Twannibal (Twan Burg) - Grandmaster Extraordinaire
Meet Twan Burg, also known in the chess world as Twannibal, a Grandmaster whose moves are as sharp as his nickname suggests. Earning the prestigious Grandmaster title from FIDE, Twan has proven time and again that the 64 squares fear his strategic brilliance and tactical surprises.
While many players chase slow improvement, Twan’s blitz rating skyrocketed from a humble 1369 in mid-2020 to a blistering peak of 2820 in March 2023 — a testament to his lightning-fast calculation and nerves of steel. This speed demon boasts a perfect 9-0 blitz run early on and an outstanding overall blitz record of 60 wins, only 21 losses, and a handful of draws, showing both dominance and resilience under pressure.
In bullet games, Twan’s fiery instincts shine through with a peak rating near 2700 and a 70% win rate when wielding his favorite "Top Secret" opening. Rapid games reveal a slightly more relaxed side with a peak above 2400 and a solid mix of strategic play and calculated risks.
Known for his relentless endgame skills—80% of his games reach endgame perfection—Twannibal is like a chess ninja who pounces at just the right moment, averaging over 80 moves per game whether winning or losing. His psychological resilience is impressive too, boasting a comeback rate of over 95% and barely ever tilting, with a tilt factor of just 3. Plus, his best time of day to strike? 6 a.m. — proving that even the early birds can be Grandmasters.
When it comes to opponents, although some have managed to snag wins (sorry, luckygraaf!), many fall victim to Twan’s calculated assaults. He holds perfect win records against a slew of foes, often finishing games with checkmates and time wins, and never afraid to press the clock.
If you want proof of his prowess, look no further than his recent stunning victory over "jtayar88" where he masterfully converted a Sicilian Defense Canal Main Line into a win on time. A chess marathoner and lightning speed tactician, Twan Burg is not just a player but a force of nature on the digital battlefield of chess.com.
So whether it’s bullet, blitz, or rapid, Twannibal is a name to watch — a Grandmaster who plays with both passion and precision, and maybe just a pinch of cheeky brilliance.
Hi Twan – personalised performance review
Current peak: 2820 (2023-03-14). Your hourly win-rate curve looks healthy (
), yet recent blitz events reveal some clear growth opportunities.What you are already doing extremely well
- Opening Flexibility as White. In the most-recent win versus Jonathan Tayar you steered the B52 Canal into a pleasant Maroczy-type bind and never let go.
- Conversion of Initiative. Once you get the upper hand you convert efficiently; the a-pawn sprint (moves 31-41) from the same game is textbook.
- Practical piece trades. Queen exchanges timed to enter won rook endings show strong situational awareness.
Key improvement themes
- Clock handling in technical phases.
In the loss to Ruben Gideon Köllner you reached an equal Q+R ending but slipped under time pressure. Critical moment:Train 10-second-increment drills to build a “simplify & move” reflex when the position is holdable. - Simpler solutions versus the Symmetrical Queen’s-Pawn.
Five of your last seven losses (e.g. vs Alexei Gubajdullin, Bjorn Thorfinnsson) arose from 1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 d5 3.Bg5/Bf4 structures where …c6 left you passive. Test a more dynamic scheme: …d5 & early …c5, or even a Grünfeld-style setup with …g6/…Bg7. - Defensive technique in rook endings.
Both the game above and the time-forfeit to Mykola Bortnyk featured a passive rook. Mini checklist:- Keep the rook behind the passed pawn.
- Centralise the king before pushing flank pawns.
- Look for a saving zwischenzug to force simplification when low on time.
Opening micro-prep corner
| Line | Practical tip |
|---|---|
| Sicilian Canal (B52) – White | If Black delays …e6, accelerate f4-f5 (as in your last win) to exploit the d6 pin and dark-square weaknesses. |
| Alekhine Four Pawns – White | After 11.c5 Nd5 12.Nxd5 Qxd5 13.O-O f6 test 15.Qa4! instead of 15.b4 to keep tension and prevent …Nxb4 tactics. |
| Queen’s-Pawn Symmetrical – Black | Add the sharp 4…c5! 5.e3 Nc6 6.Nf3 Bg4 line to avoid drifting into slow manoeuvres. |
Micro-goals until next review
- Finish 50 rook-ending puzzles with ≥ 70 % accuracy.
