Avatar of Sarah Chiang

Sarah Chiang WFM

Username: ShiningFire

Location: Dallas

Playing Since: 2012-06-03 (Active)

Wow Factor: ♟♟♟♟♟

Chess.com

Daily: 1765
53W / 9L / 2D
Rapid: 1918
4W / 1L / 0D
Blitz: 2008
17W / 5L / 1D
Bullet: 2348
19W / 2L / 1D

Sarah Chiang (aka ShiningFire) - Woman FIDE Master

Meet Sarah Chiang, a chess player whose games are as fiery as her username, ShiningFire. Awarded the prestigious title of Woman FIDE Master, Sarah has dazzled the chessboard with her rapid tactical strikes and resilient playstyle.

Rating Journey

Sarah’s chess journey is a story of steady ascension and steep comebacks. Starting out with a humble rapid rating barely breaking 1060 in 2014, she steadily climbed to a peak rapid rating near 1940 by 2021, proving she’s no stranger to dedication and grit. In blitz and bullet formats, Sarah has demonstrated remarkable speed and accuracy, hitting an astonishing bullet peak rating over 2500 in 2021. That’s faster than a speeding pawn and sharper than a queen’s bite!

Playing Style & Personality

Known for a tactical awareness that can unravel an opponent’s plans, Sarah’s games typically end in about 18 moves when she wins—talk about a concise victory speech! Early resignation happens frequently—82.5% of the time—because opponents quickly realize continuing is futile (or maybe Sarah’s just merciless).

Her white pieces boast a strong 79% win rate, while black isn’t far behind at nearly 73%, demonstrating she's comfortable dictating the dance from either side of the board.

Winning Streaks & Opening Secrets

When Sarah hits her groove, watch out: her longest winning streak soared to 23 games. Currently riding a fresh streak of 2 wins, she’s a force to be reckoned with. Her opening repertoire is top secret (shh!), but the numbers speak volumes: an 82% rapid win rate and over 72% blitz wins using her preferred openings — clearly, her opponents are forced into submission early and often.

Psychological Edge

With a tilt factor of just 5, Sarah maintains cool nerves under pressure. Sure, she occasionally loses focus, but rebounds well enough to snag impressive comebacks in over 21% of games after setbacks. Pro tip: don’t throw away pieces early against her—her win rate after losing material remains a sharp 35%, so the fight is far from over!

Fun Facts & Tributes

  • Most played opponent? smalldoggie — with an 87% win rate, sorry “doggie,” Sarah’s got your number!
  • Her favorite hour to dominate: noon (12:00) where her win rate hits a perfect 100%. Maybe a great lunch fuels the brain?
  • She’s conquered countless online foes from “ssangel” to “fondofcheckers” with a near-perfect winning record — 100% in most cases — proving charity on the chessboard is not in her vocabulary.

Whether blitzing past opponents with lightning-fast bullet moves or carefully strategizing in longer matches, Sarah “ShiningFire” Chiang lights up every game with passion, precision, and a healthy dose of chess wizardry. Keep an eye on this rising star — her next move is sure to be brilliant (or at least entertaining)!


Coach Chesswick's Profile Photo
Coach Chesswick

Feedback for Sarah Chiang

Hi Sarah! You've shown strong potential in your recent games with solid opening choices and tactical awareness. Let's break down some key points from your recent play:

Strengths:

  • Opening Preparation: You consistently use reliable openings such as the Queen's Gambit Declined and the Caro-Kann Defense. This has helped you maintain solid positions early on and capitalize on opponent inaccuracies.
  • Piece Activity: You actively develop your pieces and coordinate well, often putting pressure on your opponent’s weaknesses. For example, moves like Ne5 and Qf4 demonstrate your focus on creating tactical threats.
  • Endgame Technique: You have a good sense of transitioning into winning endgames, finishing with checkmates or decisive material gains, as seen in multiple wins by resignation or checkmate.

Areas to Improve:

  • Time Management: In some games, your clock drops significantly during critical moments, which could cause rushed decisions. Practice pacing your moves to maintain consistent time and avoid time pressure pitfalls.
  • Handling Complications: The few losses show moments where tactical awareness slipped, such as overlooking potential threats or missed defensive resources. Try to slow down slightly when the position becomes complex and double-check for opponent’s counterplay.
  • Opening Traps and Move Accuracy: Watch out for early exchanges that could favor your opponent, like when capturing prematurely or allowing them to seize the initiative with a timely counterattack. Continue studying common traps in your favorite openings.

Recommended Focus for Training:

  • Study tactical motifs such as pins, forks, and discovered attacks to sharpen your calculation under pressure.
  • Review your critical loss games, focusing on move-by-move analysis to understand the turning points.
  • Practice endgame scenarios emphasizing king activity and pawn promotion techniques.

Overall, your chess foundation is solid, and with focused practice on time management and tactical vigilance, you’ll continue climbing steadily. Keep analyzing your own games and stay motivated!

