banks", "Foster", "Greer", "Mills",
+}
+
+// firstNamesFullRU and firstNamesShortRU are paired by index: the same person's
+// official and colloquial Russian first name (Анастасия/Настя), gender-tagged.
+var firstNamesFullRU = []genderedName{
+	{"Александр", false}, {"Дмитрий", false}, {"Сергей", false}, {"Алексей", false},
+	{"Михаил", false}, {"Николай", false}, {"Владимир", false}, {"Константин", false},
+	{"Павел", false}, {"Григорий", false}, {"Андрей", false}, {"Иван", false},
+	{"Пётр", false}, {"Роман", false}, {"Антон", false}, {"Евгений", false},
+	{"Анна", true}, {"Мария", true}, {"Анастасия", true}, {"Наталья", true},
+	{"Татьяна", true}, {"Екатерина", true}, {"Юлия", true}, {"Ольга", true},
+	{"Елена", true}, {"Ирина", true}, {"Светлана", true}, {"Полина", true},
+	{"Дарья", true}, {"София", true}, {"Алина", true}, {"Вера", true},
+}
+
+var firstNamesShortRU = []genderedName{
+	{"Саша", false}, {"Дима", false}, {"Серёжа", false}, {"Лёша", false},
+	{"Миша", false}, {"Коля", false}, {"Володя", false}, {"Костя", false},
+	{"Паша", false}, {"Гриша", false}, {"Андрюша", false}, {"Ваня", false},
+	{"Петя", false}, {"Рома", false}, {"Антоша", false}, {"Женя", false},
+	{"Аня", true}, {"Маша", true}, {"Настя", true}, {"Наташа", true},
+	{"Таня", true}, {"Катя", true}, {"Юля", true}, {"Оля", true},
+	{"Лена", true}, {"Ира", true}, {"Света", true}, {"Поля", true},
+	{"Даша", true}, {"Соня", true}, {"Аля", true}, {"Верочка", true},
+}
+
+// surnamesRU is a pool of common Russian surnames in masculine and feminine forms.
+var surnamesRU = []surnamePair{
+	{"Иванов", "Иванова"}, {"Смирнов", "Смирнова"}, {"Кузнецов", "Кузнецова"},
+	{"Соколов", "Соколова"}, {"Попов", "Попова"}, {"Лебедев", "Лебедева"},
+	{"Новиков", "Новикова"}, {"Морозов", "Морозова"}, {"Волков", "Волкова"},
+	{"Зайцев", "Зайцева"}, {"Павлов", "Павлова"}, {"Беляев", "Беляева"},
+	{"Орлов", "Орлова"}, {"Громов", "Громова"}, {"Суханов", "Суханова"},
+	{"Киселёв", "Киселёва"}, {"Макаров", "Макарова"}, {"Фёдоров", "Фёдорова"},
+	{"Никитин", "Никитина"}, {"Захаров", "Захарова"}, {"Борисов", "Борисова"},
+	{"Королёв", "Королёва"}, {"Герасимов", "Герасимова"}, {"Пономарёв", "Пономарёва"},
+	{"Григорьев", "Григорьева"}, {"Романов", "Романова"}, {"Виноградов", "Виноградова"},
+	{"Богданов", "Богданова"}, {"Воробьёв", "Воробьёва"}, {"Сергеев", "Сергеева"},
+	{"Кузьмин", "Кузьмина"}, {"Соловьёв", "Соловьёва"},
+}
+
+// robotDisplayNamesEN builds the English robot display-name pool, one per slot. Each
+// slot draws its paired full or colloquial first name, a surname, and a form.
+func robotDisplayNamesEN() []string {
+	out := make([]string, robotPoolSize)
+	for i := range out {
+		h := mix(int64(i), "robot-en")
+		first := firstNamesFullEN[i%len(firstNamesFullEN)]
+		if (h>>16)&1 == 1 {
+			first = firstNamesShortEN[i%len(firstNamesShortEN)]
+		}
+		surname := surnamesEN[h%uint64(len(surnamesEN))]
+		out[i] = composeName(first, surname, int((h>>8)%3))
+	}
+	return out
+}
+
+// robotDisplayNamesRU builds the Russian robot display-name pool, one per slot, with
+// the surname form agreeing with the first name's gender.
+func robotDisplayNamesRU() []string {
+	out := make([]string, robotPoolSize)
+	for i := range out {
+		h := mix(int64(i), "robot-ru")
+		fn := firstNamesFullRU[i%len(firstNamesFullRU)]
+		if (h>>16)&1 == 1 {
+			fn = firstNamesShortRU[i%len(firstNamesShortRU)]
+		}
+		sp := surnamesRU[h%uint64(len(surnamesRU))]
+		surname := sp.m
+		if fn.female {
+			surname = sp.f
+		}
+		out[i] = composeName(fn.name, surname, int((h>>8)%3))
+	}
+	return out
+}
+
+// composeName renders one of the three name forms from a first name and a surname.
+func composeName(first, surname string, form int) string {
+	switch form {
+	case nameFormInitial:
+		return first + " " + string([]rune(surname)[:1]) + "."
+	case nameFormFull:
+		return first + " " + surname
+	default:
+		return first
+	}
+}
diff --git a/backend/internal/robot/names_test.go b/backend/internal/robot/names_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7925b8c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/internal/robot/names_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,119 @@
+package robot
+
+import (
+	"errors"
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/google/uuid"
+
+	"scrabble/backend/internal/engine"
+)
+
+// TestComposeName covers the three rendering forms, including a Cyrillic initial.
+func TestComposeName(t *testing.T) {