- Play 20 blitz games starting move 15 with ≤ 10 s on the clock to rehearse fast practical choices.
- Test a five-move anti-Colle repertoire (…c5 & …Qb6) in at least 10 games.
Keep sharpening the tactical edge while adding a layer of end-game and clock discipline – that extra half-point per round should push you back above 2800 blitz soon. Good luck!
🆚 Opponent Insights
| Recent Opponents | ||
|---|---|---|
| BSWPaulsen | 0W / 1L / 0D | |
| Andrey Gorovets | 1W / 2L / 0D | |
| master_kairos | 1W / 0L / 0D | |
| kamalkamalusa | 1W / 0L / 0D | |
| greekalphamale | 0W / 0L / 1D | |
| normandeter | 0W / 0L / 1D | |
| rip-dan-naroditsky | 0W / 0L / 1D | |
| balkandadchess | 1W / 0L / 0D | |
| Most Played Opponents | ||
|---|---|---|
| Robin Swinkels | 2W / 3L / 1D | |
| Roeland Pruijssers | 2W / 3L / 0D | |
| David Klein | 2W / 1L / 1D | |
| Adam Popovics | 2W / 1L / 0D | |
| luckygraaf | 0W / 2L / 1D | |
Rating
| Year | Bullet | Blitz | Rapid | Daily |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2657 | 2722 | ||
| 2024 | 2649 | |||
| 2023 | 2640 | 2742 | ||
| 2021 | 2730 | 2271 | ||
| 2020 | 2638 | 2523 | 2274 |
Stats by Year
| Year | White | Black | Moves |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2W / 2L / 1D | 3W / 1L / 2D | 93.0 |
| 2024 | 1W / 0L / 0D | 0W / 0L / 0D | 81.0 |
| 2023 | 7W / 1L / 1D | 5W / 3L / 0D | 98.4 |
| 2021 | 28W / 5L / 8D | 25W / 12L / 3D | 86.3 |
| 2020 | 11W / 8L / 2D | 12W / 5L / 3D | 80.4 |
Openings: Most Played
| Bullet Opening | Games | Wins | Losses | Draws | Win Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nimzo-Larsen Attack | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0.0% |
| Sicilian Defense: Moscow Variation, Haag Gambit | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
| Barnes Defense | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
| Petrov's Defense | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
| Bishop's Opening: Horwitz Gambit | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
| French Defense | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.0% |
| Bird Opening: Dutch Variation | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
| Sicilian Defense | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
| QGD: Ragozin | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
| Sicilian Defense: Kan Variation | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
| Blitz Opening | Games | Wins | Losses | Draws | Win Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Four Knights Game | 13 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 76.9% |
| Hungarian Opening: Wiedenhagen-Beta Gambit | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 33.3% |
| Petrov's Defense | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 50.0% |
| QGD: 4.Nf3 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 80.0% |
| Four Knights Game: Spanish Variation | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 50.0% |
| Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation, Main Line | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 75.0% |
| English Opening: Anglo-Indian Defense | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
| Sicilian Defense: Taimanov Variation | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
| Alekhine Defense: Modern Variation | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 50.0% |
| Center Game: Berger Variation | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0.0% |
| Rapid Opening | Games | Wins | Losses | Draws | Win Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Petrov's Defense | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 80.0% |
| Four Knights Game | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 40.0% |
| Bishop's Opening: Urusov Gambit | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 25.0% |
| Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen Variation, Classical Main Line | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 50.0% |
| Diemer-Duhm Gambit (DDG): 4...f5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0.0% |
| London System: Poisoned Pawn Variation | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.0% |
| English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Fianchetto Variation | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.0% |
| Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation, Main Line | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
| English Opening: Drill Variation | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
| Sicilian Defense: Accelerated Dragon, Modern Bc4 Variation | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
🔥 Streaks
| Streak | Longest | Current |
|---|---|---|
| Winning | 9 | 1 |
| Losing | 3 | 0 |