Juan Sebastian Melian (Bastiandash)
FIDE Master Extraordinaire
Meet Juan Sebastian Melian, better known in the chess realm as Bastiandash, a FIDE Master who doesn’t just play chess — he practically lives it. With a penchant for both lightning-fast bullet games and deep strategic battles, Juan is a force that's tough to catch off guard, and even tougher to turn down a game with.
Career Highlights & Stats
- Peak Ratings: Bullet: 2887 (2025), Blitz: 2769 (Sep 2024), Rapid: 2460 (2021)
- Game Count: Over 20,000 blitz and bullet games combined — that’s more time on the board than a grandmaster’s memoirs!
- Winning Streak: A blazing 21 games straight, proving Juan’s no stranger to domination.
- Comeback King: With an 86.57% comeback rate, Juan knows how to turn the tables just when you think he’s down and out.
Style of Play
Juan loves the grind. His games are often marathon affairs, averaging over 80 moves in wins. He plays the endgame like a seasoned chef perfecting a recipe — meticulous and relentless. Not one to surrender early, his early resignation rate stands proudly at just 4.33%, proving he fights until the very last pawn.
While Juan’s white pieces like to dance with a 53.18% win rate, his black pieces do no less, holding their own at 49.33%. His favorite weapon? The mysterious and often lethal “Top Secret” openings suite, which he has used to rack up thousands of wins. (We suspect he keeps the secret in a very well-guarded vault.)
Recent Battles
In May 2025, Bastiandash showcased his tactical prowess with wins over opponents like forceadraw69 and koziororo using the Reti and Modern Defense openings, respectively — all sealed with graceful resignations from his defeated foes. Of course, even the best stumble, as he faced resignation losses against fresh challengers like little-sister-1 and jussupowfan, but Juan never lets a loss bring him down for too long.
On and Off the Board
Known for his upbeat psychological resilience, Juan is less of a “tilt” player and more of a “time-control emperor” — his best hours for crushing the competition center around 10 AM and also surprisingly peak late at night. Also, rumor has it his “longest losing streak” of 24 games was actually just a very, very long training session.
When not orchestrating battles on the 64 squares, Juan’s humor and charm make him a favorite in any chess community. Whether dissecting a rook sacrifice or sharing a witty chess pun, Bastiandash embodies the spirit of chess: perseverance, ingenuity, and a little dash of dash.
So, if you ever fancy a game against a monster mixer of bullet speed and strategic depth, Juan Sebastian Melian’s seat at the board awaits. Just be ready — he plays chess like it’s his secret superpower.