Sergey Koutsin - International Master Extraordinaire
Meet Sergey Koutsin, the International Master with a flair for fast fingers and sharper tactics. With a FIDE title that commands respect and a blitz rating soaring above 2600, Sergey is the kind of player who doesn’t just play chess — he blitzes through opponents like a grandmaster hurricane.
About Sergey
Sergey earned the prestigious title of International Master, proving he’s no amateur fiddler but a dedicated stormer of the sixty-four squares. His games are a rollercoaster of strategy and speed, boasting a peak bullet rating of 2578 and rapid rating close behind, showing versatility across all time controls.
Playing Style and Strengths
Known for an impressive 80.8% comeback rate, Sergey thrives under pressure — losing material is just a minor setback before the triumphant return. His games often stretch the mental endurance muscles, with an average of nearly 79 moves per win, showing a blend of patience and precision.
If you’re playing Sergey late at night — especially around 1 AM, his prime time — don’t be surprised if your queen mysteriously vanishes and a ‘resignation’ quietly follows. His early resignation rate is barely 0.29%, meaning he fights till the horses have fled the battlefield.
Performance Highlights
- Peak blitz rating: 2633 (April 2025)
- Peak rapid rating: 2575 (April 2023)
- Peak bullet rating: 2578 (July 2024)
Sergey has a knack for domination in bullet chess, boasting a win rate over 62% in this lightning mode, and nearly 46% overall against equally matched blitz opponents. His chess arsenal features a mysterious "Top Secret" opening that he has wielded in over 3500 blitz games—probably hiding sorcery behind that code name.
Recent Battles
As of April 2025, Sergey clinched a memorable victory by forcing resignation in a grueling queen’s pawn opening symmetrical variation. His fighting spirit and strategic depth ensure every game is an epic saga worth watching.
Personality Check
With a tilt factor of 11, Sergey is remarkably calm, especially considering the adrenaline rush of blitz and bullet chess. His psychological resilience means he’s not the kind to rage-quit — but the opponent’s annoying loud move? Beware!
Fun Facts
- Favorite time to play? 1 AM — when the stars align and the pawns tremble.
- Longest winning streak: 18 games — a chess marathon professional.
- Current winning streak: 6 games — hot streak activated!
So next time you queue up against Koutsin, remember: you’re not just playing chess, you're stepping into the arena with a tactical wizard who’s part strategist, part speedster, and all heart. Good luck — you're going to need it!
Sergey, here’s some focused feedback based on your latest blitz session.
What’s already working
- Stable repertoire. 1.d4/ 2.c4 as White and the Nimzo/Queen’s-Indian family as Black give you familiar structures every game – a big practical edge in 3-minute.
- Dynamic pawn play. Your h-/g-pawn storms (e.g. 25-Apr vs. RafaelVaganian) regularly catch opponents off guard.
- Practical endgame skills. The Lucby game shows you can squeeze 0-1 endings under time pressure when the clock cooperates.
1. Clock & Conversion – your main growth lever
Five of the seven recent losses were won-or-equal positions lost on the clock.
• Set a move-15 benchmark: aim to keep ≥1 : 50 left.
• When clearly ahead, simplify immediately (trade queens, cancel complications, start pre-moving checks).
Example: vs. Squad1647 you repeated Bc7 ↔ Bb6 instead of fixing the passed a-pawn and bringing the king; the time burn cost the game.
2. Finishing Technique
Even with a material edge you sometimes “hover” instead of executing a straightforward plan.
- Plan awareness: In rook + pawn endings adopt a two-stage routine – create a passer → activate king.
- Drill suggestion: 20 Lucena/Philidor positions daily this week.
3. Opening micro-tweaks (keep the repertoire, sharpen the details)
| Colour | Moment | Upgrade |
|---|---|---|
| White | Lucby game, move 9 …a5 | Consider 10.c4 c5 ideas instead of b-pawn advance; you keep the tension and seize space without fixing queenside pawns. |
| Black | Kmoch line with g4 (E20) | After 9.g4, test …e5 …Nh7–g5. You punish the over-extended pawn chain faster than in the game where White organised all rooks. |
4. Tactical alertness
Missed chance: vs. Squad1647, 14…Qe8 ! would have pinned the c6-knight and solved coordination.
Daily dose: 3 puzzles ≥2700 rating until solved – insist on full calculation, no intuition glances.
Key patterns to revise: deflection, zwischenzug, back-rank tricks.
