Grandmaster Shyam Sundar
Known in chess circles simply as shyam, Shyam Sundar is a Grandmaster who has danced gracefully through the ranks of competitive chess, leaving opponents scratching their heads and occasionally flipping their boards in disbelief.
Rating Journey and Playstyle
From humble beginnings with a blitz rating barely over 1300 in late 2017, Shyam skyrocketed to an awe-inspiring peak blitz rating of 2929 in September 2020 — a number that ventures well beyond the mythical 2800 club! Bullet play isn't far behind: topping out at 2834, proving that whether it's a lightning-fast bullet or a thoughtful rapid game, Shyam is a force to be reckoned with.
While known for precision, Shyam combines a tactical genius with remarkable psychological resilience, boasting a comeback rate over 89% and a win rate after losing a piece of nearly 52%. Those who underestimate shyam after snatching a piece do so at their own peril.
Statistics & Records
- Total blitz games: 2185, with a healthy win rate of 53.3%
- Bullet mastery: 218 games with an even more impressive win rate near 60%
- A somewhat curious zero wins in daily chess, proving that Shyam likes to keep the daily matches mundane while the real fireworks happen at faster time controls.
Playing Style in a Nutshell
Shyam’s games tend to stretch long and deep — averaging around 85 moves per game — so don’t expect to catch him quick-flagging opponents. Endgame accuracy is a trademark with over 85% frequency, and early resignations are kept to a strict minimum (just about 1%). He favors grinding down opponents with steady pressure rather than flashy sacrifices (though don't be fooled — when Shyam does unleash tactics, they sting!).
Oddities & Quirks
Fun fact: Shyam's best time to strike isn’t during boring office hours, but at the witching hour around 11 PM, where many suspect caffeine and sheer willpower combine to conjure brilliant moves. Also, his longest winning streak clocks at an impressive 23 games — imagine that kind of heat on the chessboard!
Recent Highlight
In a recent clash against Bykov Egor, playing a sharp Sicilian Defense (Taimanov variation), Shyam showcased his trademark strategic prowess and tactical sharpness, forcing resignation after 33 moves. You can revisit the thrilling sequence here.
Rivals & Opponents
Shyam fiercely competes against notable frequent opponents like fghsmn (24 games) and nrvisakh (23 games), often edging out victories. Interestingly, shakiness against a few opponents remains — like a tiny Achilles' heel — but it only adds to the human drama behind the titles.
Legacy
Grandmaster Shyam Sundar is not just a player; he’s a brand of chess excellence blending endurance, brainpower, and a pinch of midnight madness. Opponents beware: whether it’s blitz, bullet, or rapid, shyam’s intricate “Top Secret” opening repertoire means his next move will always keep you guessing — and likely, second-guessing.
Overview
Your recent blitz results show an impressive tactical eye and the courage to enter double-edged positions. With a current peak of you are already competing at master level. The two charts below confirm that you score best during specific hours and days—use this data to schedule rated sessions when you are freshest.
What already works
- Dynamic pawn breaks. In the Sicilian win against Egor Bykov you timed …d5 perfectly, activating every piece and forcing resignation within five moves.
- Piece activity over material. Your Chigorin victory featured the thematic …g5 and …Ba6 exchange sacrifice, showing excellent understanding of initiative.
- Practical calculation. Under extreme time pressure you still found the forcing sequence …Rd1+ and …Rc1+ to finish endgames swiftly.
Recurring issues & fixes
- Clock management. Five of the last seven losses were on time (e.g. versus trainningac and Ranindu Dilshan Liyanage), often from level or better positions.
Fix: Adopt a 30-20-10 rule (≥30 s after the opening, ≥20 s entering an endgame, ≥10 s for conversion). Drill 10-second tactic sprints and play winning rook-endgames against an engine starting from 20 s each. - Spanish structures with Black. Against Oliver Dimakiling you followed …Kh8, …Nd8, …c6, giving White a free hand in the centre and weakening dark squares with …f6.
Fix: Switch to the modern line 9…Re8 10.Re1 Bf8 or study the “Spanish Hedgehog” plan (…b5, …Bb7, …c5). - Over-extension in Trompowsky/London setups. Games versus Takao2020 and TrainningAc show early pawn storms (f4-g4-h4) before king safety was ensured.
Fix: Delay Bxf6 until Black commits to …h6 and avoid pushing both g- and h-pawns unless a concrete tactic exists. - Endgame technique. The rook-plus-pawns win against Irakli Beradze required 50+ moves and almost flagged. Cleaner paths (e.g. outside passed a-pawn) were available.
Fix: Review 20 basic rook endings from Dvoretsky and play themed endgame sparring sessions.
Opening snapshot
- Black vs 1.e4: Sicilian Taimanov & Berlin sidelines.
- Black vs 1.d4/Nf3: Chigorin-style QP systems.
- White: Trompowsky, Réti. —Adding one main-line choice (Catalan with White or Classical Sicilian with Black) would reduce prep variance.
Study positions for the week
- Loss vs chargemax23: after 22.Ne5 Nf4? — find why 22…f6! equalises.
- Loss vs TrainningAc: after 28…Rxd4 — calculate the defensive resource you missed.
- Win vs Bykov_Egor: after 17…d5! — analyse how every Black piece springs to life.
Action plan
- Play three 15|10 games focusing solely on clock discipline; self-annotate.
