Daniel Frempong-Smart (Dani097) - Candidate Master
Daniel Frempong-Smart, known online as Dani097, is a chess player whose journey through the 64 squares has been equal parts thrilling and tenacious. Awarded the prestigious Candidate Master title by FIDE, Daniel’s chess career is marked by a steady rise in rating, a knack for tactical comebacks, and a surprisingly impressive winning streak that would make even the toughest grandmasters blink.
A Rise Through the Ranks
Starting in 2018 with a modest blitz rating of 965, Daniel’s rating skyrocketed through the years, smashing into the 2000s and beyond by 2025. Daniel has proven to be versatile, competing in various time controls including blitz, rapid, bullet, and daily games. By 2025, he boasts rapid ratings above 2100 and blitz ratings pushing past 2090, showing that speed and strategy can happily coexist.
Strengths & Style
What sets Daniel apart is a tactical awareness that borders on chess wizardry. With a comeback rate near 84% and a perfect win rate after losing a piece, opponents beware! Early resignation is rare—only about 1.4%—because Dani fights to the bitter end. The average game might last around 70 moves, meaning the battle usually goes late into the endgame arena, where Daniel truly shines, playing endgames with frequency (74%) that few can match.
Not Just All Work
In the psychological arena, Daniel admits to a tilt factor of 5—yes, even Candidate Masters have their off moments. What's more, his rated games sometimes offer a challenge compared to casual ones, but the thrill is all in the game. When it’s game time, Daniel shines brightest in the evening hours, posting win rates as high as 72% at 4 AM and a beaming 67.86% around 9 PM—definitely a night owl’s advantage.
Opening Secrets & Rivalries
Though “Top Secret” may be the name of Daniel’s favorite opening, it’s no secret that it works—winning over 55% of games in blitz and even better in faster formats. Daniel’s most-played opponents, including “jrdhunks” and “moremike,” have been tough battles, but Dani maintains a respectable edge, winning over 50% against them.
Fun Facts
- Longest winning streak: 16 games — apparently, once Dani starts winning, it's hard to stop!
- Known for crushing it late night: 72.73% win rate at the odd hour of 4 AM.
- Has a 100% win rate after losing a piece; call it the comeback kid effect.
- Despite the chess prowess, Dani’s black pieces win a spectacular 57.09% of games—a true master of the dark side.
Daniel Frempong-Smart reminds us that chess is not just a game, but a marathon of strategy, resilience, and a pinch of midnight magic.
Hi Daniel!
Great work climbing toward —your recent games show fighting spirit and strong tactical vision. Below is some targeted feedback to help you convert even more of your good positions into points.
Your Key Strengths
- Dynamic tactical awareness. In wins such as berlinorc – Dani097 you calculated long forcing lines (…Qh3+!) with confidence.
- Counter-punching as Black vs 1.d4. The …Bf5 setups you use against the London/Jobava score well and give you activity early.
- Piece activity over material. Multiple wins feature correct decisions to return material for the initiative—keep nurturing this instinct.
Biggest Improvement Targets
- Time Management
Four of the six recent losses were on the clock. Adopt a simple “time budget”:- First 10 moves: play on intuition, keep ≥ 75 % of your initial time.
- Middle game: pause every 5 moves for a 3-second blunder-check (king safety, loose pieces, unguarded back rank).
- Critical positions: invest up to 30 % of remaining time—better to find the right move once than blitz three inaccuracies.
- Pawn-storm discipline
In the Najdorf loss you pushed g4–h4–g5–h5 without your pieces cooperating, allowing …b5/…Rc8 hits on your king. Try this mental checklist before pawn storms:- Am I a tempo ahead of my opponent’s counter-play?
- How will I meet a central break (counterplay) like …d5 or …e5?
- Is my own king safe — do I have at least two defenders?
- Endgame conversion vs. technical opposition
In several wins you were up material but still needed the opponent to blunder or flag. Convert faster by remembering:- Activate the king as soon as queens come off.
- Simplify when up ≥ 2 pawns; trade rooks with a safe king.
- Solve 3 pawn-up rook endgames daily (Chess.com “Advanced Endgames” → filter).
Opening Tweaks
| As White | As Black |
|---|---|
|
• Keep the sharp Sicilian 6.Bg5 line, but replace the early pawn storm with the English Attack plan: Be3–f3–Qd2–0-0-0. • Against 1…e5, your Scotch Four Knights idea (4.d4) scored well—review the main line after 4…exd4 5.Nxd4. |
• Continue 1…Nf6 → …d5 vs d4; add the flexible Triangle-Slav (…d5 …e6 …c6) to avoid early Bf4 set-ups. • Versus 1.e4, consider adding the solid Caro-Kann (1…c6) so opponents can’t steer you into forced Najdorf theory. |
Training Plan (4-Week Sample)
- Mon–Fri: 20 min tactics (rating ≥ +200 of yours), 15 min annotated master game in one of your openings.
- Sat: Play a 15|10 game, annotate immediately, then compare with engine.
- Sun: Endgame study (king-and-pawn & rook endings) + physical break—fresh mind helps blitz performance.
Progress Tracking
Mini-Checklist Before Every Move
- What is my opponent’s threat? (Look for checks, captures, Zwischenzug.)
- Are any of my pieces undefended?
- Which candidate moves change the position most? Calculate those first.
