Avatar of Dirk Troltenier

Dirk Troltenier FM

Username: dirk_da_player

Playing Since: 2015-09-28 (Active)

Wow Factor: ♟♟♟♟♟♟

Chess.com

Rapid: 2467
158W / 78L / 36D
Blitz: 2549
23738W / 21156L / 3531D
Bullet: 2148
67W / 26L / 3D

Dirk Troltenier - FIDE Master Extraordinaire

Meet Dirk Troltenier, a FIDE Master whose chessboard exploits could give even the grandmasters a run for their money. Known in the digital chess realm as dirk_da_player, Dirk combines deep strategic prowess with an uncanny ability to bounce back from seemingly lost positions, boasting a remarkable 85.96% comeback rate after losing a piece. If there's tension in the room, Dirk’s calm demeanor surely masks a chess engine at work – their tilt factor is a modest 12, a rare feat in the heat of battle.

Rating and Style

Reaching a peak blitz rating of 2503 in late 2023, Dirk is no speedy beginner. Their rapid rating recently climbed to a staggering 2489, with bullet play hitting an impressive 2148 earlier this year. They prefer to engage in lengthy, tactical endgames (over 81% occurrence), playing an average of ~73 moves per win – clearly a glutton for long, grinding fights where every move is a story.

With a slight advantage wielded when playing White (51.53% win rate) and solid performance with Black (46.83%), Dirk never fails to keep their opponents guessing. Early resignation is rare—just 0.61%—because why quit when you can fight on?

Opening Secrets

Dirk's preferred opening is a well-guarded secret — well, sort of. The Sicilian Defense, Canal Attack offers a tasty treat for opponents, with more than 30 games played and almost 57% win rate. The Philidor Defense also gets a cozy spot in Dirk’s repertoire, yielding a solid 60% win success. One might suspect a bag of tricks tucked under Dirk's sleeves, but no direct peeking allowed!

Records and Rivalries

With over 46,000 blitz games under the belt, Dirk has won more than 23,158 of them—plenty of pieces have fallen victim to their strategic mind. They enjoy a competitive edge especially against opponents with slightly lower ratings, boasting a 61.4% win rate when playing the underdog. Yet, the challenge of equal or higher-rated opponents remains a true test of mettle, with approximately a 42% win rate against equals and a humbling 30% win against stronger foes.

Notably, Dirk has tangled frequently with some opponents like "knyaz13" and "fastfaun", keeping friendships alive with scorecards that tell stories of chess drama.

The Psychological Gambit

You'll find Dirk’s best hours on the clock tend to be in the early morning around 4 AM, the time where brilliance meets tranquility. Draws and wins happen often, but a word of caution to competitors: Dirk’s come-from-behind genius can flip the board at any moment.

Most Recent Battles

Recently, Dirk dazzled the crowd with a brutal checkmate victory using the Sicilian Defense, Canal Attack, finishing with striking precision and a flourish. Of course, no career is without its setbacks—Dirk knows the sting of defeat, the latest coming at the hands of "Independiente2023", but even in loss lies wisdom.

Fun Fact

If Dirk had a motto off the board, it might be: "Why resign early when you can annoy your opponent with brilliant comebacks and a sarcastic smile?"


Coach's Avatar

What went well in your recent blitz games

You demonstrated sharp tactical vision and a willingness to seize the initiative when the position allowed it. In your winning game, you pursued a forcing sequence that opened lines against your opponent’s king and capitalized on exchanges to reach a favorable endgame. You also kept your pieces active—using rooks on open files and coordinating your queen and minor pieces effectively to create and convert threats.

  • Calculated, forcing ideas when your opponent exposed their king
  • Active piece placement and pressure on key files and squares
  • Strong conversion after winning material, transitioning into a winning rook endgame

Key areas to improve

  • Time management in blitz: your recent losses and draws suggest you can drift into time trouble. Build a simple two-tier plan for each game: quick safety checks in the opening, then decisive, focused calculations in the middlegame, while reserving a comfortable amount of time for the endgame when it arises.
  • Endgame technique: several long games ended in rook-and-pawn endings or complex rook endings. Practice standard rook endgames (rook behind a passed pawn, active king, and knowing when to simplify) to convert more of these games into wins or draws.
  • Define a clear middlegame plan after the opening: after seeing frequent exchanges, identify a concrete plan (target a specific pawn break, open a file, or create a passed pawn) within the first 20–25 moves. If the plan isn’t feasible, aim to simplify to a familiar endgame rather than chasing a unclear initiative.
  • Opening specialization: pick 1–2 openings to study deeply for blitz. Knowing typical middlegame plans and common pitfalls for those lines will reduce decision fatigue and improve consistency under time pressure.