5. Weekly action plan
- Play one 10-game blitz streak aiming to finish each game with >15 s.
- Annotate one win + one loss per day – focus on why the position became easier/harder to play.
- Endgame trainer: 20 rook-pawn studies daily (see section 2).
- Puzzle rush survival until 35 each morning to prime tactics.
Your trend at a glance
Peak blitz rating so far: 2633 (2025-04-16)
Model game to revisit
The endgame squeeze versus Lucby is a perfect template for patient play when material is level but the pawn structure favours you.
Keep the momentum!
Your strategic foundation is solid; tightening clock discipline and conversion technique will push you through the next rating band.
🆚 Opponent Insights
| Most Played Opponents | ||
|---|---|---|
| Sandi Stojanovski | 7W / 5L / 1D | View Games |
| eraneraneran1 | 5W / 4L / 1D | View Games |
| l3derman | 2W / 7L / 1D | View Games |
| oferzt | 6W / 4L / 0D | View Games |
| Viktor Parfenov | 6W / 2L / 1D | View Games |
Rating
| Year | Bullet | Blitz | Rapid | Daily |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2628 | |||
| 2024 | 2553 | 2425 | ||
| 2023 | 2418 | 2326 | ||
| 2022 | 2407 | |||
| 2021 | 2466 | |||
| 2020 | 2330 |
Stats by Year
| Year | White | Black | Moves |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 123W / 100L / 24D | 109W / 117L / 20D | 83.2 |
| 2024 | 256W / 204L / 36D | 229W / 237L / 34D | 84.3 |
| 2023 | 236W / 227L / 33D | 206W / 248L / 37D | 82.1 |
| 2022 | 163W / 154L / 21D | 138W / 167L / 31D | 83.3 |
| 2021 | 131W / 122L / 15D | 116W / 142L / 13D | 84.0 |
| 2020 | 6W / 2L / 0D | 6W / 2L / 0D | 71.6 |
Openings: Most Played
| Blitz Opening | Games | Wins | Losses | Draws | Win Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| French Defense | 165 | 72 | 80 | 13 | 43.6% |
| French Defense: Burn Variation | 160 | 70 | 75 | 15 | 43.8% |
| French Defense: Advance Variation | 111 | 64 | 41 | 6 | 57.7% |
| QGD: 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e3 | 99 | 50 | 46 | 3 | 50.5% |
| French Defense: Exchange Variation | 95 | 33 | 50 | 12 | 34.7% |
| Nimzo-Indian Defense: Three Knights Variation, Duchamp Variation | 88 | 44 | 40 | 4 | 50.0% |
| French Defense: MacCutcheon Variation | 84 | 34 | 43 | 7 | 40.5% |
| Slav Defense | 83 | 46 | 32 | 5 | 55.4% |
| King's Indian Defense: Orthodox Variation | 79 | 42 | 34 | 3 | 53.2% |
| Amazon Attack: Siberian Attack | 75 | 37 | 33 | 5 | 49.3% |
| Bullet Opening | Games | Wins | Losses | Draws | Win Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| London System: Poisoned Pawn Variation | 11 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 72.7% |
| French Defense | 10 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 60.0% |
| Australian Defense | 10 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 50.0% |
| French Defense: Exchange Variation | 8 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 62.5% |
| Diemer-Duhm Gambit (DDG): 4...f5 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 62.5% |
| French Defense: Advance Variation | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 66.7% |
| QGD: 3.Nc3 Bb4 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 66.7% |
| French Defense: MacCutcheon Variation | 5 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 20.0% |
| QGD: 4.Bg5 Nbd7 5.e3 c6 6.Nf3 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 50.0% |
| Benoni Defense: Benoni Gambit Accepted | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
| Rapid Opening | Games | Wins | Losses | Draws | Win Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| QGD: 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.0% |
| Sicilian Defense: Alapin Variation | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.0% |
| Benoni Defense | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
| English Opening: Mikenas-Carls Variation | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.0% |
| Benoni Defense: Classical Variation, Czerniak Defense, Tal Line | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
| Nimzo-Indian Defense: Rubinstein System | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.0% |
| French Defense: Burn Variation | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
| Nimzo-Indian Defense: Classical Variation, Berlin Variation, Macieja System | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.0% |
| QGD: Ragozin | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.0% |
| Nimzo-Indian Defense: Sämisch Variation | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.0% |
🔥 Streaks
| Streak | Longest | Current |
|---|---|---|
| Winning | 18 | 6 |
| Losing | 11 | 0 |