Overview
Derek Wu is a titled chess player who holds the FIDE Master title and is widely known as a streamer. They bring high-energy Bullet play to the online chess community, pairing rapid decision-making with entertaining commentary. This combination has helped Derek build an engaged audience while competing at a strong international level.
Peak Bullet rating on record: 3009 (2025-10-09). Profile details and updates are available at Derek Wu.
Competitive Focus
Preference leans toward fast-paced Bullet chess, with consistent performance across Blitz and Rapid as well. Derek has achieved major milestone ratings across time controls, including a peak Bullet rating above 3000 in recent seasons.
- Bullet is the preferred time control and a core focus for training and streaming.
- Peak Bullet rating: 3002 (2025-05-29).
- Strong Blitz and Rapid results accompany Bullet strength, including Blitz peak around 2805 (2024-08-20) and Rapid peak near 2490 (2022-07-15).
- Across time controls, Derek maintains a versatile and aggressive style that translates well to streaming formats.
Opening Repertoire
Derek Wu has developed a broad and dynamic opening repertoire, with notable effectiveness in several lines across Blitz and Bullet.
Caro-Kann Defense (167 games, 113–44–10, WinRate 67.66%), London System: Poisoned Pawn Variation (101 games, 68–27–6, WinRate 67.33%), Nimzo-Larsen Attack (120 games, 67–42–11, WinRate 55.83%), and Sicilian Defense variants including Alapin (111 games, 67–36–8, WinRate 60.36%), among others. Nimzo-Larsen Attack, Colle System: Rhamphorhynchus Variation, Amar Gambit, Scandinavian Defense, and multiple Modern setups show strong practical results (Wins often in the 60s percentile range). - Other frequently employed lines include Amazon Attack, various Sicilian offshoots, and flexible systems like the London and D00-family openings that adapt to opponent choices.
Streaming and Community
As a streamer, Derek engages a growing audience with thoughtful commentary, rapid-fire tactics, and clear explanations of decisions. The stream emphasizes learning, practical ideas, and the fun of quick games, making chess approachable for players at all levels.
Streaks and Records
- Longest Winning Streak: 46
- Current Winning Streak: 2
- Longest Losing Streak: 13
- Current Losing Streak: 0
Profile and Highlights
For a quick peek at Derek Wu’s profile and recent streams, visit: Derek Wu.
Chart snapshot and peak ratings across time controls:
Feedback for Derek Wu
Hi Derek! After reviewing your recent games, here are some constructive insights to help you continue improving:
Strengths
- Opening Choices: Your use of solid openings like the Modern Defense, Ruy Lopez, and Slav Defense demonstrates a good understanding of classical principles. This foundation helps you reach playable middlegames consistently.
- Active Piece Play: You tend to get your pieces involved quickly, such as timely knight maneuvers (e.g., Ne3, Nc4 in one game) and well-placed bishop and queen activity. This aggression puts pressure on your opponents effectively.
- Winning Tactical Awareness: Your games show you are capable of identifying and executing winning tactics—for example, forcing resignations through well-prepared attacks and positional pressure.
Areas to Improve
- Time Management: A pattern in your losses suggests ending on time frequently. Consider pacing your clock to avoid time trouble, especially in complicated positions. Quick, calm decision-making will allow you to maintain balance till the endgame.
- Endgame Technique: A few losses involved close endgames where stronger technique could've made a critical difference. Spend some time reinforcing fundamental endgame concepts such as king activity, pawn structure, and opposition to convert advantages or save worse positions.
- Defensive Moves and Positional Accuracy: At moments, you seem to struggle against pressure when your opponent capitalizes on weaknesses, especially around move clusters involving queenside pawn breaks or pressure on your king side. Practice recognizing key defensive resources and maintaining solidity.
Specific Recommendations
- Review your most recent win against Jarred-Vanderbilt for attacking motifs and piece coordination.
- Analyze the loss to DobbyTheElfHouse: focus on where the opponent gained positional concessions and how you might reinforce these critical junctures.
- Try incorporating some training on time management">time management and endgames">endgame fundamentals to solidify your play after the middlegame.
Next Steps
Keep up your diligent study of openings and tactics, but also dedicate extra practice to:
- time management">Time management in longer games
- endgames">Endgame technique, especially king and pawn endgames
- positional_play">Positional play and defensive accuracy
Your progress is very promising—stay patient and maintain focus on these subtle but impactful improvements!