Training plan for the coming days

  • Daily: 15–20 minutes of tactical puzzles focused on forcing lines and precise calculation in the middlegame
  • Endgames: 3 sessions this week on rook endgames and common rook-pawn endings
  • Opening study: choose 1–2 lines from your blitz repertoire (for example, the Philidor/Canal setups and the Sicilian Canal Attack) and review typical middlegame plans and typical mistakes you may face
  • Time management drill: play blitz with a timer and after each game review where you spent the most time; create a plan to speed up those decision points in future games

Optional quick replay of the notable win

If you’d like, you can view a quick replay of the highlighted win to study the tactical sequence and transitions into the endgame.




🆚 Opponent Insights

Recent Opponents
average_guy25 1W / 0L / 1D
L3tsR0ck 1W / 1L / 0D
Mikey Groves 2W / 4L / 0D
Seth Rose 3W / 3L / 1D
you-very-good-player 0W / 1L / 0D
milutin14 5W / 3L / 1D
maetsnori 1W / 0L / 0D
salvadorg03 3W / 1L / 0D
ewen2010 0W / 1L / 0D
kniki 1W / 9L / 2D
Most Played Opponents
Knyaz13 31W / 31L / 5D
fastfaun 25W / 32L / 6D
Jura Ochkoos 29W / 31L / 3D
Daniel Teidi Awoki 19W / 27L / 14D
Eduardo Ortiz 36W / 21L / 3D

Rating

Year Bullet Blitz Rapid Daily
2025 2411 2467 400
2024 2148 2375 2343
2023 2290 2328
2022 2047 2320 2270
2021 1765 2320
2020 2273
2019 2176
2018 2205
2017 2217
2016 2171
2015 2011
Rating by Year2015201620172018201920202021202220232024202524671765YearRatingBulletBlitzRapid

Stats by Year

Year White Black Moves
2025 798W / 700L / 129D 750W / 734L / 147D 79.3
2024 1059W / 922L / 178D 998W / 995L / 170D 79.7
2023 902W / 834L / 185D 899W / 836L / 170D 80.1
2022 1804W / 1251L / 311D 1505W / 1507L / 302D 79.4
2021 1935W / 1426L / 358D 1772W / 1640L / 302D 80.6
2020 1413W / 1020L / 185D 1202W / 1235L / 157D 77.7
2019 1012W / 779L / 112D 914W / 894L / 119D 76.8
2018 1200W / 1022L / 127D 1036W / 1160L / 144D 76.7
2017 1090W / 919L / 103D 1018W / 991L / 117D 76.8
2016 1017W / 875L / 104D 956W / 911L / 103D 77.6
2015 193W / 166L / 19D 187W / 179L / 15D 71.2

Openings: Most Played

Blitz Opening Games Wins Losses Draws Win Rate
Philidor Defense 7655 3730 3369 556 48.7%
Sicilian Defense: Alapin Variation 5819 3191 2169 459 54.8%
Czech Defense 1632 824 703 105 50.5%
Blackburne Shilling Gambit 1538 761 668 109 49.5%
Caro-Kann Defense: Exchange Variation 1337 696 519 122 52.1%
Scandinavian Defense 1277 673 529 75 52.7%
French Defense 1028 502 458 68 48.8%
Barnes Defense 869 425 388 56 48.9%
Caro-Kann Defense: Panov Attack 745 394 286 65 52.9%
Amazon Attack: Siberian Attack 744 360 332 52 48.4%
Rapid Opening Games Wins Losses Draws Win Rate
Philidor Defense 63 36 21 6 57.1%
Sicilian Defense: Alapin Variation 22 10 8 4 45.5%
Caro-Kann Defense: Exchange Variation 12 7 1 4 58.3%
Scandinavian Defense 11 6 5 0 54.5%
Amazon Attack 9 6 1 2 66.7%
London System: Poisoned Pawn Variation 7 4 1 2 57.1%
Blackburne Shilling Gambit 7 6 1 0 85.7%
French Defense: Advance Variation 7 6 1 0 85.7%
Giuoco Piano: Tarrasch Variation 5 2 3 0 40.0%
Czech Defense 5 3 2 0 60.0%
Bullet Opening Games Wins Losses Draws Win Rate
Philidor Defense 10 7 3 0 70.0%
Blackburne Shilling Gambit 8 5 3 0 62.5%
Sicilian Defense: Alapin Variation 8 7 1 0 87.5%
Scandinavian Defense 6 4 2 0 66.7%
Caro-Kann Defense: Exchange Variation 4 2 2 0 50.0%
Nimzo-Larsen Attack 3 1 2 0 33.3%
London System: Poisoned Pawn Variation 3 1 2 0 33.3%
Modern Defense: Pterodactyl Variation 3 1 1 1 33.3%
French Defense: Advance Variation 3 2 1 0 66.7%
Barnes Defense 2 2 0 0 100.0%
Daily Opening Games Wins Losses Draws Win Rate
French Defense: Exchange Variation 1 0 1 0 0.0%
Scandinavian Defense 1 0 1 0 0.0%
French Defense 1 0 1 0 0.0%

🔥 Streaks

Streak Longest Current
Winning 16 2
Losing 12 0