Brian Taylor

Brian Taylor (aka octongue)

Brian Taylor, better known in the chess world by his enigmatic username octongue, is a player who approaches the game with a mix of grit, cheek, and an uncanny knack for resilience. If chess were a movie, Brian would be the underdog with a quirky sense of humor who somehow manages to slip in a few brilliant moves just when you least expect it.

Rating and Performance

Brian's chess journey has been mostly in 2025, with a Daily rating peaking at an impressive 1033. His rapid games started strong back in 2021 with a high score of 942, though recent rapid results suggest he’s still perfecting the art of speed and precision.

In blitz and bullet, Brian has faced the brutal timer pressure with mixed success, peaking at 376 in blitz and 158 in bullet, proving he’s fast but maybe not quite furious enough to take down the top-tier speed demons.

Playing Style & Quirks

Brian's style is best described as stubbornly strategic, with an early resignation rate of just over 2%. He’s not the type to throw in the towel early; rather, he enjoys the drama of lengthy endgames with an average of ~46 moves per win — marking him as a chess marathoner, not a sprinter.

His endgame expertise shines through, and if he loses a piece, don’t count him out — his comeback rate of nearly 87% is as impressive as a surprise queen maneuver out of nowhere! However, he does have a tilt factor of 12, which means after a bad game, he might just stare a little too long at his screen plotting revenge.

Favorite Openings

Brian loves to dance around classic theory, rocking the Queen’s Pawn Opening with a perfect 100% win rate in daily games and the Ponziani Opening with similarly undefeated results where he plays the Jaenisch Counterattack like a chef seasoning a signature dish.

His rapid game favorite seems to be the Scandinavian Defense, where he boasts a respectable 59% win rate, showing he's not afraid to mix it up and challenge opponents directly.

Notable Streaks & Opponents

Brian's longest winning streak is a solid 9 games, which means once he gets going, it’s like watching a charging knight on a mission. His losing streak, a humbling 12 straight losses, reminds us all that even the best have off days (or weeks... or months).

Among his foes, he has a particular knack for crushing "macdedeh" with a 100% win rate — poor macdedeh never saw it coming. Meanwhile, his battles with "sk34d" are a tight affair, with Brian winning about 73% of their duels, proving he knows how to handle a rival who’s likely equally pesky.

Most Memorable Recent Victory

On May 21, 2025, Brian sealed a victory after a thrilling game employing the French Defense Knight Variation. The opponent resigned under the pressure of Brian’s relentless queen and bishop pair, demonstrating that sometimes patience and strategic pinning beats brute force.

Replay this masterpiece here.

Final Thoughts

Brian Taylor might not yet be grandmaster material, but he's a competitor with heart, wit, and a surprising amount of tactical awareness. If he keeps this up, we wouldn’t be shocked to see octongue evolve from a charming underdog to a feared beast knocking on the door of chess stardom.