Igor Yarmonov: The Blitz Ironman
Igor Yarmonov, known online as Yarigo, is a FIDE International Master whose online chess career is a monument to persistence. Although his profile flags Rapid as the preferred time control, his true kingdom is online blitz, where he has played thousands of fighting games since 2015.
The Long Climb
Igor started in 2015 with a modest blitz rating and then did something remarkable: he kept playing. Month after month, year after year, he stacked games and slowly raised his ceiling. In February 2025 he reached 2571 (2025-02-12), one of the strongest blitz ratings of his career. His long march is visible in
.His volume is staggering. With more than 3,200 wins in blitz alone, he has built a record defined by both quantity and quality. A 14 game winning streak and average decisive games of around 80 moves show a player who enjoys long, complex struggles rather than cheap shortcuts.
Openings: d4, Caro-Kann and Grinding
Igor is a d4 player through and through. His first move statistics show a near total devotion to 1.d4, and he has built a practical repertoire around London System setups, the Colle System and flexible queen pawn formations. With the black pieces he answers 1.e4 most often with the Caro-Kann Defense, especially the Classical Variation. He also handles the Queen's Gambit Accepted confidently, with several well trodden lines and positive results.
gives a fuller picture of his opening toolbox.A Fighter's Mentality
Igor's numbers paint a clear picture: he would rather battle than resign. His early resignation rate is only 3.2%, and his comeback rate is 83.1%. Even after losing a piece, he still wins more than 51% of the time. His endgame frequency of 84.27% indicates a player who is comfortable converting long games. He is slightly stronger as White at 55.63% but still dangerous as Black at 52.54%.
His best results come in the early morning hours, including a perfect 100% win rate in games played at 05:00, suggesting that Igor either loves sunrises or simply never sleeps.
Familiar Faces and Fierce Rivals
Anyone who plays thousands of games gets to know the regulars. Igor has faced aleksander555 23 times and holds a healthy lead with 12 wins. Against UAstrong his 12 wins with 6 losses is another strong rivalry. The trickiest matchup is Spiderman-83, who has beaten Igor 12 times to 5. Even International Masters need a super villain.
Beyond Blitz: Rapid, Bullet and Daily
Although Blitz is where Igor shines, his Rapid games show a 2277 peak and a balanced record. In Bullet he crossed 2200, and in Daily he won his only recorded game. The player data flags Rapid as his preferred time control, but his legacy so far is that of a blitz ironman who never says no to one more game.