Edward Song (aka Smabye)
Edward Song is a formidable force on the chessboard, proudly holding the title of International Master, a testament to their strategic prowess acknowledged by FIDE. Known in the chess circles as "Smabye," Edward has battled through thousands of games, accumulating wins, losses, and the occasional draw with unwavering determination.
Career Highlights
Starting from a humble blitz rating near 1756 in late 2017, Edward's skill exploded over the years to reach an astonishing peak blitz rating of 2836 in October 2024—a level where mere mortals tremble. Their rapid and bullet ratings aren’t too shabby either, boasting personal bests of 2421 and 2782 respectively.
Playing Style & Stats
Edward favors the quirky and mysterious "Top Secret" opening repertoire, which apparently accounts for over 794 blitz games alone—talk about devotion! With a solid blitz win rate above 52%, and a rapid win rate of 56%, this player proves versatility across time controls.
A master of resilience, Edward’s comeback rate is an impressive 74.7%, showing they are not one to throw in the towel easily. Whether clawing back from losing a piece or surviving tight endgames, Edward thrives in the fight.
Notable Streaks & Quirks
- Longest winning streak: 12 games. Enough to scare the very chess gods.
- Longest losing streak: 14 games. Even champions have their “off” days (or weeks).
- Early resignation rate hovers around 12%, proving that while persistence is key, sometimes it’s wise to save energy for the next battle.
- Best time to play? According to the data, 3 PM sharp. So don’t try to catch Edward before their afternoon coffee kick!
Recent Battles
Edward’s recent games are a rollercoaster of tactical brilliance and unforgiving decisions. For instance, on October 31, 2024, in a blitz battle against a nearly 3000-rated opponent, Edward clinched victory via resignation in a sharp Sicilian Defense French Variation. The game was full of twists, showing off Edward's ability to turn pressure into triumph.
On the flip side, defeats do come as well—though not without a fight. Their most recent losses have been hard-fought matches against strong opponents like "stollenmonster," showcasing that even a chess wizard like Edward must occasionally bow to the cruel mistress of the 64 squares.
A Personality Behind the Pieces
Behind the calm demeanor on the board, Edward’s psychological profile suggests a player who plays hard but keeps their cool—tilt factor is a low 14%, indicating they rarely let frustration get the best of them. Their game length averages about 75 moves, revealing a stamina that would impress even the most disciplined athletes.
Fun fact: Edward’s favorite day to dominate the board is Thursday (win rate around 65%), but Fridays might be the most challenging with a 42% win rate. So, be kind if you face them on a Friday—they might just be nursing a weekend hangover.
In Summary
Edward Song, a.k.a. Smabye, is not just a chess player but a strategic storyteller who writes thrilling epics on the chessboard. Their journey from the competitive trenches of blitz, rapid, and bullet chess, to reaching the rarefied air of a 2800+ rating, is a tale of talent, grit, and perhaps an occasionally mysterious top secret opening.
Whether you’re an up-and-coming player or a grandmaster, facing Edward means preparing for a battle of wits where unexpected tactics meet relentless resolve. In short: respect the IM, fear the Smabye.
Hi Edward, here is your personalized post-match review!
What you are already doing well
- Opening variety & confidence – You handle both 1.e4 and 1.d4 structures comfortably, mixing Sicilian-French set-ups as Black and Queen’s-Pawn systems as White. This keeps opponents guessing and shows good theoretical range.
- Tactical alertness – Your most recent victory over Egor Baskakov featured the alert 6…Nxe2 and follow-up piece activity that netted material before move 15. Similar strikes (e.g. 20…Ba2!! in a loss that still showed creativity) prove your eye for tactics is a strength.
- Pressure management with the initiative – When you seize the centre (…c5 breaks, early …f5 in QGD lines) opponents are pushed onto the back foot. Keep nurturing that dynamic style.
Main improvement priorities
-
Clock discipline
Two recent games were lost on time from drawable or even winning positions. Adopt a “speed burst” habit: once under 45 s, play moves that keep options open rather than hunting perfection. Try 3-minute no-increment drills to sharpen this reflex. -
Converting extra material
In the marathon versus Alfonso Llorente Zaro you reached a pawn-up rook ending yet let counter-play creep in until time expired. Focus on:- Cutting off the enemy king before pawn grabbing.
- Using pawn majorities together; in several games you advanced flank pawns while the centre remained static.
-
Handling early …f5 / …f4 structures
Both sides of your QGD/Nimzo-style positions saw pawn storms on the f-file. Versus stronger opposition you occasionally over-pressed (see moves 21…Rf5–30…h6 against Egor Baskakov). Review the theme “weak dark squares after …f5” and train prophylactic moves (h6/h3, Kh1/Kg8) before pushing f-pawns. -
Pawn-break timing in Slav/Carlsbad structures
In several losses you played the thematic c4-c5 break a tempo too late. Use the ‘three-question’ test before pushing: 1) Are all pieces participating? 2) What is opponent’s best reply? 3) Do I have a follow-up if the centre opens?
