Andrey Ubushiev — Candidate Master (naaats888)
Andrey Ubushiev, who often appears online as naaats888, is a gritty Candidate Master with a taste for complicated middlegames, surprise opening choices, and the occasional dramatic comeback. A prolific online competitor, Andrey mixes serious preparation with a streak of creative risk-taking — which explains both the long winning runs and the occasional spectacular blunders that make spectators reach for popcorn.
Quick profile & playing preferences
Preferred time control: Daily (when Andrey is allowed to think more than 60 seconds).
- Title: Candidate Master (FIDE)
- Preferred time control: Daily — steady, thoughtful, and occasionally stubborn about endgames
- Playing temperament: resilient — high comeback rate and patient endgame play
- Peak showings: and to remind you this player can turn up the heat when needed
Style, trends & notable stats
Andrey's games favor long, decisive battles: many games go deep, and endgame skills are a real strength.
- Winning habits: strong White performance (White win rate ~53%) and excellent endgame frequency (plays long endings often).
- Tactical resilience: high comeback rate — Andrey wins many games even after a setback.
- Time-of-day edge: best results around 09:00 (morning sharpness — likely coffee-assisted).
- Overall match record highlights:
- Blitz: 3,827 wins / 3,484 losses / 378 draws (a dogged career at fast time controls)
- Bullet: 816 wins / 866 losses / 66 draws
- Rapid: 2 wins / 1 loss
- Daily: 19 wins / 17 losses / 3 draws (preferred control)
Openings & preparation
Andrey is both a student of classical defenses and an occasional provocateur. Several opening lines appear repeatedly in his games, often with impressive results.
- Signature choices:
- Sicilian Defense: Alapin Variation — huge sample size (1106 games) and a ~57% win rate: the backbone of many success stories.
- Caro-Kann Defense — steady and reliable in both blitz and bullet.
- Amar Gambit and creative sidelines — used as surprise weapons, especially online.
- Data-driven prep: median prep depth ~4 moves in recent years — knowingly shallow opening memorization, deep middlegame and endgame work.
- Fun opening fact: Andrey's Alapin repertoire is large enough to be considered a small library — opponents beware.
Rivalries & notable opponents
Andrey has established recurring matchups against several online rivals; these mini-feuds have shaped parts of his competitive narrative.
- Most-played opponent: JohnsonXi — 47 games (record: 25–21–1) — a rivalry with many twists.
- Frequent foes: gerik86 (25 games), iwant2lose (25 games) and andseq (24 games) — each matchup brings its own stories and opening innovations.
Memorable streaks & quirks
- Longest winning streak: 14 games — a heater that would make any fan cheer.
- Longest losing streak: 12 games — even top players have their “what-was-I-thinking” stretches.
- Psychology: Tilt factor moderate — Andrey bounces back more often than not.
Interactive & reference items
Explore a snapshot of Andrey's rating arc and a short sample game below (viewer placeholders are provided for interactive apps).
- Rating chart (Blitz samples):
- Sample game (quick opening dance):
- Term lookup example: Sicilian Defense
Closing note
Andrey Ubushiev is the kind of player who blends careful endgame technique with experimental opening choices. Whether you're studying the Alapin or preparing for a bullet blitz, there's something in his games to learn — or to laugh about when a sac goes wrong. Follow the data, watch the games, and if you meet naaats888 online, don't be surprised if the match lasts long into the evening.