+	cases := []struct {
+		first, surname string
+		form           int
+		want           string
+	}{
+		{"Anna", "Carter", nameFormFirstOnly, "Anna"},
+		{"Anna", "Carter", nameFormInitial, "Anna C."},
+		{"Anna", "Carter", nameFormFull, "Anna Carter"},
+		{"Маша", "Суханова", nameFormInitial, "Маша С."},
+		{"Маша", "Суханова", nameFormFull, "Маша Суханова"},
+	}
+	for _, c := range cases {
+		if got := composeName(c.first, c.surname, c.form); got != c.want {
+			t.Errorf("composeName(%q,%q,%d) = %q, want %q", c.first, c.surname, c.form, got, c.want)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+// TestNamePoolsPaired checks the full and colloquial first-name pools line up by
+// index (so a slot's gender and person are consistent) and the surname forms differ.
+func TestNamePoolsPaired(t *testing.T) {
+	if len(firstNamesFullEN) != robotPoolSize || len(firstNamesShortEN) != robotPoolSize {
+		t.Fatalf("EN first-name pools must each hold %d names", robotPoolSize)
+	}
+	if len(firstNamesFullRU) != robotPoolSize || len(firstNamesShortRU) != robotPoolSize {
+		t.Fatalf("RU first-name pools must each hold %d names", robotPoolSize)
+	}
+	for i := range firstNamesFullRU {
+		if firstNamesFullRU[i].female != firstNamesShortRU[i].female {
+			t.Errorf("RU pair %d disagrees on gender: %q vs %q", i, firstNamesFullRU[i].name, firstNamesShortRU[i].name)
+		}
+	}
+	for _, sp := range surnamesRU {
+		if sp.m == sp.f {
+			t.Errorf("RU surname forms should differ: %q", sp.m)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+// TestRobotDisplayNames checks the generated pools are the right size, non-empty and
+// deterministic — durable robot accounts must keep a stable name across restarts.
+func TestRobotDisplayNames(t *testing.T) {
+	en1, en2 := robotDisplayNamesEN(), robotDisplayNamesEN()
+	ru1, ru2 := robotDisplayNamesRU(), robotDisplayNamesRU()
+	if len(en1) != robotPoolSize || len(ru1) != robotPoolSize {
+		t.Fatalf("pool sizes en=%d ru=%d, want %d", len(en1), len(ru1), robotPoolSize)
+	}
+	for i := range en1 {
+		if en1[i] != en2[i] || ru1[i] != ru2[i] {
+			t.Fatalf("pool not deterministic at %d: en %q/%q ru %q/%q", i, en1[i], en2[i], ru1[i], ru2[i])
+		}
+		if en1[i] == "" || ru1[i] == "" {
+			t.Fatalf("empty composed name at index %d", i)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+// TestPickVariantRouting checks English games draw the Latin pool and Russian games
+// draw mostly Russian names with a Latin minority.
+func TestPickVariantRouting(t *testing.T) {
+	enID, ruID := uuid.New(), uuid.New()
+	s := &Service{poolEN: []uuid.UUID{enID}, poolRU: []uuid.UUID{ruID}}
+	for i := 0; i < 200; i++ {
+		if got, err := s.Pick(engine.VariantEnglish); err != nil || got != enID {
+			t.Fatalf("english Pick = (%v, %v), want (%v, nil)", got, err, enID)
+		}
+	}
+	var en, ru int
+	for i := 0; i < 4000; i++ {
+		got, err := s.Pick(engine.VariantRussianScrabble)
+		if err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("russian Pick: %v", err)
+		}
+		switch got {
+		case enID:
+			en++
+		case ruID:
+			ru++
+		}
+	}
+	if ru <= en {
+		t.Errorf("russian names should dominate a Russian game: ru=%d en=%d", ru, en)
+	}
+	if en == 0 {
+		t.Errorf("some Latin names should appear in Russian games (got 0 of 4000)")
+	}
+	// Эрудит routes like Russian Scrabble.
+	if _, err := s.Pick(engine.VariantErudit); err != nil {
+		t.Errorf("erudit Pick: %v", err)
+	}
+}
+
+// TestPickFallback checks an empty side falls back to the other pool and an empty pool
+// errors.
+func TestPickFallback(t *testing.T) {
+	id := uuid.New()
+	if got, err := (&Service{poolEN: []uuid.UUID{id}}).Pick(engine.VariantRussianScrabble); err != nil || got != id {
+		t.Errorf("russian fallback to EN = (%v, %v), want (%v, nil)", got, err, id)
+	}
+	if got, err := (&Service{poolRU: []uuid.UUID{id}}).Pick(engine.VariantEnglish); err != nil || got != id {
+		t.Errorf("english fallback to RU = (%v, %v), want (%v, nil)", got, err, id)
+	}
+	if _, err := (&Service{}).Pick(engine.VariantEnglish); !errors.Is(err, ErrNoRobotAvailable) {
+		t.Errorf("empty pool err = %v, want ErrNoRobotAvailable", err)
+	}
+}
diff --git a/backend/internal/robot/robot.go b/backend/internal/robot/robot.go
index f4ef5cc..e6aa40d 100644
--- a/backend/internal/robot/robot.go
+++ b/backend/internal/robot/robot.go
@@ -55,13 +55,6 @@ type Nudger interface {
 	LastNudgeAt(ctx context.Context, gameID, senderID uuid.UUID) (time.Time, bool, error)
 }
 
