Thomas Diem (icychess54) - National Master Extraordinaire
Meet Thomas Diem, affectionately known by the chessboard marauders as icychess54. This National Master isn't just your average player—oh no! Thomas is the cunning fox of the opening, the relentless storm of blitz, and the resilient tactician even when the board looks bleak.
With a peak blitz rating nearing the mythical 2500 mark (2488 in September 2024), Thomas has battled thousands of opponents in the lightning-fast arenas of bullet and blitz chess, boasting over 10,800 blitz wins—because giving up isn't in their vocabulary. Their love for the game is evident in over 20,000 blitz games played, demonstrating stamina that could tire out a cheetah on caffeine!
Style & Strengths
Known for an 81% comeback rate after losing material, Thomas resembles a phoenix rising from ashes—always ready to turn a grim position into a tale of triumph. Their endgame expertise shines with a 75% endgame frequency, showing a penchant for grinding down opponents in the final phases. And let's not forget the infamous early resignation rate at a humble ~5%, proving Thomas would rather fight to the last pawn than concede prematurely (except when microwaves beep).
Opening Repertoire Highlights
- Blitz favorite: “Top Secret”—a mysterious and highly effective strategy with a winning rate above 51% over 20,700 games.
- Typed moves: Reti's kingside fianchetto, English Opening variations, and the Sicilian Defense make frequent appearances in Thomas’ tactical toolbox.
- Bullet highlights: English Opening Anglo Scandinavian and Old Benoni defenses, both wielded with a 75-100% win rate in deadly rapid-fire games.
Chess Personality Snapshot
Thomas prefers the quiet of the early morning—or around 3 AM—to unleash brilliance (which fits well with nocturnal caffeine habits). Their psychological resilience is notable, with a tilt factor of just 32 (so it’s safe to say they won’t be tossing the board any time soon).
If you catch Thomas playing between midnight and 4 AM, beware! Their win rate at that hour is impressively high, crushing dreams and castles alike.
Latest Brilliance on the Board
Recently, Thomas turned up the heat in a daring duel against GMChessBoxxer, sealing victory by resignation with a sharp and precise 48-move sequence in the Grünfeld Defense Burille Variation. The game combined strategic positional play and tactical fireworks—proving Thomas’ title is well-earned and their appetite for challenges insatiable.
Always pushing boundaries and exploring new ideas, Thomas Diem continues to be a formidable contender and a beloved member of the online chess community—ready to catch you unawares faster than you can say “checkmate.”
In the kingdom of 64 squares, Thomas reigns supreme.
What stands out in your blitz play
You show strong practical play under time pressure and keep the game dynamic when you have the initiative. You tend to press when you can create multiple threats and don’t shy away from sharp lines. Your willingness to complicate the position can unsettle opponents and turn chances into wins in blitz.
- Active, aggressive piece engagement that tests your opponent’s defenses.
- Solid willingness to take calculated risks when the position demands it.
- Ability to create counterplay even from cramped or uncertain middlegame positions.
Key areas to sharpen for even stronger blitz results
- Time management: develop a quick, repeatable thinking process for each move. Identify your main threat, the forcing continuation, and a safe simplifying plan if you’re under pressure.
- Focused calculation in cluttered positions: practice patterns that appear often in blitz (tactical motifs, forcing sequences, and common recaptures) so you can decide faster with confidence.
- Endgame technique in blitz: strengthen rook and king activity endings, especially when material is near equal or when you’re trying to convert a small edge.
- Opening discipline: commit to a compact, reliable opening repertoire for blitz with clear middlegame plans. This reduces mental load when time is tight and helps you avoid risky deviations.
Practical plan for the next two weeks
- Daily 15 minutes of tactics focused on common blitz motifs (forks, pins, skewers, back-rank patterns) to improve pattern recognition under pressure.
- Three short endgames per week (10–15 minutes each) concentrating on rook endings and king activity with practical pawn structures.
- Openings: select 2–3 White setups and 2–3 Black responses to solidify a simple, repeatable plan you can execute quickly in blitz.
- Post-game review: after each blitz session, write one concrete takeaway and one thing you would do differently next game.
Leveraging your rating trend
Your recent results show some fluctuation month-to-month, but longer-term trends are positive. Use this as motivation to lock in your routine for blitz work: consistent practice, targeted tactics, and a steady opening plan. This combination tends to translate into steadier performance in fast time controls.
Want a targeted game-by-game review?
I can annotate your latest blitz games move by move, focusing on decision points, time management, and practical improvements. If you share specific PGNs or want me to pick out moments from the games you provided earlier, I’ll deliver actionable feedback you can apply right away.