Opening snapshots
| Line | Score / Feeling | Next focus |
|---|---|---|
| Sicilian French (1.e4 c5 2…e6) | Great results: quick piece activity, +3 last week | Deepen knowledge of 6.Bg5 systems (Najdorf move-orders) |
| QGD with early …f5 | 50 % but high variance | Study games by Carlsen/Caruana on the Lasker Defence for smoother pawn formation |
| Slav: …dxc4 & …b5 lines | Needs work (two recent losses) | Revisit move 10 plans (…a6 vs …e6) to keep queenside compact |
Highlighted sequence to review
From your latest win (Black vs. stollenmonster):
After 15…exd4 you are two pawns up with all pieces developed – excellent! Compare your piece coordination here with positions in the losses to understand the difference good development makes.
Training plan (next 2 weeks)
- Daily: 15 minutes on endgame fundamentals (R+P vs R, B+N vs K, Lucena). Use an interactive drill or Lichess/practice tool.
- Every other day: 10 blitz games but annotate only one critical moment each. Purpose: internalize “why did I choose this move under time pressure?”
- Weekend: Play one 15+10 rapid, analyse without engine for 20 minutes, then compare with engine. Focus on pawn breaks assessment.
Motivation corner
Your current peak is 2836 (2024-10-30) – let’s aim to beat it by +50 in the next month. Consistent clock management and cleaner conversions alone can net that gain.
Performance at a glance
Explore your activity patterns:
Keep the energy high, enjoy the grind, and message me after your next set of games so we can measure progress. Good luck!
🆚 Opponent Insights
| Recent Opponents | ||
|---|---|---|
| Dachey Lin | 61W / 64L / 19D | |
| Most Played Opponents | ||
|---|---|---|
| Guannan Song | 259W / 126L / 71D | |
| Dachey Lin | 61W / 64L / 19D | |
| Joshua Sheng | 32W / 91L / 8D | |
| smurfblayd | 40W / 22L / 6D | |
| newmechanix | 14W / 11L / 5D | |
Rating
| Year | Bullet | Blitz | Rapid | Daily |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2856 | 2000 | ||
| 2024 | 2794 | |||
| 2022 | 2761 | 2740 | ||
| 2021 | 2351 | |||
| 2020 | 2738 | 2665 | 2421 | |
| 2019 | 2561 | 2656 | 2366 | |
| 2018 | 2468 | 2502 | 2319 | |
| 2017 | 2387 |
Stats by Year
| Year | White | Black | Moves |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 11W / 10L / 2D | 8W / 8L / 5D | 78.4 |
| 2024 | 14W / 17L / 2D | 10W / 19L / 5D | 75.9 |
| 2022 | 9W / 6L / 2D | 7W / 5L / 4D | 102.9 |
| 2021 | 4W / 9L / 1D | 7W / 14L / 0D | 0.0 |
| 2020 | 73W / 76L / 18D | 64W / 80L / 24D | 73.1 |
| 2019 | 42W / 12L / 8D | 37W / 14L / 10D | 97.3 |
| 2018 | 114W / 53L / 25D | 103W / 56L / 32D | 87.7 |
| 2017 | 13W / 12L / 5D | 13W / 8L / 8D | 91.4 |
Openings: Most Played
| Blitz Opening | Games | Wins | Losses | Draws | Win Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unknown | 81 | 41 | 37 | 3 | 50.6% |
| Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation | 47 | 30 | 14 | 3 | 63.8% |
| Amazon Attack | 39 | 23 | 11 | 5 | 59.0% |
| Amar Gambit | 33 | 15 | 13 | 5 | 45.5% |
| Sicilian Defense: Closed | 30 | 21 | 6 | 3 | 70.0% |
| Amazon Attack: Siberian Attack | 25 | 10 | 10 | 5 | 40.0% |
| Scandinavian Defense | 23 | 14 | 6 | 3 | 60.9% |
| Caro-Kann Defense | 17 | 10 | 5 | 2 | 58.8% |
| French Defense: Exchange Variation | 16 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 50.0% |
| Benoni Defense: Benoni Gambit Accepted | 15 | 7 | 3 | 5 | 46.7% |
| Bullet Opening | Games | Wins | Losses | Draws | Win Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amar Gambit | 26 | 9 | 14 | 3 | 34.6% |
| Australian Defense | 15 | 2 | 11 | 2 | 13.3% |
| French Defense | 10 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 40.0% |
| Caro-Kann Defense | 9 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 22.2% |
| Amazon Attack | 9 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 11.1% |
| Benoni Defense: Benoni Gambit Accepted | 8 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 50.0% |
| Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation | 7 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 42.9% |
| Amazon Attack: Siberian Attack | 6 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 33.3% |
| English Opening: Four Knights System, Nimzowitsch Variation | 6 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 16.7% |
| Barnes Defense | 6 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 33.3% |
| Rapid Opening | Games | Wins | Losses | Draws | Win Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon Attack: Siberian Attack | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 33.3% |
| Dutch Defense: Blackmar's Second Gambit | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
| Ruy Lopez: Brix Variation | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
| King's Indian Attack | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
| Sicilian Defense | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.0% |
| Nimzo-Larsen Attack: Classical Variation | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
| Bishop's Opening: Vienna Hybrid, Hromádka Variation | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
| Sicilian Defense: Kan Variation, Knight Variation | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
| Scandinavian Defense | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.0% |
| Sicilian Defense: Four Knights Variation, Cobra Variation | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
| Daily Opening | Games | Wins | Losses | Draws | Win Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| English Defense: Blumenfeld-Hiva Gambit | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
🔥 Streaks
| Streak | Longest | Current |
|---|---|---|
| Winning | 12 | 0 |
| Losing | 14 | 0 |