-// robotNames is the curated, human-like name pool. Each name backs one durable
-// robot account, addressed by a stable robot identity (its lower-cased name).
-var robotNames = []string{
-	"Alex", "Sam", "Jordan", "Riley", "Casey", "Taylor", "Jamie", "Morgan",
-	"Robin", "Quinn", "Avery", "Drew", "Skyler", "Reese", "Harper", "Sage",
-}
-
 // Config configures the robot subsystem.
 type Config struct {
 	// DriveInterval is how often the driver scans for robot turns. Sourced from
@@ -91,8 +84,9 @@ type Service struct {
 	clock    func() time.Time
 	log      *zap.Logger
 
-	mu   sync.RWMutex
-	pool []uuid.UUID
+	mu     sync.RWMutex
+	poolEN []uuid.UUID
+	poolRU []uuid.UUID
 }
 
 // NewService constructs a robot Service. games and social are the domain seams it
@@ -120,58 +114,73 @@ func NewService(games GameDriver, accounts *account.Store, soc Nudger, meter met
 	}
 }
 
-// EnsurePool idempotently provisions the named robot accounts and records their
-// ids as the pool. Each robot is a durable account bound to a robot identity,
-// with chat and friend requests blocked so it never engages socially
-// (docs/ARCHITECTURE.md §7). It is a startup dependency, like the dictionary
-// registry: a failure fails the boot.
+// EnsurePool idempotently provisions the robot accounts (one per slot of each
+// language's composed name pool) and records their ids. Each robot is a durable
+// account bound to a stable, index-keyed robot identity, with chat and friend
+// requests blocked so it never engages socially (docs/ARCHITECTURE.md §7). It is a
+// startup dependency, like the dictionary registry: a failure fails the boot.
 func (s *Service) EnsurePool(ctx context.Context) error {
-	ids := make([]uuid.UUID, 0, len(robotNames))
-	for _, name := range robotNames {
-		acc, err := s.accounts.ProvisionByIdentity(ctx, account.KindRobot, externalID(name))
-		if err != nil {
-			return fmt.Errorf("robot: provision %q: %w", name, err)
-		}
-		if acc.DisplayName != name || !acc.BlockChat || !acc.BlockFriendRequests {
-			if _, err := s.accounts.UpdateProfile(ctx, acc.ID, account.ProfileUpdate{
-				DisplayName:         name,
-				PreferredLanguage:   acc.PreferredLanguage,
-				TimeZone:            acc.TimeZone,
-				AwayStart:           acc.AwayStart,
-				AwayEnd:             acc.AwayEnd,
-				BlockChat:           true,
-				BlockFriendRequests: true,
-			}); err != nil {
-				return fmt.Errorf("robot: profile %q: %w", name, err)
-			}
-		}
-		ids = append(ids, acc.ID)
+	en, err := s.provisionPool(ctx, "en", robotDisplayNamesEN())
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	ru, err := s.provisionPool(ctx, "ru", robotDisplayNamesRU())
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
 	}
 	s.mu.Lock()
-	s.pool = ids
+	s.poolEN, s.poolRU = en, ru
 	s.mu.Unlock()
 	return nil
 }
 
-// Pick returns a random robot account from the pool, for the matchmaker to
-// substitute into an auto-match. It satisfies lobby.RobotProvider.
-func (s *Service) Pick() (uuid.UUID, error) {
-	s.mu.RLock()
-	defer s.mu.RUnlock()
-	if len(s.pool) == 0 {
-		return uuid.Nil, ErrNoRobotAvailable
+// provisionPool provisions one durable robot account per name and returns their ids
+// in order. The identity is keyed by language and slot index (stable across restarts
+// and independent of the composed display name); account.ProvisionRobot sets the
+// display name and social blocks and is idempotent, so EnsurePool can run every boot.
+func (s *Service) provisionPool(ctx context.Context, lang string, names []string) ([]uuid.UUID, error) {
+	ids := make([]uuid.UUID, 0, len(names))
+	for i, name := range names {
+		acc, err := s.accounts.ProvisionRobot(ctx, fmt.Sprintf("robot-%s-%d", lang, i), name)
+		if err != nil {
+			return nil, fmt.Errorf("robot: provision %s #%d (%q): %w", lang, i, name, err)
+		}
+		ids = append(ids, acc.ID)
 	}
-	return s.pool[rand.IntN(len(s.pool))], nil
+	return ids, nil
 }
 
