Augustin Droin (aka Ykow) - International Master Extraordinaire
Meet Augustin Droin, a formidable force wielding the prestigious title of International Master conferred by FIDE. Known in the online arenas as "Ykow," Augustin blends serious chess prowess with a hint of charm and a dash of humor — proving that intense focus doesn’t exclude a playful spirit.
Rising Through the Ranks
Augustin's chess journey is nothing short of a rollercoaster, with his bullet rating soaring close to the mythical 2800 mark (peaked at 2814 in June 2022) and blitz rating recently rocketing to an eye-popping 2758 in July 2024. If rapid and daily chess were dragons, Augustin would be the slayer, boasting ratings above 2200 and undefeated daily wins to his name.
Playing Style and Stats
With a penchant for protracted battles (averaging over 71 moves per game whether winning or losing), Augustin is a patient strategist who loves to drag opponents deep into the endgame — where his skills shine best, appearing in over 70% of his games. His resilience is legendary: he bounces back from grim positions with an 85% comeback rate after losing material, all while maintaining a surprisingly low early resignation rate of just over 5%.
True to the spirit of a warrior, Augustin's longest winning streak is an epic 61 games. Not bad for someone who also knows how to swallow defeat gracefully (longest losing streak capped at 12 games). After all, what’s chess without a little drama?
The Time Wizard
When it comes to the clock, Augustin favors the mysterious early mornings with his best performance recorded as early as 5 AM (the best time of day to play). His win rate on Mondays is a smashing 70%—perfect way to kick off the workweek. Though the hour before midnight sees dips in success (a humbling ~12% win rate at 23:00), he often redeems by firing up intense battles shortly after.
On Openings and Victories
The details behind Augustin’s opening strategies remain a clever mystery ("Top Secret" according to the stats). Yet, don't be fooled — his near-49% win rate in blitz, 52% in rapid, and a dazzling 64.5% in bullet show he masters the opening battlefield with ease. His daily chess record? A perfect 100% win rate. Probably because he faces only friendly fire at this speed.
Epic Battles and Recent Adventures
Augustin's most recent recorded victory was a hard-fought blitz game where, true to his style, patience paid off as he forced his opponent to succumb on time. Checkmate and resignation both litter his recent highlights – a testament to a chess gladiator comfortable closing battles in any way possible.
Fun Facts
- Username: Ykow
- Longest Winning Streak: 61 games (try not to blink during that streak!)
- Favorite Battle Time: Early morning chess wizardry at 5 AM
- Bullet Blitz Machine: Over 1000 bullet games played, nearly two-thirds are wins!
In short, Augustin Droin is not just your everyday chess player — he is a relentless fighter, a meticulous strategist, and occasionally, a chess ninja who’s happiest leaving opponents scratching their heads wondering what just happened. Whether it's blitz, bullet, or rapid, Augustin brings fire to the board and leaves no piece unchallenged.
Hi Augustin,
You have an energetic, initiative–driven style that scores spectacular wins, yet a few recurring patterns are holding you back from the next level. Below is a personalised report based on your latest blitz session.
At-a-glance
- Peak Blitz Rating: 2758 (2024-07-09)
- Typical session rhythm:
- Day-to-day consistency:
Your key strengths
- Tactical alertness. The mating nets against Artem Legenya (…Qxg3#) and Anton Demchenko (…Rf7#) show sharp calculation and good piece co-ordination.
- Practical endgame grit. In the long win versus Vasif Durarbayli you nursed a slim material edge for 90+ moves without tilting, eventually flagging a 2850 opponent—evidence of fighting spirit and decent technical endurance.
- Opening versatility. As Black you handle both 1…e5 and the Sicilian. As White you switch smoothly between Anti-Sicilians, Scotch, and Ruy setups, keeping opponents out of book.
Growth areas
- Critical-moment calculation. Several losses stem from a single impatient decision in a balanced position. Example: against Jaime Santos Latasa you played 19.Qg3 followed by 20…Nxe4! and the counter-attack was unstoppable.
- King safety when launching pawn storms. In the loss to Khaz_Modan you advanced g- and h-pawns without securing c3/e4 squares, inviting a counter-sacrifice that shattered your centre.
- Conversion speed. Against Durarbayli you reached a technically winning R+minor vs B+2P endgame by move 45 but needed 80 more moves. Work on basic winning techniques (outside passed pawn, opposition, cutting the king) so you can finish games before the clock becomes an extra opponent.
Opening homework (next two weeks)
- White vs Sicilian: Your 3.Bb5 Canal attack is solid but your middlegame plan looked vague. Study Aronian–Carlsen, Wijk aan Zee 2012 for model piece placement and the thematic zwischenzug on the e-file.
- Black vs 1.e4 – Italian: The …d6/ …a6/ …Ba7 setup is fine, but you mixed systems (…h6 and …Ne7–g6) and drifted. Pick ONE plan—either classical …Be6/…d5 break or Najdorf-style …g5 expansion—and learn typical manoeuvres.
