Avatar of Marcin Szymański

Marcin Szymański IM

Username: Tsubasa

Playing Since: 2011-03-05 (Active)

Wow Factor: ♟♟♟♟♟

Chess.com

Daily: 2217
640W / 75L / 108D
Rapid: 2519
40W / 5L / 3D
Blitz: 2493
293W / 205L / 52D
Bullet: 2601
1651W / 1148L / 170D

Marcin Szymański - International Master

Also known by the username Tsubasa, Marcin Szymański is a formidable chess player whose journey up the rating ladder is as captivating as a thrilling chess endgame. Holding the esteemed International Master title from FIDE, Marcin blends deep strategic understanding with a dash of tactical wizardry.

Playing Profile

Marcin is primarily known for his prowess in Bullet and Blitz formats where lightning-fast decisions and nerves of steel dominate. His peak bullet rating soared to a staggering 2601 in December 2024, making him a formidable presence on online chess battlefields. Not to be outdone, his blitz peak reached an impressive 2556 just one month prior. And in rapid chess, Marcin has cracked the 2586 rating milestone, proving versatility across time controls.

Signature Style

Marcin’s style could be described as a mix of patience and precision. With an average of 68 moves per win and a healthy endgame frequency above 80%, he’s a player who doesn’t just sprint to victory but also plays the long strategic game when necessary. His comeback rate after setbacks is an astonishing 78.5%, indicating a psychological resilience that often rattles opponents — a true chess phoenix rising from the ashes of lost pieces.

Opening Repertoire and Favorite Battlegrounds

While Marcin opts for a "Top Secret" opening repertoire online (likely a quirky placeholder or a masterful disguise), his recent wins feature sharp and dynamic lines:

  • Sicilian Defense - Smith Morra Gambit Accepted: A sacrificial, sacrilegious style demanding nerves of steel and tactical flair.
  • Pirc Defense Classical Variation: Solid yet flexible, showing his ability to adapt mid-game.
  • Queen's Pawn Opening - Chigorin Variation: A nod to classical principles blended with unexpected modern twists.

This suggests Marcin relishes both sharp tactical melees and deep positional battles—perhaps reflecting his double-edged personality both on and off the board.

Match Highlights & Memorable Stats

Marcin’s recent victories are proof of his tenacity and style:

"1. e4 c5 2. d4 cxd4 3. c3 dxc3 4. Nxc3 Nc6 5. f4 e6 ..." leading to a brilliant win by resignation in a daring Smith Morra Gambit encounter.

His opponents fear his quick transitions from opening theory to tactical fireworks. And while every chess warrior knows the pain of defeat, Marcin’s longest winning streak stands tall at 21 games, demonstrating that streaky domination is well within his grasp.

Personality & Fun Facts

Despite his grand title and serious online accomplishments, Marcin’s games tease a playful touch—opting for gambits and piece sacrifices designed to confound and entertain rather than simply bulldoze through opponents. His early resignation rate is a humble 0.35%, showing he battles on rather than tosses in the towel prematurely.

Also, his peak hours of peak performance are around early morning (01:00 AM), possibly the time when most grandmasters conjure their finest chess spells—or just the result of burning the midnight oil chasing elusive endgame secrets!

In Summary

Marcin Szymański is a strong International Master with a keen eye for dynamic, challenging play. Whether blitzing opponents with lightning speed or methodically grinding them down in longer games, this Polish chess talent keeps fans and foes alike on the edge of their seats. So if you play him, beware: behind that calm facade lies a chess fighter who's ready to conjure up a surprise and prove that every pawn push can be a small revolution.

May your openings be sharp and your endgames ever victorious—Tsubasa style!


Coach's Avatar

Personalised Feedback for Marcin Szymański

Quick Snapshot

• Current peak blitz rating:
• Typical playing window:

01234567891011121314151617181920212223100%0%Hour of Day

• Consistency by weekday:
FridayMondaySaturdaySundayThursdayTuesdayWednesday100%0%Day

What You Are Doing Well

  • Enterprising openings. In recent wins you have embraced sharp systems such as the Smith-Morra (B21) and aggressive French-Advance structures. You often reach positions with the initiative and open lines for your pieces early.
  • Tactical alertness in complex middlegames. The 26.Rxc8!  27.Rxc8+ sequence in your latest victory shows confident calculation under time pressure.
  • Piece activity over material. Several games illustrate a healthy willingness to sacrifice pawns (or exchange) for long-term pressure, e.g. 23.Rxd5 vs PeterPetrik.

Recurring Issues to Address

  1. King safety in flank-pawn structures.
    • Loss vs CoachBucci: early h4 combined with delayed castling let Black break through with …Qg3+ and …Qd3#.
    • When you play 3.f4 / 5.h4 setups, castle by move 9–10 or close the centre with d4–e5 before pushing wing pawns.
  2. Over-ambitious pawn grabs in slower time controls.
    • In the daily French (C05) you committed the queen to b2-a2 and were punished by a direct attack. Ask “What can go wrong if my queen remains off-side for 3 moves?” before capturing loose pawns.
  3. Converting advantages.
    • Even in wins you sometimes drift (e.g. missed faster mates in the Smith-Morra). Create a simple mental checklist in won positions: 1) King safety, 2) Piece coordination, 3) Force exchanges, 4) Pass pawns.
  4. Time management.
    • Blitz losses show critical decisions taken with <10 seconds. Allocate time consciously: opening (10 %), early middlegame (40 %), critical middlegame (40 %), conversion/endgame (10 %).