-// poolIDs returns a snapshot of the pool for the driver scan.
+// Pick returns a random robot account for the matchmaker to substitute into an
+// auto-match of the given variant. An English game draws from the Latin pool; a
+// Russian game (Russian Scrabble or Эрудит) draws from the Russian pool, mixing in a
+// Latin name about latinShareInRussian% of the time; either side falls back to the
+// other when its pool is empty. It satisfies lobby.RobotProvider.
+func (s *Service) Pick(variant engine.Variant) (uuid.UUID, error) {
+	s.mu.RLock()
+	defer s.mu.RUnlock()
+	primary, secondary := s.poolEN, s.poolRU
+	if variant == engine.VariantRussianScrabble || variant == engine.VariantErudit {
+		primary, secondary = s.poolRU, s.poolEN
+		if len(primary) > 0 && len(secondary) > 0 && rand.IntN(100) < latinShareInRussian {
+			primary, secondary = secondary, primary
+		}
+	}
+	if len(primary) == 0 {
+		primary = secondary
+	}
+	if len(primary) == 0 {
+		return uuid.Nil, ErrNoRobotAvailable
+	}
+	return primary[rand.IntN(len(primary))], nil
+}
+
+// poolIDs returns a snapshot of the whole pool (both languages) for the driver scan,
+// which is variant-agnostic — it acts on every robot's active games.
 func (s *Service) poolIDs() []uuid.UUID {
 	s.mu.RLock()
 	defer s.mu.RUnlock()
-	return append([]uuid.UUID(nil), s.pool...)
-}
-
-// externalID is the stable robot identity for a pool name.
-func externalID(name string) string {
-	return "robot-" + name
+	ids := make([]uuid.UUID, 0, len(s.poolEN)+len(s.poolRU))
+	ids = append(ids, s.poolEN...)
+	ids = append(ids, s.poolRU...)
+	return ids
 }
diff --git a/backend/internal/robot/strategy.go b/backend/internal/robot/strategy.go
index 7301670..633dd98 100644
--- a/backend/internal/robot/strategy.go
+++ b/backend/internal/robot/strategy.go
@@ -23,17 +23,27 @@ const (
 	// human wins about 60% of games (docs/ARCHITECTURE.md §7).
 	playToWinPercent = 40
 
-	// delayMinMinutes and delayMaxMinutes bound a move delay; delaySkew shapes the
-	// right-skewed distribution (short delays frequent). With skew 3.5 the median
-	// is about 10 minutes and the mean about 20, with a tail out to the maximum.
-	delayMinMinutes = 2.0
-	delayMaxMinutes = 90.0
-	delaySkew       = 3.5
+	// The robot's think time depends on how far the game has progressed: early moves
+	// are quick and late moves can be long (endgame deliberation). The delay is drawn
+	// from a band that interpolates with the move count from [delayEarlyLoMinutes,
+	// delayEarlyHiMinutes] at the first move to [delayLateLoMinutes, delayLateHiMinutes]
+	// by avgGameMoves, then right-skewed by delaySkew (a larger exponent concentrates
+	// delays near the band's floor — an active player). The result is clamped to
+	// [delayHardMinMinutes, delayHardMaxMinutes]. The numbers are deliberate estimates,
+	// to be retuned once real play statistics arrive (docs/ARCHITECTURE.md §7).
+	delayEarlyLoMinutes = 1.0
+	delayEarlyHiMinutes = 5.0
+	delayLateLoMinutes  = 10.0
+	delayLateHiMinutes  = 90.0
+	delaySkew           = 4.0
+	avgGameMoves        = 28.0
+	delayHardMinMinutes = 1.0
+	delayHardMaxMinutes = 90.0
 
-	// nudgeReplyMinMinutes and nudgeReplyMaxMinutes bound how soon the robot
-	// answers a daytime nudge on its turn.
-	nudgeReplyMinMinutes = 2.0
-	nudgeReplyMaxMinutes = 10.0
+	// nudgeReplySpreadMinutes is the width of the quick window, anchored at the move's
+	// lower band (delayBand's lo), within which the robot answers a daytime nudge on
+	// its turn — so a nudged robot replies near the floor of its think time.
+	nudgeReplySpreadMinutes = 5.0
 
 	// sleepStartHour and sleepEndHour bound the robot's nightly sleep in its
 	// (opponent-anchored, drifted) local time: it makes no move and sends no nudge
@@ -104,19 +114,48 @@ func playToWin(seed int64) bool {
 	return mix(seed, "win")%100 < playToWinPercent
 }
 
