Profile of Dr. Erik Zude (aka Cakedancer)
Meet Dr. Erik Zude, an International Master certified by FIDE – a title that says, "I know my bishops from my knights and I usually win before my coffee gets cold." Known online as Cakedancer, Erik is a chess virtuoso with a flair for blitz, boasting a peak lightning-fast rating of 2706 in September 2021.
With thousands of blitz battles under his belt, Erik’s style shows a love for deep endgames (played 85.55% of the time) and an impressive tactical awareness — bouncing back from adversity with an 86.53% comeback rate, proving that losing a piece is merely a minor inconvenience to his winning storyline.
Erik’s matches are as thrilling as a rollercoaster ride (his longest winning streak is 16 games, and his longest losing streak a humbling 14), yet he always keeps his cool, letting a mere 0.1% early resignations slip into his collection — after all, why quit when there’s still cake to dance for?
Adept in English Opening variations, Erik often dances his pieces through elegant formations, as witnessed in his most recent triumph where he secured a win by resignation in a carefully crafted position full of subtle threats. He plays with an average of 80 moves to victory, so opponents better stay sharp for a marathon, not just a sprint.
Fun fact: Erik shines brightest at night, with his best time to play being around 11 PM — when the world is quiet, the stars align, and his opponents' blunders become the sweetest pastries on the board.
Whether facing familiar foes like Rudus, Animal45, or Caraguru, or blazing new paths against fresh opponents, Cakedancer demonstrates a nearly 50% win rate overall — solid proof that even the best dancers have their signature moves and occasional fancy footwork mishaps.
In summary, Dr. Erik Zude is a dedicated, tactically savvy International Master who combines discipline, endurance, and a playful spirit—because in chess, as in life, sometimes you just have to dance your way to victory!
Hi Dr Erik Zude — What you already do well
- Flexible openings. You handle English-type positions, Four Knights and Sicilians with equal confidence, giving you the element of surprise.
- Dynamic pawn breaks. The thrust 18.c5!! in your latest win unleashed pieces and cracked Black’s centre — a textbook illustration of exploiting space.
- Practical resourcefulness. Swindles such as 34.d6! Rf1+ 35.Kg2 show you rarely lose sight of counter-chances even in time trouble.
Growth opportunities
- Early-middlegame planning. After exchanges like 8…Bxf3 9.Bxf3 you often lose the dark-square grip. Before trading, ask “Does this help my long-term plan?” and compare piece values beyond raw material (see minor-piece imbalance).
- Material vs. King safety. Several losses began with a tempting pawn or piece grab — e.g. — that opened files toward your own king. Add a three-second blunder-check (“Are there forcing moves against me?”) before capturing.
- Endgame technique. Positions like slipped because the conversion plan wasn’t crystal clear. Ten minutes of rook- and knight-pawn endings per day will add steady rating points.
- Clock management. In 3-minute games you’re often below 20 seconds by move 30. Try the “40/20 rule”: keep ≥40 % of your starting time after move 20 and ≥20 % after move 30. This reduces the final-stretch blunders dramatically.
Suggested weekly training menu
- Openings – Build a one-page repertoire for both colours; rehearse key branches with flashcards until you can recite the first 8-10 moves blindfolded.
- Tactics – 20 quality puzzles daily, emphasising intermediate moves and deflection motifs — both appear frequently in your games.
- Endgames – Work through chapters 3-7 of Silman’s “Complete Endgame Course”, then drill them online for speed.
- Practical play – Schedule sessions during your performance peaks: and monitor streak trends with . Review each loss immediately while the ideas are fresh.
Motivational snapshot
Your current peak blitz rating: 2706 (2021-09-24). With the targeted tweaks above, cracking the next milestone is realistic this season.
Enjoy the process — every game adds a data point to your ever-improving chess model. Good luck, and see you at the board!
🆚 Opponent Insights
| Most Played Opponents | ||
|---|---|---|
| Rudolf Sertic | 47W / 30L / 5D | View Games |
| ANIMAL45 | 38W / 26L / 6D | View Games |
| caraguru | 29W / 33L / 3D | View Games |
| Adegboyega Joel ADEBAYO | 31W / 30L / 1D | View Games |
| Tigran Kotanjian | 24W / 31L / 4D | View Games |
Rating
| Year | Bullet | Blitz | Rapid | Daily |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 2706 | |||
| 2019 | 2633 | |||
| 2018 | 2503 | |||
| 2017 | 2463 | |||
| 2016 | 2431 |
Stats by Year
| Year | White | Black | Moves |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 1W / 0L / 0D | 0W / 0L / 0D | 79.0 |
| 2019 | 248W / 209L / 23D | 223W / 220L / 38D | 85.9 |
| 2018 | 606W / 479L / 92D | 539W / 553L / 84D | 87.5 |
| 2017 | 374W / 344L / 54D | 367W / 370L / 46D | 85.8 |
| 2016 | 482W / 332L / 58D | 442W / 368L / 49D | 84.7 |
Openings: Most Played
| Blitz Opening | Games | Wins | Losses | Draws | Win Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Philidor Defense | 413 | 225 | 160 | 28 | 54.5% |
| Czech Defense | 361 | 181 | 157 | 23 | 50.1% |
| Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation | 300 | 147 | 140 | 13 | 49.0% |
| English Opening: Agincourt Defense | 181 | 77 | 87 | 17 | 42.5% |
| English Opening | 177 | 94 | 73 | 10 | 53.1% |
| English Opening: Anglo-Indian Defense | 136 | 66 | 62 | 8 | 48.5% |
| English Opening: Drill Variation | 128 | 64 | 58 | 6 | 50.0% |
| Old Indian Defense: Normal Variation | 123 | 62 | 55 | 6 | 50.4% |
| Amazon Attack: Siberian Attack | 112 | 56 | 48 | 8 | 50.0% |
| Old Indian Defense: Duz-Khotimirsky Variation | 104 | 39 | 55 | 10 | 37.5% |
🔥 Streaks
| Streak | Longest | Current |
|---|---|---|
| Winning | 16 | 2 |
| Losing | 14 | 0 |