🆚 Opponent Insights
| Recent Opponents | ||
|---|---|---|
| Alexander Rustemov | 4W / 4L / 1D | |
| BSWPaulsen | 7W / 4L / 0D | |
| I J | 3W / 1L / 1D | |
| Rayan Taghizadeh | 11W / 33L / 15D | |
| Ravindran Shanmugam | 0W / 0L / 1D | |
| gau248 | 2W / 0L / 0D | |
| halfiscrayfish | 1W / 0L / 0D | |
| wise_guyyy | 0W / 1L / 0D | |
| jarred-vanderbilt | 2W / 0L / 0D | |
| geetdabhi | 1W / 0L / 0D | |
| Most Played Opponents | ||
|---|---|---|
| Rick Sun | 169W / 132L / 27D | |
| aspartic | 59W / 35L / 15D | |
| x-2872584143 | 67W / 36L / 6D | |
| dimitrjcalculyan | 82W / 14L / 4D | |
| Sharvesh Deviprasath | 65W / 29L / 6D | |
Rating
| Year | Bullet | Blitz | Rapid | Daily |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 3009 | 2797 | 2457 | |
| 2024 | 2765 | 2693 | 2457 | 2000 |
| 2023 | 2821 | 2662 | 2457 | |
| 2022 | 2810 | 2702 | 2490 | |
| 2021 | 2621 | 2500 | 2411 | |
| 2020 | 2725 | 2468 | 2299 |
Stats by Year
| Year | White | Black | Moves |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 415W / 181L / 45D | 381W / 195L / 48D | 86.4 |
| 2024 | 661W / 356L / 92D | 588W / 420L / 97D | 87.0 |
| 2023 | 340W / 165L / 39D | 287W / 209L / 44D | 84.5 |
| 2022 | 1133W / 471L / 76D | 1072W / 512L / 96D | 80.5 |
| 2021 | 211W / 107L / 22D | 205W / 117L / 35D | 80.6 |
| 2020 | 849W / 468L / 76D | 779W / 527L / 88D | 77.3 |
Openings: Most Played
| Blitz Opening | Games | Wins | Losses | Draws | Win Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon Attack: Siberian Attack | 226 | 135 | 75 | 16 | 59.7% |
| Amazon Attack | 209 | 115 | 70 | 24 | 55.0% |
| Caro-Kann Defense | 167 | 113 | 44 | 10 | 67.7% |
| Nimzo-Larsen Attack | 125 | 69 | 44 | 12 | 55.2% |
| Sicilian Defense: Alapin Variation | 111 | 67 | 36 | 8 | 60.4% |
| London System: Poisoned Pawn Variation | 103 | 69 | 28 | 6 | 67.0% |
| Modern | 100 | 63 | 27 | 10 | 63.0% |
| Sicilian Defense: Taimanov Variation, American Attack | 96 | 58 | 33 | 5 | 60.4% |
| Sicilian Defense | 90 | 50 | 33 | 7 | 55.6% |
| Australian Defense | 83 | 47 | 30 | 6 | 56.6% |
| Rapid Opening | Games | Wins | Losses | Draws | Win Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon Attack: Siberian Attack | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
| Amar Gambit | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 50.0% |
| Amazon Attack | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0.0% |
| Caro-Kann Defense | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 66.7% |
| Four Knights Game | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
| Sicilian Defense: Nyezhmetdinov-Rossolimo Attack, Fianchetto Variation | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
| Unknown | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0.0% |
| QGD: Chigorin, 3.cxd5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
| English Opening: Agincourt Defense | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
| Modern | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
| Bullet Opening | Games | Wins | Losses | Draws | Win Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nimzo-Larsen Attack | 522 | 339 | 156 | 27 | 64.9% |
| Colle System: Rhamphorhynchus Variation | 468 | 305 | 137 | 26 | 65.2% |
| Amar Gambit | 391 | 242 | 119 | 30 | 61.9% |
| Scandinavian Defense | 348 | 208 | 121 | 19 | 59.8% |
| Caro-Kann Defense | 325 | 208 | 102 | 15 | 64.0% |
| Australian Defense | 278 | 177 | 85 | 16 | 63.7% |
| Modern | 264 | 175 | 78 | 11 | 66.3% |
| Nimzo-Larsen Attack: Classical Variation | 234 | 155 | 68 | 11 | 66.2% |
| Hungarian Opening: Wiedenhagen-Beta Gambit | 211 | 133 | 71 | 7 | 63.0% |
| Amazon Attack | 207 | 136 | 63 | 8 | 65.7% |
| Daily Opening | Games | Wins | Losses | Draws | Win Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| English Opening: Agincourt Defense | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
🔥 Streaks
| Streak | Longest | Current |
|---|---|---|
| Winning | 46 | 0 |
| Losing | 13 | 0 |