Training plan
- Daily 10-minute calculation drill: three puzzles rated +200 over your blitz rating; write down full lines until a clear win/eval.
- Endgame sprint: 15 minutes of rook-and-pawn technique on an engine-free board—focus on Lucena, Philidor, and “bridge” motifs.
- Twice per week, annotate one of your own losses without an engine for 20 minutes, then compare to engine for another 10. Track the first move where your eval drops by ≥1.5; that is your “critical-moment” index.
Mind-set tips
- When all your pieces are active, pause for one tempo of prophylaxis before launching the final blow—often a single luft or consolidating move saves the game.
- Use the opponent’s time to map candidate moves for the next two plies, not one. This will reduce “I missed his resource” moments.
Keep the ambition high, but anchor every attacking idea in concrete calculation and king safety. You’re very close to the next rating band—tightening up just a handful of positions each session will get you there.
Good luck, and see you at the board!
Coach
🆚 Opponent Insights
| Most Played Opponents | ||
|---|---|---|
| Racri28 | 71W / 2L / 1D | View Games |
| tonynulenbullet | 52W / 1L / 0D | View Games |
| Pieter Heesters | 24W / 15L / 6D | View Games |
| leobispo83 | 16W / 7L / 0D | View Games |
| Valery Sviridov | 2W / 16L / 3D | View Games |
Rating
| Year | Bullet | Blitz | Rapid | Daily |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2719 | 2740 | ||
| 2023 | 2642 | 2508 | 2112 | 2004 |
| 2022 | 2763 | 2556 | 2190 | 2000 |
Stats by Year
| Year | White | Black | Moves |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 89W / 71L / 6D | 76W / 68L / 16D | 74.3 |
| 2023 | 146W / 132L / 22D | 147W / 138L / 18D | 77.3 |
| 2022 | 258W / 69L / 16D | 240W / 91L / 10D | 69.9 |
Openings: Most Played
| Blitz Opening | Games | Wins | Losses | Draws | Win Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Caro-Kann Defense | 29 | 14 | 14 | 1 | 48.3% |
| Sicilian Defense | 20 | 11 | 7 | 2 | 55.0% |
| Sicilian Defense: Classical Variation | 20 | 9 | 9 | 2 | 45.0% |
| Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation | 20 | 10 | 9 | 1 | 50.0% |
| French Defense: Exchange Variation | 19 | 4 | 12 | 3 | 21.1% |
| Blackburne Shilling Gambit | 18 | 11 | 6 | 1 | 61.1% |
| Amar Gambit | 18 | 8 | 9 | 1 | 44.4% |
| Italian Game: Two Knights Defense | 16 | 10 | 5 | 1 | 62.5% |
| QGD: Albin, 3.dxe5 | 15 | 8 | 6 | 1 | 53.3% |
| Scandinavian Defense | 13 | 9 | 3 | 1 | 69.2% |
| Bullet Opening | Games | Wins | Losses | Draws | Win Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Caro-Kann Defense | 89 | 62 | 20 | 7 | 69.7% |
| Amar Gambit | 55 | 38 | 15 | 2 | 69.1% |
| Colle System: Rhamphorhynchus Variation | 50 | 32 | 15 | 3 | 64.0% |
| Scandinavian Defense | 48 | 33 | 15 | 0 | 68.8% |
| Alekhine Defense | 48 | 33 | 14 | 1 | 68.8% |
| Barnes Defense | 42 | 36 | 5 | 1 | 85.7% |
| Modern | 28 | 21 | 5 | 2 | 75.0% |
| Nimzo-Larsen Attack | 26 | 18 | 6 | 2 | 69.2% |
| Australian Defense | 24 | 18 | 5 | 1 | 75.0% |
| London System: Poisoned Pawn Variation | 21 | 15 | 5 | 1 | 71.4% |
| Rapid Opening | Games | Wins | Losses | Draws | Win Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barnes Defense | 6 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 33.3% |
| Amar Gambit | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0.0% |
| Sicilian Defense: Four Knights Variation, Cobra Variation | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 50.0% |
| Amazon Attack | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.0% |
| Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, Berlin Wall | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
| French Defense: Exchange Variation | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
| Catalan Opening | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
| Nimzo-Indian Defense: Classical Variation | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
| Caro-Kann Defense | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
| Sicilian Defense: Classical Variation, Anti-Sozin Variation | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
| Daily Opening | Games | Wins | Losses | Draws | Win Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bishop's Opening: 3.d3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
| Blackburne Shilling Gambit | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
| Sicilian Defense: Closed, Anti-Sveshnikov Variation, Kharlov-Kramnik Line | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
| Amazon Attack: Siberian Attack | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
🔥 Streaks
| Streak | Longest | Current |
|---|---|---|
| Winning | 61 | 1 |
| Losing | 12 | 0 |