Targeted Training Plan

Focus AreaActionWhy it matters
King-side safety Play 20 puzzles/day with themes h-pawn storms against un-castled king and zwischenzug. Build reflexes to meet flank pawn pushes with central counterplay or timely castling.
French & Sicilian repertoire as Black Prepare one solid line vs 3.Nd2 (French) and a calm …e6 Sicilian to complement the sharp …h5 ideas. Reduces preparation burden and lessens risk of early tactical blows.
Endgame technique Weekly study of one classical rook endgame; replay Carlsen–Karjakin 2016 g3 rook endgame & mimic moves. Raises conversion rate when material up & low on time.
Clock handling Set a soft alert at 60 s; force yourself to make a move within 15 s after the beep. Prevents last-second blunders and distributes thinking time.

Model Game to Review

Below is the critical phase from your latest win. Try to pause before each of Black’s moves and predict the best continuation.

Next Steps

  • Play a mini-match (10 blitz games) focusing on only quiet king-side development—no early flank pawn pushes. Compare results with your usual style.
  • Every Monday, annotate one of your own losses without an engine, then compare to the engine afterwards. This will sharpen self-diagnosis skills.

Keep up the creative play, Marcin! Addressing the few structural weaknesses above will quickly convert more of your promising positions into wins.



🆚 Opponent Insights

Recent Opponents
fish_club 2W / 0L / 0D
Tran Thanh Tu 0W / 2L / 0D
cuths16 1W / 0L / 1D
johnbarleycorn 1W / 0L / 1D
zombiakot 1W / 0L / 0D
vvlad22 2W / 0L / 0D
faridkalakbarli 1W / 1L / 0D
wolf183 1W / 0L / 1D
Most Played Opponents
superrubinka 7W / 13L / 5D
JohnsonXi 15W / 2L / 1D
fualls2 10W / 5L / 1D
luis_rey 10W / 5L / 0D
Ілля Бєлов 11W / 4L / 0D

Rating

Year Bullet Blitz Rapid Daily
2025 2493 2519 2217
2024 2601 2484 2503 1686
2023 2432 2460 2446 2280
2022 2427 2372 2489 2311
2021 2398 2410 2468 2339
2020 2359 2404
Rating by Year20202021202220232024202526011686YearRatingBulletBlitzRapidDaily

Stats by Year

Year White Black Moves
2025 73W / 23L / 11D 66W / 21L / 17D 72.2
2024 424W / 222L / 46D 386W / 245L / 45D 79.3
2023 224W / 100L / 27D 206W / 109L / 34D 74.0
2022 250W / 120L / 21D 232W / 129L / 32D 75.5
2021 276W / 122L / 43D 250W / 156L / 36D 79.9
2020 183W / 94L / 15D 144W / 121L / 18D 79.4

Openings: Most Played

Daily Opening Games Wins Losses Draws Win Rate
Australian Defense 52 49 0 3 94.2%
Unknown 47 45 2 0 95.7%
French Defense 43 35 3 5 81.4%
French Defense: Advance Variation 42 33 5 4 78.6%
Bogo-Indian Defense 38 25 4 9 65.8%
Amar Gambit 35 29 1 5 82.9%
French Defense: Winawer Variation, Advance Variation 31 22 4 5 71.0%
Slav Defense 27 17 4 6 63.0%
English Opening: Agincourt Defense 24 17 3 4 70.8%
QGD: 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e3 24 21 0 3 87.5%
Blitz Opening Games Wins Losses Draws Win Rate
French Defense 36 18 14 4 50.0%
French Defense: Tarrasch Variation, Botvinnik Variation 25 14 11 0 56.0%
Bogo-Indian Defense 24 11 11 2 45.8%
Amazon Attack: Siberian Attack 21 8 9 4 38.1%
Döry Defense 21 6 14 1 28.6%
French Defense: Exchange Variation 20 11 7 2 55.0%
Nimzo-Indian Defense: Classical Variation 19 10 8 1 52.6%
French Defense: Advance Variation 17 10 6 1 58.8%
Slav Defense 15 8 5 2 53.3%
French Defense: Winawer Variation, Advance Variation 14 6 4 4 42.9%
Rapid Opening Games Wins Losses Draws Win Rate
Amazon Attack 9 4 2 3 44.4%
Amar Gambit 7 2 4 1 28.6%
French Defense: Winawer Variation, Advance Variation 4 1 3 0 25.0%
Bogo-Indian Defense 4 3 0 1 75.0%
French Defense: Advance Variation 3 2 1 0 66.7%
Scandinavian Defense 3 2 1 0 66.7%
French Defense 3 1 2 0 33.3%
London System: Poisoned Pawn Variation 3 1 1 1 33.3%
Bishop's Opening 3 1 1 1 33.3%
Barnes Opening: Walkerling 3 1 2 0 33.3%
Bullet Opening Games Wins Losses Draws Win Rate
French Defense 226 126 88 12 55.8%
Australian Defense 179 108 59 12 60.3%
French Defense: Exchange Variation 132 78 48 6 59.1%
Döry Defense 121 65 48 8 53.7%
Amar Gambit 104 56 44 4 53.9%
English Opening: Agincourt Defense 91 56 32 3 61.5%
Benoni Defense: Benoni Gambit Accepted 86 47 34 5 54.6%
Amazon Attack: Siberian Attack 80 42 32 6 52.5%
French Defense: Advance Variation 75 42 30 3 56.0%
QGD: 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e3 73 37 30 6 50.7%

🔥 Streaks

Streak Longest Current
Winning 21 1
Losing 12 0