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?"
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 |
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 |