Aziz Degenbaev: The Morning Grinder
Aziz Degenbaev, known to the online chess world as nylvor, is a FIDE Master who treats blitz chess less like a game and more like a staircase. Since first appearing in the blitz pools in 2022, he has climbed steadily, patiently, and with the quiet menace of a man who intends to keep your queen for the next forty moves.
The Blitz Climb
When nylvor's first blitz games were logged in April 2022, the number attached to his name was modest. Three years later, in April 2025, that number had swollen to a peak of 2770, planting him firmly among the online blitz elite. The journey covered roughly 739 rated blitz games, split into 347 wins, 327 losses, and 65 draws, a reminder that even masters pay their dues one painful Tuesday at a time. Rapid chess peaked at 2590 and bullet at 2659 along the way, but blitz is clearly the family business. Fittingly, his longest winning streak (7) exactly matches his longest losing streak (7), proof that the chess gods appreciate symmetry.
Openings and Style
As White, nylvor plays 1.e4 with devotion and leans on the Scotch Game, which he dispatched with a flawless record in rapid play. Try the demo below if you dare:
Against the Caro-Kann Defense he scores over 61% in blitz, and the Moscow Variation of the Sicilian Defense has been remarkably generous to him. The obscure East Indian Defense delivered a 70% score, and he keeps a soft spot for the gloriously named Amazon Attack. Style-wise, forget flashy sacrifices. Around 84% of his games wander into the endgame, his wins average nearly 78 moves, and his first capture typically arrives on move seven. He does not punch. He strangles positions slowly while you watch.
Rivalries and Recurring Guests
No opponent has shared more squares with nylvor than Grigor Dilanyan: sixteen meetings, with Aziz ahead 10-6. Leon Luke Mendonca has been outscored 5-1, while Sapenov_Daniyal holds the coveted role of nemesis, leading 4-2. Every hero needs a villain, and apparently Aziz found his.
Quirks and Curiosities
- His best hour is 7:00 in the morning, where his win rate approaches 68%. His pieces apparently run on coffee.
- He has delivered checkmate in only about 0.24% of analyzed games. Opponents tend to resign out of politeness before the ceremony begins.
- The queen is his favorite checking piece, with roughly 960 checks delivered. She earns her salary.
- Even after dropping a piece, he still wins over 43% of those games, backed by an 84.5% comeback rate.
- His tilt factor sits at 7 out of 10. He feels every loss. He then converts that feeling directly into rematches.
- Bullet chess exists for him mostly as a snack, and he prefers his main courses slow-cooked over 80 moves.
The Bottom Line
Whether you meet nylvor at dawn with a quiet solid defense or at midnight in a bullet arena, expect a grind, an endgame, and very few free points. Aziz Degenbaev did not climb to 2700+ blitz by accident. He climbed it the hard way: one long, patient, slightly terrifying game at a time.