-// moveDelay is the robot's think time for the move at moveCount, sampled from the
-// right-skewed distribution and bounded to [delayMinMinutes, delayMaxMinutes).
+// delayBand returns the lower and upper bounds, in minutes, of the move-delay band
+// for the move at moveCount. It interpolates linearly with game progress (the move
+// count over avgGameMoves, capped at 1): early moves sit in a short band and late
+// moves in a long one.
+func delayBand(moveCount int) (lo, hi float64) {
+	p := float64(moveCount) / avgGameMoves
+	if p > 1 {
+		p = 1
+	}
+	lo = delayEarlyLoMinutes + (delayLateLoMinutes-delayEarlyLoMinutes)*p
+	hi = delayEarlyHiMinutes + (delayLateHiMinutes-delayEarlyHiMinutes)*p
+	return lo, hi
+}
+
+// moveDelay is the robot's think time for the move at moveCount: a right-skewed
+// sample from the move's delayBand, clamped to the hard bounds. The skew (delaySkew
+// > 1) makes short delays frequent and long ones rare, with a tail to the band's top.
 func moveDelay(seed int64, moveCount int) time.Duration {
+	lo, hi := delayBand(moveCount)
 	u := unitFloat(mix(seed, "delay", moveCount))
-	mins := delayMinMinutes + (delayMaxMinutes-delayMinMinutes)*math.Pow(u, delaySkew)
-	return time.Duration(mins * float64(time.Minute))
+	return clampMinutes(lo + (hi-lo)*math.Pow(u, delaySkew))
 }
 
 // nudgeReplyDelay is how soon after a daytime nudge the robot answers the move at
-// moveCount, sampled uniformly from [nudgeReplyMinMinutes, nudgeReplyMaxMinutes).
+// moveCount: a uniform sample from the quick window [lo, lo+nudgeReplySpreadMinutes],
+// where lo is the move's lower band — so a nudge pulls the move in near the floor of
+// the robot's think time.
 func nudgeReplyDelay(seed int64, moveCount int) time.Duration {
+	lo, _ := delayBand(moveCount)
 	u := unitFloat(mix(seed, "nudge", moveCount))
-	mins := nudgeReplyMinMinutes + (nudgeReplyMaxMinutes-nudgeReplyMinMinutes)*u
+	return clampMinutes(lo + nudgeReplySpreadMinutes*u)
+}
+
+// clampMinutes converts a minute count to a duration, clamping it to the hard delay
+// bounds so an out-of-range band can never produce an absurd think time.
+func clampMinutes(mins float64) time.Duration {
+	if mins < delayHardMinMinutes {
+		mins = delayHardMinMinutes
+	}
+	if mins > delayHardMaxMinutes {
+		mins = delayHardMaxMinutes
+	}
 	return time.Duration(mins * float64(time.Minute))
 }
 