Here is your most recent notable win to study further:

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 e6 4. Nf3 Nf6 5. Bg5 Be7 6. e3 a6 7. Bd3 h6 8. Bh4 O-O 9. O-O b5 
10. c5 Nbd7 11. Bc2 Nh7 12. Qd3 f5 13. Bg3 Nhf6 14. Ne5 Nxe5 15. Bxe5 Ne4 16. f3 Nxc3 17. bxc3 
Bd7 18. a4 Be8 19. Ra2 Qc8 20. Rfa1 Qb7 21. e4 fxe4 22. fxe4 g5 23. exd5 Bf6 24. Bd6 Rf7 25. Qg6+ 
Rg7 26. Qxf6 Bh5 27. dxe6 Re8 28. e7 Rgxe7 29. Bxe7 Rxe7 30. Rf1 Rf7 31. Bb3 Qe7 32. Qxe7 1-0
  


🆚 Opponent Insights

Most Played Opponents
smalldoggie 13W / 0L / 2D View Games
chenryplayschess 12W / 0L / 0D View Games
juangabo 9W / 0L / 0D View Games
ebev99 4W / 3L / 0D View Games
thebrokencode 7W / 0L / 0D View Games

Rating

Year Bullet Blitz Rapid Daily
2024 1912 1918
2023 2348 1912 1722
2022 2356 1759 1722 1765
2021 2448 1911 1938 1765
2020 2423 1880 1718 1765
2019 1718
2018 1737 1719 1724
2017 1724
2016 2156 1716
2015 1965
2014 1062 1630
2013 1457 1738
2012 1616
Rating by Year201220132014201520162017201820192020202120222023202424481062YearRatingBulletBlitzRapidDaily

Stats by Year

Year White Black Moves
2024 2W / 0L / 0D 0W / 0L / 0D 57.0
2023 5W / 1L / 0D 3W / 2L / 1D 55.2
2022 31W / 12L / 1D 28W / 18L / 0D 7.4
2021 98W / 22L / 0D 83W / 24L / 0D 2.7
2020 17W / 5L / 0D 20W / 9L / 1D 18.2
2019 1W / 1L / 0D 0W / 0L / 0D 63.5
2018 2W / 1L / 0D 1W / 1L / 0D 37.0
2017 1W / 0L / 0D 0W / 0L / 0D 9.0
2016 14W / 1L / 1D 12W / 1L / 1D 46.2
2015 10W / 0L / 0D 12W / 0L / 0D 53.1
2014 1W / 0L / 0D 0W / 2L / 0D 47.0
2013 7W / 2L / 0D 4W / 2L / 1D 75.4
2012 1W / 0L / 0D 3W / 0L / 0D 54.8

Openings: Most Played

Rapid Opening Games Wins Losses Draws Win Rate
Unknown 8 7 1 0 87.5%
Amazon Attack 4 4 0 0 100.0%
Barnes Opening: Walkerling 4 4 0 0 100.0%
King's Indian Defense: Larsen Variation 2 2 0 0 100.0%
Center Game 2 1 1 0 50.0%
QGD: 2...Bf5 3.cxd5 2 2 0 0 100.0%
Barnes Defense 2 1 1 0 50.0%
Queen's Gambit Declined: Hastings Variation 1 1 0 0 100.0%
Blackburne Shilling Gambit 1 0 0 1 0.0%
QGD: Chigorin, 3.cxd5 1 1 0 0 100.0%
Blitz Opening Games Wins Losses Draws Win Rate
Unknown 314 228 86 0 72.6%
Caro-Kann Defense 7 7 0 0 100.0%
Australian Defense 2 2 0 0 100.0%
Dutch Defense: Queen's Knight Variation 2 1 1 0 50.0%
London System: Poisoned Pawn Variation 1 1 0 0 100.0%
Gruenfeld: 5.Bf4 O-O 6.e3 c5 1 1 0 0 100.0%
Benoni Defense: Benoni Gambit Accepted 1 1 0 0 100.0%
Amazon Attack 1 1 0 0 100.0%
Nimzo-Indian Defense: Three Knights Variation 1 1 0 0 100.0%
Budapest: 3...Ng4 4.e3 1 1 0 0 100.0%
Bullet Opening Games Wins Losses Draws Win Rate
Caro-Kann Defense 3 2 0 1 66.7%
Scandinavian Defense 2 2 0 0 100.0%
Sicilian Defense 2 2 0 0 100.0%
Philidor Defense 2 2 0 0 100.0%
Bishop's Opening: 3.d3 1 1 0 0 100.0%
Caro-Kann Defense: Exchange Variation 1 0 1 0 0.0%
Caro-Kann Defense: Classical Variation 1 0 1 0 0.0%
Benoni Defense: Benoni Gambit Accepted 1 1 0 0 100.0%
Czech Defense 1 1 0 0 100.0%
Elephant Gambit 1 1 0 0 100.0%
Daily Opening Games Wins Losses Draws Win Rate
Four Knights Game 5 4 1 0 80.0%
Amazon Attack 4 4 0 0 100.0%
QGD: Chigorin, 3.cxd5 3 3 0 0 100.0%
Caro-Kann Defense 3 3 0 0 100.0%
London System: Poisoned Pawn Variation 3 2 1 0 66.7%
Döry Defense 3 3 0 0 100.0%
Amazon Attack: Siberian Attack 2 1 1 0 50.0%
QGD: Ragozin 2 2 0 0 100.0%
Sicilian Defense: Closed, Anti-Sveshnikov Variation, Kharlov-Kramnik Line 2 2 0 0 100.0%
Sicilian Defense 2 2 0 0 100.0%

🔥 Streaks

Streak Longest Current
Winning 36 2
Losing 5 0
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