I Beat a 3000 Rated Chess Player with a Motorbike Mindset

Hi all

I wanted to share something a bit unusual – and honestly, quite exciting – from my recent bullet adventures.
As many of you know, bullet chess can be a bit of a roller-coaster: adrenaline, instinct, blunders, brilliance, and everything in between. But every now and then, something strange happens that really makes you stop and think.
Recently, I had a stretch of bullet games against a very strong player on Lichess – around 3000 strength – someone who normally beats me 19 times out of 20.

The kind of player who just feels untouchable in fast time controls.
But last night, something clicked ... and I managed to beat him 3 times out of 4.
That kind of reversal doesn’t happen to me every day, so I wanted to understand why.
Surprisingly, the answer wasn’t opening prep or tactics training. It was something far more psychological and almost playful: a metaphor I’ve been experimenting with in my upcoming course.
Instead of overthinking positions or freezing at critical moments, I tried entering a “mode,” a mental hat of sorts.

And last night’s hat was the Motorbike Mindset.

In bullet, hesitation is fatal. But the motorbike metaphor encouraged momentum, flow, and commitment.
Leaning forward instead of pulling back.
Going with the curve of the position instead of fighting it.
Trusting instinct instead of second-guessing every move.

Even if I blundered (and I did!), the tempo and pressure seemed to compensate. Suddenly, I felt in the game rather than reacting to my opponent’s speed and strength.

It really made me reflect on how much chess performance – especially in bullet – comes down to internal state, not just pure calculation.
These metaphors and mental modes really can help rebalance the mind in fast games where instinct is king and perfection is impossible.
I’ve put together a YouTube video talking about the whole experience, with examples and the mindset behind it.

If you're curious or want to see how a simple metaphor can completely transform the results against a much stronger opponent, you can check it out here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qKI1cw5_TA

Hope you enjoy it, and feel free to share your own bullet stories or mindset tricks.
Sometimes one small mental shift can open a whole new dimension of play.

Best wishes,
Tryfon (Kingscrusher)