Sebastian Mihajlov IM

What went well in your recent rapid games

You demonstrated good pressure and active piece play in dynamic positions. In your recent wins, you were able to keep the initiative and convert pressure into a decisive outcome. In open, tactical settings you found practical chances to complicate the position and keep the opponent under constant decision pressure. In Chess960 games, you managed to create counterplay and find tactical ideas even when the position became chaotic. Overall, your willingness to fight for initiative and to press when you see forcing moves is a real strength in fast time controls.

• You look for concrete, forcing ideas when the opponent makes positional concessions, which helps you stay in the game even after rough middlegame transitions.
• You maintain activity with your pieces, often coordinating rooks and minor pieces to create threats and keep your opponent under pressure.
• You adapt to varied openings and still look for practical chances, rather than drifting into passive, slow plans.

Key improvement areas to focus on

• Sharpen tactical defense and threat detection. Some games show your opponent exploiting back-rank and coordination weaknesses. Build a quick checklist for yourself after each opponent’s move: what threats exist, what opponent is targeting, and which of your pieces are unprotected.
• Time management in sharp positions. In rapid, it’s easy to rush critical decisions. Practice allocating a fixed thinking time to critical moments (e.g., 3–5 minutes for the next 6–8 moves) and use a plan for each stage of the game (opening, middlegame, endgame).
• Solidify opening plans into a reliable, repeatable structure. From openings you’ve played, some lines lead to imbalanced, tactical middlegames. Pick 1–2 openings as your main repertoire and study the typical middlegame plans, rather than memorizing long move sequences.
• Endgame technique and simplification decisions. There are several games where exchanges and simplifications could reduce risk or convert small advantages. Practice common rook endings and basic pawn endgames so you can value trades more accurately.
• Post-game analysis routine. After each rapid game, write down 3 concrete takeaways: one thing you did well, one thing to avoid, and one tactical pattern to watch for in similar positions.

Opening plan and practical guidance

Based on your openings performance, a focused approach can help you stabilize results and sharpen your understanding:

• King’s Indian Defense: Averbakh Variation stands out with solid results. Consider using this as a main go-to when you want dynamic chances but with clear structural plans. Study typical middlegame themes in this line, such as piece play on the king’s side and central counterplay.
• French Defense: Burn Variation and Bird-related lines show mixed results in small samples. You can keep these as secondary options, but pair them with targeted study of common break ideas and typical pawn structures to avoid getting into uncharted territory mid-game.
• Bird Opening family and related Dutch-Bird ideas can be viable if you enjoy flexible setups. When you choose these, focus on building a coherent middlegame plan rather than drifting into independent, uncoordinated piece play.

Practice plan for the next 2 weeks

• Tactics drills: 15 minutes daily focused on spotting forced sequences, checks, captures, and simple tactical motifs that frequently appear in quick games.
• Opening study: Pick 1 main opening (e.g., King’s Indian Defense: Averbakh Variation) and 1 secondary opening (e.g., Bird/Openings) and review 3 typical middlegame plans for each week. Aim to recognize key pawn breaks and piece maneuvers.
• Endgame focus: Do 2 short rook ending drills and 2 basic king-and-pawn endings per week to improve conversion and defense in simplified positions.
• Post-game analysis ritual: After every rapid game, write a brief 3-point summary and note one tactical pattern you want to watch for in the next sessions.
• Practice games with a time control of 10+3 or 15+5 to train time management while keeping focus on quality of moves in critical moments.

Next steps and micro-goals

• By the end of two weeks, have a stable main opening (preferably King’s Indian Defense: Averbakh Variation) with a clear middlegame plan for 70% of typical positions you reach.
• Improve post-game notes to three concrete takeaways per game, focusing on both strengths and avoidable mistakes.
• Show measurable progress in tactics and endgames: aim to increase your average tactic score in daily puzzles and to convert a higher percentage of rook endings when they arise in rapid games.