diff --git a/backend/internal/robot/strategy_test.go b/backend/internal/robot/strategy_test.go
index 3161e4b..e230ea6 100644
--- a/backend/internal/robot/strategy_test.go
+++ b/backend/internal/robot/strategy_test.go
@@ -27,14 +27,14 @@ func TestPlayToWinDistribution(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
-// TestMoveDelayBoundsAndDeterminism checks every sampled delay stays in
-// [2min, 90min) and is reproducible for a (seed, moveCount).
+// TestMoveDelayBoundsAndDeterminism checks every sampled delay stays in the hard
+// bounds [1min, 90min] and is reproducible for a (seed, moveCount).
 func TestMoveDelayBoundsAndDeterminism(t *testing.T) {
 	for seed := int64(1); seed <= 200; seed++ {
 		for mc := 0; mc < 50; mc++ {
 			d := moveDelay(seed, mc)
-			if d < 2*time.Minute || d >= 90*time.Minute {
-				t.Fatalf("delay %s out of [2m,90m) for seed=%d mc=%d", d, seed, mc)
+			if d < 1*time.Minute || d > 90*time.Minute {
+				t.Fatalf("delay %s out of [1m,90m] for seed=%d mc=%d", d, seed, mc)
 			}
 			if moveDelay(seed, mc) != d {
 				t.Fatalf("delay not deterministic for seed=%d mc=%d", seed, mc)
@@ -43,22 +43,49 @@ func TestMoveDelayBoundsAndDeterminism(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
-// TestMoveDelaySkew checks the distribution is right-skewed with the intended
-// ~10-minute median: most delays are short, the mean sits above the median.
+// TestMoveDelayGrowsWithMoveCount checks the delay band shifts up over a game: the
+// first move lives in the short [1,5]min band, a late move in the long [10,90]min
+// band, so the median think time rises with the move count.
+func TestMoveDelayGrowsWithMoveCount(t *testing.T) {
+	median := func(mc int) float64 {
+		const n = 4000
+		xs := make([]float64, n)
+		for s := 0; s < n; s++ {
+			xs[s] = moveDelay(int64(s+1), mc).Minutes()
+		}
+		sort.Float64s(xs)
+		return xs[n/2]
+	}
+	for s := int64(1); s <= 500; s++ {
+		if d := moveDelay(s, 0).Minutes(); d < 1 || d > 5 {
+			t.Fatalf("first-move delay %.2f out of [1,5] for seed %d", d, s)
+		}
+		if d := moveDelay(s, 40).Minutes(); d < 10 || d > 90 {
+			t.Fatalf("late-move delay %.2f out of [10,90] for seed %d", d, s)
+		}
+	}
+	if early, late := median(0), median(30); early >= late {
+		t.Errorf("median should grow with move count: move0=%.1f move30=%.1f", early, late)
+	}
+}
+
+// TestMoveDelaySkew checks the late-game distribution is right-skewed at a fixed move
+// count: short delays are frequent (median near the band floor) and the mean sits
+// above the median, with a tail toward the cap.
 func TestMoveDelaySkew(t *testing.T) {
 	const n = 20000
 	mins := make([]float64, 0, n)
 	var sum float64
-	for mc := 0; mc < n; mc++ {
-		m := moveDelay(42, mc).Minutes()
+	for s := 0; s < n; s++ {
+		m := moveDelay(int64(s+1), 28).Minutes() // late band [10,90]
 		mins = append(mins, m)
 		sum += m
 	}
 	sort.Float64s(mins)
 	median := mins[n/2]
 	mean := sum / float64(n)
-	if median < 7 || median > 13 {
-		t.Errorf("median delay = %.1f min, want ~10 (7-13)", median)
+	if median < 12 || median > 20 {
+		t.Errorf("late median delay = %.1f min, want ~15 (12-20)", median)
 	}
 	if mean <= median {
 		t.Errorf("mean %.1f should exceed median %.1f (right skew)", mean, median)
diff --git a/backend/internal/server/dto_test.go b/backend/internal/server/dto_test.go
index 7f0ae7a..517c8fc 100644
