Mark Chan FM

Mark Chan - FIDE Master

Mark Chan, who often signs on as Kopi_Siew_Dai, is a FIDE Master with a fondness for fast clocks and dramatic finishes. He mixes marathon blitz strategy with sudden bullet fireworks. If you catch him online late at night, expect long games that end in surprising tactical mayhem and an occasional coffee pun.

Career highlights

• Title: FIDE Master.
• Preferred time control: Bullet, although blitz is where he put in the hours.
• Peak ratings: 2563 (2025-07-03) and 1729 (2024-06-02).
• Streaks: once ran a 14-game winning streak and repeatedly staged impressive comebacks.
• Interactive trend:

Playing style and strengths

Patient in the opening, crafty in the middlegame, and surprisingly venomous in time trouble. Mark has a high comeback rate and prefers full endgames rather than quick draws. He is a grinder who knows when to flip the switch to tactical mode.

• Composure: excellent comeback ability in adverse positions.
• Endgame heavy: plays long decisive battles often lasting 70 or more moves.
• Psychology: best performances tend to come around 21:00 local time.

Favorite openings

Mark keeps a practical, flexible repertoire with some offbeat choices to catch opponents off guard.

• Caro-Kann Defense - trusted choice as Black.
• Amazon Attack and Amazon Attack: Siberian Attack - aggressive plans with counterpunch potential.
• London System: Poisoned Pawn Variation - a quirky pet line he uses both sides of the board.
• Sicilian Defense: Alapin Variation - sharp and practical in blitz.
• Notable success with Czech Defense in blitz play.

Rivals and repeat opponents

Mark thrives on repeat encounters and has several frequent opponents online. Click to view their profiles.

• Giulio Fregonese
• Toomas Valgmae
• Yui Kuen Pang
• b1gbawz97
• Mark Kotliar

Stats snapshot

• Extensive blitz volume with thousands of games and a very strong win record.
• Bullet record is smaller but efficient, reflecting quick tactical skill.
• Tactical resilience: high win rate after losing material and low one-sided loss rate.
• Time patterns: strongest late evening and during night sessions.

Study board and example game

Replay a representative Ruy Lopez that reflects Mark's balance of strategy and timing. Load the PGN below in a viewer.

Replay board:

Example game link: View Game

Fun facts

• Online handle hints at a caffeine ritual before bullet sessions.
• Likes to grind long endgames, then deliver a spicy tactical finish.
• Plays best late in the evening, which is perfect if you enjoy night-time drama.