Avatar of Daniel Frempong-Smart

Daniel Frempong-Smart CM

Username: Dani097

Playing Since: 2018-12-30 (Active)

Wow Factor: ♟♟♟♟♟

Chess.com

Daily: 1586
33W / 1L / 0D
Rapid: 2133
53W / 11L / 7D
Blitz: 2126
463W / 384L / 53D
Bullet: 1941
150W / 100L / 9D

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.


Coach Chesswick's Profile Photo
Coach Chesswick

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

  1. 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.
  2. 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:
    1. Am I a tempo ahead of my opponent’s counter-play?
    2. How will I meet a central break (counterplay) like …d5 or …e5?
    3. Is my own king safe — do I have at least two defenders?
    If any answer is “no,” postpone the pawn push and improve pieces first.
  3. 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

01234567891011121314151617181920212223100%0%Hour of Day
 
FridayMondaySaturdaySundayThursdayTuesdayWednesday100%0%Day

Mini-Checklist Before Every Move

  1. What is my opponent’s threat? (Look for checks, captures, Zwischenzug.)
  2. Are any of my pieces undefended?
  3. 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
Rating by Year201820192020202120222023202420252143789YearRatingBulletBlitzRapidDaily

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%

🔥 Streaks

Streak Longest Current
Winning 16 4
Losing 9 0
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