Meet Evan Yin
Evan Yin, better known to opponents as bigmanevan, has earned the National Master title through a mix of stubborn defense, relentless activity, and a willingness to play anybody, anytime. He is one of those players who seems to live on the chess server, with more than 17,000 logged games and a longest winning streak of 36 in a row.
Evan's favorite proving ground is rapid chess. His rapid peak now sits at 2573 (2026-08-05), and the trajectory has been steadily upward since he started taking the format seriously. His rapid results are the story of a player who stopped simply blitzing out moves and started playing chess with real intent.
The Rapid Renaissance
After years of using bullet as a warm-up and blitz as a playground, Evan found his true home in rapid. The longer time control suits his endgame appetite. Nearly 80 percent of his games reach an endgame, and his wins often stretch past 70 moves. He does not panic when pieces are lost either, with a comeback rate around 87 percent and a one-sided loss rate just above one percent.
Evan also seems to be a morning person, at least according to his own stats. His best time of day to play is listed as 10:00, and his early morning win rates are consistently the highest on the clock.
Opening Repertoire
Evan's opening choices show a player who trusts his understanding over memorized theory. As Black in rapid, the Alekhine Defense has been almost unfair: 27 wins, 3 draws, and a single loss in 31 games. As White, he loves the Caro-Kann Defense in its Exchange Variation, and he has also scored extremely well with the sharp Sicilian Four Knights, Cobra Variation.
When he wants to outplay people slowly, Evan often opens with 1.Nf3 or 1.g3 and drifts into the King's Indian Attack. The one opening he might want to avoid in rapid is the Ruy Lopez Brix Variation as White, where his results have been unusually painful.
Rivalries and Habits
No list of Evan's career is complete without his marquee rivalries. He has faced ilikeholidays 137 times and won 81 of those meetings. Against lelealex, he has piled up 83 wins against only 28 losses. These are the opponents who helped him build the kind of experience that no opening book can teach.
He can also go on wild swings. The same player who once won 36 games in a row has also lost 17 straight, which suggests that when Evan tilts, he tilts in style. Still, his overall record in rapid is excellent, and his ability to grind out endgames makes him a nightmare to put away.