--- a/backend/internal/server/dto_test.go
+++ b/backend/internal/server/dto_test.go
@@ -46,6 +46,7 @@ func TestStatusForError(t *testing.T) {
 	}{
 		"not a player":   {game.ErrNotAPlayer, http.StatusForbidden, "not_a_player"},
 		"not your turn":  {game.ErrNotYourTurn, http.StatusConflict, "not_your_turn"},
+		"nudge own turn": {social.ErrNudgeOnOwnTurn, http.StatusConflict, "nudge_own_turn"},
 		"illegal play":   {engine.ErrIllegalPlay, http.StatusUnprocessableEntity, "illegal_play"},
 		"email taken":    {account.ErrEmailTaken, http.StatusConflict, "email_taken"},
 		"code mismatch":  {account.ErrCodeMismatch, http.StatusUnauthorized, "code_invalid"},
diff --git a/backend/internal/server/handlers.go b/backend/internal/server/handlers.go
index dbbe120..f4e64f9 100644
--- a/backend/internal/server/handlers.go
+++ b/backend/internal/server/handlers.go
@@ -148,8 +148,10 @@ func statusForError(err error) (int, string) {
 		return http.StatusNotFound, "not_found"
 	case errors.Is(err, game.ErrNotAPlayer), errors.Is(err, social.ErrNotParticipant):
 		return http.StatusForbidden, "not_a_player"
-	case errors.Is(err, game.ErrNotYourTurn), errors.Is(err, social.ErrNudgeOnOwnTurn):
+	case errors.Is(err, game.ErrNotYourTurn):
 		return http.StatusConflict, "not_your_turn"
+	case errors.Is(err, social.ErrNudgeOnOwnTurn):
+		return http.StatusConflict, "nudge_own_turn"
 	case errors.Is(err, game.ErrFinished), errors.Is(err, social.ErrGameNotActive):
 		return http.StatusConflict, "game_finished"
 	case errors.Is(err, game.ErrGameActive):
diff --git a/backend/internal/server/handlers_admin_console.go b/backend/internal/server/handlers_admin_console.go
index d8e2265..5fdf3aa 100644
--- a/backend/internal/server/handlers_admin_console.go
+++ b/backend/internal/server/handlers_admin_console.go
@@ -82,6 +82,7 @@ func (s *Server) consoleUsers(c *gin.Context) {
 		return
 	}
 	view := adminconsole.UsersView{Pager: adminconsole.NewPager(page, adminPageSize, total)}
+	ids := make([]uuid.UUID, 0, len(accs))
 	for _, a := range accs {
 		kind := "registered"
 		if a.IsGuest {
@@ -91,6 +92,17 @@ func (s *Server) consoleUsers(c *gin.Context) {
 			ID: a.ID.String(), DisplayName: a.DisplayName, Kind: kind,
 			Language: a.PreferredLanguage, Guest: a.IsGuest, CreatedAt: fmtTime(a.CreatedAt),
 		})
+		ids = append(ids, a.ID)
+	}
+	if stats, err := s.games.MoveDurationStats(ctx, ids); err == nil {
+		for i := range view.Items {
+			if st, ok := stats[ids[i]]; ok && st.Moves > 0 {
+				view.Items[i].HasMoveStats = true
+				view.Items[i].MoveMin = adminconsole.FormatDuration(st.MinSecs)
+				view.Items[i].MoveAvg = adminconsole.FormatDuration(st.AvgSecs)
+				view.Items[i].MoveMax = adminconsole.FormatDuration(st.MaxSecs)
+			}
+		}
 	}
 	s.renderConsole(c, "users", "users", "Users", view)
 }
@@ -134,6 +146,13 @@ func (s *Server) consoleUserDetail(c *gin.Context) {
 			view.Games = append(view.Games, gameRow(g))
 		}
 	}
+	if pts, err := s.games.MoveDurationByOrdinal(ctx, id); err == nil && len(pts) > 0 {
+		cps := make([]adminconsole.ChartPoint, len(pts))
+		for i, p := range pts {
+			cps[i] = adminconsole.ChartPoint{Ordinal: p.Ordinal, Min: p.MinSecs, Max: p.MaxSecs, Avg: p.AvgSecs}
+		}
+		view.MoveChart = adminconsole.MoveDurationChart(cps)
+	}
 	s.renderConsole(c, "user_detail", "users", acc.DisplayName, view)
 }
 