Inspirational Game Fragment
Your precise finish vs berlinorc is worth memorising:
Apply the ideas above, and I’m confident you’ll push past the 2200 barrier soon. Keep the fighting spirit alive, and good luck in your next session!
🆚 Opponent Insights
| Recent Opponents | ||
|---|---|---|
| calvin_kasparov | 1W / 0L / 0D | View |
| braanaa | 1W / 0L / 0D | View |
| dani_pluh | 1W / 0L / 0D | View |
| nickproffitt91 | 1W / 0L / 0D | View |
| indian_fair_chess | 0W / 0L / 1D | View |
| cucumber518 | 0W / 1L / 0D | View |
| kiyo_geer | 1W / 0L / 0D | View |
| jantopolsky | 1W / 0L / 0D | View |
| diazarel | 1W / 0L / 0D | View |
| whataboutthisreally | 1W / 0L / 0D | View |
| Most Played Opponents | ||
|---|---|---|
| jrdhunks | 3W / 3L / 1D | View Games |
| moremike | 4W / 2L / 1D | View Games |
| Sunwoo Park | 5W / 1L / 1D | View Games |
| xaviopen1999 | 3W / 4L / 0D | View Games |
| merse06 | 2W / 3L / 1D | View Games |
Rating
| Year | Bullet | Blitz | Rapid | Daily |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1895 | 2105 | 2143 | 1485 |
| 2024 | 1618 | 2008 | ||
| 2023 | 1449 | 1868 | 1933 | 789 |
| 2022 | 1332 | 1830 | 1930 | 1200 |
| 2021 | 1665 | |||
| 2020 | 881 | 1560 | 1696 | |
| 2019 | 1127 | 1191 | 1183 | |
| 2018 | 965 |
Stats by Year
| Year | White | Black | Moves |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 150W / 111L / 20D | 145W / 119L / 20D | 74.9 |
| 2024 | 41W / 25L / 3D | 39W / 27L / 4D | 69.8 |
| 2023 | 16W / 10L / 2D | 18W / 12L / 0D | 69.6 |
| 2022 | 51W / 34L / 6D | 54W / 33L / 6D | 74.7 |
| 2021 | 8W / 2L / 0D | 12W / 2L / 0D | 55.2 |
| 2020 | 42W / 28L / 5D | 50W / 24L / 1D | 65.0 |
| 2019 | 28W / 19L / 0D | 24W / 25L / 1D | 69.8 |
| 2018 | 0W / 1L / 0D | 0W / 0L / 0D | 46.0 |
Openings: Most Played
| Blitz Opening | Games | Wins | Losses | Draws | Win Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scandinavian Defense | 108 | 66 | 39 | 3 | 61.1% |
| London System: Poisoned Pawn Variation | 41 | 15 | 22 | 4 | 36.6% |
| Amazon Attack | 41 | 21 | 17 | 3 | 51.2% |
| Alekhine Defense | 39 | 21 | 18 | 0 | 53.9% |
| Australian Defense | 22 | 13 | 7 | 2 | 59.1% |
| Sicilian Defense | 19 | 9 | 8 | 2 | 47.4% |
| Amazon Attack: Siberian Attack | 19 | 9 | 6 | 4 | 47.4% |
| Sicilian Defense: Closed | 18 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 44.4% |
| French Defense | 16 | 10 | 5 | 1 | 62.5% |
| Blackburne Shilling Gambit | 15 | 8 | 7 | 0 | 53.3% |
| Rapid Opening | Games | Wins | Losses | Draws | Win Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scandinavian Defense | 21 | 16 | 2 | 3 | 76.2% |
| London System: Poisoned Pawn Variation | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
| Amazon Attack | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 66.7% |
| King's Indian Attack: French Variation | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
| Unknown Opening* | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0.0% |
| Philidor Defense | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
| Barnes Defense | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
| Blackburne Shilling Gambit | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
| Four Knights Game | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0.0% |
| Giuoco Piano: Tarrasch Variation | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
| Bullet Opening | Games | Wins | Losses | Draws | Win Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scandinavian Defense | 51 | 34 | 14 | 3 | 66.7% |
| Hungarian Opening: Wiedenhagen-Beta Gambit | 17 | 11 | 5 | 1 | 64.7% |
| Colle System: Rhamphorhynchus Variation | 16 | 8 | 8 | 0 | 50.0% |
| London System: Poisoned Pawn Variation | 16 | 9 | 7 | 0 | 56.2% |
| Alekhine Defense | 15 | 11 | 4 | 0 | 73.3% |
| Amar Gambit | 11 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 72.7% |
| King's Indian Attack: French Variation | 10 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 80.0% |
| Amazon Attack | 7 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 42.9% |
| Döry Defense | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 80.0% |
| King's Indian Attack | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 80.0% |
| Daily Opening | Games | Wins | Losses | Draws | Win Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| London System: Poisoned Pawn Variation | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
| Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Fegatello Attack, Leonhardt Variation | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
| Sicilian Defense: Closed | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
| Sicilian Defense | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
| Amazon Attack | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
| Hungarian Opening: Wiedenhagen-Beta Gambit | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
| Nimzo-Larsen Attack | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
| Sicilian Defense: Sozin Attack | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
| Nimzo-Indian Defense: Three Knights Variation, Duchamp Variation | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
| Queen's Indian Defense: Averbakh Variation | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
🔥 Streaks
| Streak | Longest | Current |
|---|---|---|
| Winning | 16 | 4 |
| Losing | 9 | 0 |