🆚 Opponent Insights
| Recent Opponents | ||
|---|---|---|
| ginseng0904 | 2W / 2L / 0D | View |
| uthmangoat | 1W / 0L / 0D | View |
| l0t1on | 1W / 1L / 0D | View |
| 8-luffy | 3W / 1L / 0D | View |
| juriko | 0W / 1L / 0D | View |
| steinerchess08 | 0W / 2L / 0D | View |
| elcafeteroox | 0W / 1L / 1D | View |
| kniki | 1W / 0L / 0D | View |
| frenchretreat | 1W / 0L / 0D | View |
| sound_of_wheels | 3W / 3L / 0D | View |
| Most Played Opponents | ||
|---|---|---|
| elchacal664 | 77W / 136L / 15D | View Games |
| crispichess99 | 88W / 95L / 11D | View Games |
| dubovsshadow | 69W / 55L / 7D | View Games |
| sleepchesstj | 41W / 40L / 3D | View Games |
| Maurice Ashley | 25W / 32L / 0D | View Games |
Rating
| Year | Bullet | Blitz | Rapid | Daily |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2123 | 2433 | ||
| 2024 | 1870 | 2235 | ||
| 2023 | 2178 | 2208 | ||
| 2022 | 2049 | 2256 | 1884 | |
| 2021 | 2169 | 2305 | ||
| 2020 | 2214 | 2178 | ||
| 2019 | 2102 | 2075 | 1884 | |
| 2018 | 2113 | 2148 | 2014 | |
| 2017 | 2100 | 1990 | 1893 |
Stats by Year
| Year | White | Black | Moves |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 997W / 782L / 111D | 951W / 826L / 116D | 80.1 |
| 2024 | 480W / 317L / 66D | 408W / 403L / 52D | 77.5 |
| 2023 | 317W / 265L / 30D | 300W / 270L / 29D | 74.0 |
| 2022 | 413W / 295L / 38D | 353W / 348L / 45D | 74.9 |
| 2021 | 779W / 592L / 85D | 690W / 680L / 68D | 77.8 |
| 2020 | 1155W / 847L / 125D | 1042W / 983L / 105D | 73.6 |
| 2019 | 922W / 685L / 88D | 829W / 780L / 67D | 68.3 |
| 2018 | 1381W / 1054L / 95D | 1249W / 1209L / 110D | 68.7 |
| 2017 | 845W / 637L / 104D | 796W / 707L / 78D | 76.0 |
Openings: Most Played
| Blitz Opening | Games | Wins | Losses | Draws | Win Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colle System: Rhamphorhynchus Variation | 1713 | 913 | 689 | 111 | 53.3% |
| English Opening: Caro-Kann Defensive System | 1248 | 629 | 548 | 71 | 50.4% |
| English Opening: Agincourt Defense | 1148 | 592 | 474 | 82 | 51.6% |
| English Opening: Four Knights System, Nimzowitsch Variation | 1038 | 553 | 428 | 57 | 53.3% |
| English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Fianchetto Variation | 1031 | 542 | 414 | 75 | 52.6% |
| Unknown | 967 | 536 | 430 | 1 | 55.4% |
| Sicilian Defense | 891 | 443 | 394 | 54 | 49.7% |
| English Opening | 804 | 456 | 308 | 40 | 56.7% |
| Amar Gambit | 705 | 369 | 302 | 34 | 52.3% |
| Sicilian Defense: Alapin Variation | 638 | 282 | 314 | 42 | 44.2% |
| Bullet Opening | Games | Wins | Losses | Draws | Win Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amar Gambit | 337 | 187 | 144 | 6 | 55.5% |
| Colle System: Rhamphorhynchus Variation | 260 | 151 | 95 | 14 | 58.1% |
| Caro-Kann Defense | 213 | 110 | 94 | 9 | 51.6% |
| English Opening: Caro-Kann Defensive System | 166 | 86 | 73 | 7 | 51.8% |
| English Opening | 163 | 88 | 66 | 9 | 54.0% |
| English Opening: Agincourt Defense | 162 | 99 | 57 | 6 | 61.1% |
| Barnes Defense | 89 | 58 | 30 | 1 | 65.2% |
| London System: Poisoned Pawn Variation | 78 | 43 | 30 | 5 | 55.1% |
| English Opening: Symmetrical Variation | 75 | 42 | 33 | 0 | 56.0% |
| Caro-Kann Defense: Exchange Variation | 72 | 41 | 27 | 4 | 56.9% |
| Rapid Opening | Games | Wins | Losses | Draws | Win Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barnes Defense | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 33.3% |
| Sicilian Defense | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 33.3% |
| Sicilian Defense: Closed | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
| Amazon Attack: Siberian Attack | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0.0% |
| London System: Poisoned Pawn Variation | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
| English Opening: Four Knights System, Nimzowitsch Variation | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
| English Opening | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 50.0% |
| QGD: 4.Bg5 Nbd7 5.e3 c6 6.Nf3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
| English Opening: Carls-Bremen System | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
🔥 Streaks
| Streak | Longest | Current |
|---|---|---|
| Winning | 26 | 0 |
| Losing | 32 | 1 |