Augustinas Bazilius: FIDE Master, Pickled Potato, Endgame Python
Augustinas Bazilius is a FIDE Master who competes online as RaugintaBulba, a handle that translates, roughly, to something along the lines of "pickled potato." It is an alarmingly accurate nickname. Hand him ninety moves, a quiet board, and the faintest whiff of an endgame, and he will slowly pickle almost anyone foolish enough to keep playing. Since first appearing online in March 2020, Bazilius has logged more than 5,700 games, the vast majority of them blitz, climbing from a humble 1459-rated newcomer to a titled regular of the 2600 club.
Career Highlights
Bazilius arrived in the spring of 2020, back when the entire planet suddenly had free time and an internet connection. He lost plenty at first, then simply declined to stop. By the end of 2020 he had pushed past 2000 in blitz, by late 2022 he was flirting with 2300, and in November 2025 he punched through to a peak blitz rating of 2615 (2025-11-20). On the side, bullet has carried him above 2500 and rapid above 2100, because apparently one speed of chess-induced suffering was not enough.
Volume is part of the legend. His longest winning streak stands at 18 games, his longest losing streak at a merciful 10, and somewhere in between he became one of the most persistent grinders on the site.
The Repertoire: d4 by Day, a6 by Night
With the white pieces, Bazilius is a devoted 1.d4 player with mischievous taste. His trusted weapons include the Catalan Opening, whose Closed lines have banked him nearly a 58 percent blitz score, the Slav Defense: Bonet Gambit, the delightfully odd Amar Gambit, and the Amazon Attack: Siberian Attack for opponents who like their quiet openings with a side of chaos. His e4 shows up about once for every fifteen d4s, usually out of politeness.
With black, the calling card is the Sicilian Defense: O'Kelly Variation, already featured in roughly 270 blitz games:
That early a6 fences off all the Bb5 ideas and, apparently, a decent slice of his opponents' winning chances. At a 45.7 percent win rate it is less a weapon than a lifestyle, but it is played with the loyalty of a family dog. He also leans on the French Defense in bullet, where it scores a spicy two-thirds, and he would kindly prefer that nobody offer him the Benko Gambit, which remains his most stubborn scar tissue at barely 41 percent.
Playing Style: The Ninety-Move Hug
Bazilius does not do knockouts. He reaches an endgame in nearly 79 percent of his games, his average win runs about 79 moves, and his average loss runs about 79 moves too, because he loses exactly as slowly as he wins. His comeback rate exceeds 85 percent, which means snatching a piece from him does not win material, it opens negotiations for a very long hostage situation.
- Early resignation rate: around 1 percent. He does not resign, he expires.
- Favorite checking piece: the queen, deployed more than 6,000 times and counting.
- Tilt resistance: an enviably low score of 10. Losing streaks bounce off him like flies off a pickled potato.
- Statistically sharpest hour: 3 AM. Challenge him after midnight at your own peril.
Nemesis and Favored Victims
Every python needs a wall, and Bazilius found his in Matiss Mustaps, who leads their head-to-head 25-2 with a pair of draws across 29 meetings. Whether that qualifies as a rivalry or a subscription service is a matter of debate. Elsewhere the ledger is far friendlier: magnus_carlen (surely not that one) has been held to 20-8, kapyoso gets outscored 18-6, and both vigrigal123 and nicolo46 have been flattened to a combined 34-2, the sort of statistic you frame and hang above the mantelpiece.
Quick Facts
- Title: FIDE Master.
- Signature opening: the Sicilian Defense: O'Kelly Variation, backed by a d4-based white repertoire.
- Longest winning streak: 18 games.
- Endgames: reached in about four out of every five games.
- Draws tend to be marathon affairs, routinely strolling past 110 moves.
- Daily chess exists in his world, technically: 31 games, like a gym membership maintained mostly for appearances.
- His casual win rate outshines his rated one by about 10 points, suggesting rated chess is just casual chess with stage fright.