- Solve 50 tactics featuring double-attacks and back-rank motifs.
- Create a one-page Berlin Defence file and review before each rated session.
Keep the dynamic style but tighten time usage and positional patience. Once these areas improve, surpassing your current is well within reach.
🆚 Opponent Insights
| Recent Opponents | ||
|---|---|---|
| Gunnar Andersen | 1W / 0L / 0D | |
| BSWPaulsen | 5W / 1L / 0D | |
| icecreamiscream | 0W / 2L / 1D | |
| Angel Jesus Marquez Ruiz | 1W / 0L / 0D | |
| Shaaketh Sivakumar | 2W / 0L / 0D | |
| Most Played Opponents | ||
|---|---|---|
| Bharath Subramaniyam.H Harishankkar | 8W / 14L / 2D | |
| Visakh NR | 6W / 13L / 4D | |
| amazing456 | 10W / 8L / 4D | |
| Eric Lobron | 5W / 4L / 3D | |
| Safal Bora | 3W / 6L / 3D | |
Rating
| Year | Bullet | Blitz | Rapid | Daily |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2736 | 2790 | ||
| 2024 | 2694 | 2851 | 2473 | |
| 2023 | 2702 | 2675 | 2468 | |
| 2022 | 2705 | 2686 | 2365 | |
| 2021 | 2670 | 2643 | ||
| 2020 | 2818 | 2735 | 2151 | |
| 2019 | 2624 | 2732 | ||
| 2018 | 2553 | 2624 | 800 | |
| 2017 | 2205 | 2539 | ||
| 2016 | 1905 | |||
| 2014 | 1477 | 1200 |
Stats by Year
| Year | White | Black | Moves |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 25W / 21L / 3D | 23W / 18L / 3D | 91.1 |
| 2024 | 106W / 65L / 21D | 104W / 69L / 18D | 94.0 |
| 2023 | 87W / 52L / 8D | 85W / 59L / 8D | 86.2 |
| 2022 | 43W / 22L / 7D | 35W / 33L / 6D | 90.2 |
| 2021 | 27W / 30L / 7D | 27W / 26L / 7D | 90.1 |
| 2020 | 152W / 96L / 34D | 119W / 127L / 26D | 87.8 |
| 2019 | 113W / 80L / 23D | 96W / 100L / 16D | 85.1 |
| 2018 | 79W / 70L / 10D | 92W / 64L / 9D | 85.5 |
| 2017 | 68W / 22L / 5D | 66W / 28L / 3D | 83.9 |
| 2016 | 4W / 0L / 0D | 4W / 0L / 0D | 67.2 |
| 2014 | 3W / 1L / 0D | 2W / 1L / 0D | 34.1 |
Openings: Most Played
| Blitz Opening | Games | Wins | Losses | Draws | Win Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon Attack: Siberian Attack | 94 | 46 | 37 | 11 | 48.9% |
| Caro-Kann Defense | 75 | 48 | 26 | 1 | 64.0% |
| Sicilian Defense: Closed | 69 | 40 | 21 | 8 | 58.0% |
| Amazon Attack | 60 | 36 | 17 | 7 | 60.0% |
| Colle System: Rhamphorhynchus Variation | 50 | 23 | 24 | 3 | 46.0% |
| Czech Defense | 48 | 26 | 18 | 4 | 54.2% |
| Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation | 47 | 22 | 20 | 5 | 46.8% |
| East Indian Defense | 46 | 25 | 17 | 4 | 54.4% |
| London System: Poisoned Pawn Variation | 41 | 25 | 15 | 1 | 61.0% |
| Sicilian Defense: Alapin Variation | 40 | 17 | 19 | 4 | 42.5% |
| Bullet Opening | Games | Wins | Losses | Draws | Win Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amar Gambit | 13 | 9 | 3 | 1 | 69.2% |
| Colle System: Rhamphorhynchus Variation | 10 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 60.0% |
| Nimzo-Larsen Attack | 9 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 66.7% |
| Indian Defense: Przepiorka Variation | 8 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 62.5% |
| Hungarian Opening: Wiedenhagen-Beta Gambit | 8 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 50.0% |
| London System: Poisoned Pawn Variation | 7 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 57.1% |
| Australian Defense | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 66.7% |
| Amazon Attack: Siberian Attack | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 50.0% |
| Alekhine Defense | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 33.3% |
| King's Indian Attack | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 60.0% |
| Rapid Opening | Games | Wins | Losses | Draws | Win Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Döry Defense | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 75.0% |
| Caro-Kann Defense | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 25.0% |
| Sicilian Defense: Closed, Anti-Sveshnikov Variation, Kharlov-Kramnik Line | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0.0% |
| Australian Defense | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0.0% |
| Sicilian Defense: Moscow Variation, Haag Gambit | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 66.7% |
| Sicilian Defense: Taimanov Variation, American Attack | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0.0% |
| Bishop's Opening: Vienna Hybrid, Hromádka Variation | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0.0% |
| Colle System: Rhamphorhynchus Variation | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0.0% |
| Ruy Lopez: Closed | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0.0% |
| Amazon Attack | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0.0% |
| Daily Opening | Games | Wins | Losses | Draws | Win Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amar Gambit | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0.0% |
| Barnes Defense | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.0% |
🔥 Streaks
| Streak | Longest | Current |
|---|---|---|
| Winning | 23 | 0 |
| Losing | 7 | 1 |