diff --git a/ui/src/lib/i18n/en.ts b/ui/src/lib/i18n/en.ts
index 6cf7c09..99b53b5 100644
--- a/ui/src/lib/i18n/en.ts
+++ b/ui/src/lib/i18n/en.ts
@@ -148,6 +148,7 @@ export const en = {
   'lang.ru': 'Русский',
 
   'error.not_your_turn': "It is not your turn.",
+  'error.nudge_own_turn': 'It is your turn — there is no one to nudge.',
   'error.illegal_play': 'That is not a legal play.',
   'error.hint_unavailable': 'No hints available.',
   'error.no_hint_available': 'No options with your letters.',
diff --git a/ui/src/lib/i18n/ru.ts b/ui/src/lib/i18n/ru.ts
index 7034bd2..1ffcbf3 100644
--- a/ui/src/lib/i18n/ru.ts
+++ b/ui/src/lib/i18n/ru.ts
@@ -149,6 +149,7 @@ export const ru: Record<MessageKey, string> = {
   'lang.ru': 'Русский',
 
   'error.not_your_turn': 'Сейчас не ваш ход.',
+  'error.nudge_own_turn': 'Сейчас ваш ход — некого торопить.',
   'error.illegal_play': 'Это недопустимый ход.',
   'error.hint_unavailable': 'Подсказки недоступны.',
   'error.no_hint_available': 'Нет вариантов с вашим набором.',