Kirill Burdalev – The International Master of Chess
Kirill Burdalev, also known in the chess world by the username Sunnika, proudly holds the prestigious title of International Master granted by FIDE. Blessed with a shrewd mind and nerves of steel, Kirill has danced through countless blitz and rapid battles, proving that strategic thinking isn’t just for the classroom but also for relentless time controls.
Blitz Brilliance
With a blitz rating peaking around 2422, Kirill’s lightning-fast decisions have left many opponents scratching their heads. Averaging a win rate of about 57% over more than 2000 games played under the mysteriously named Top Secret opening, Kirill's games are a thrilling spectacle of speed and precision. His longest winning streak? A jaw-dropping 28 games — enough to make even Magnus wonder, "What just happened?"
Rapid and Tactical Swagger
Thriving in rapid games too, Kirill has maintained a solid win rate above 56%, demonstrating that when the clock ticks a bit slower, the craftiness only deepens. Not one to give up easily, Kirill’s comeback rate after facing setbacks soars at over 86%, and miraculously wins 99.34% of games even after losing a piece. Talk about turning lemons into checkmates!
Style, Substance, and Strategy
Kirill is no stranger to the long haul in chess battles — his games average around 70 moves per win, indicating a deep strategic approach rather than quick snap judgments. With a remarkable 79% endgame frequency, this player proves that the real excitement often lies in the final stages. Also, whether wielding the white or black pieces, Kirill keeps the pressure high, boasting nearly 60% wins with white and over 54% with black.
The Human Side
Behind the board, Kirill experiences the ups and downs of competitive chess like any human — a tilt factor of 8 hints at passion, intensity, and yes, the occasional frustration. Still, Kirill’s psychological resilience shines as they bravely face the battlefield again and again, learning from every encounter.
Daily, Bullet, and Beyond
Beyond blitz and rapid, Kirill has dabbled in bullet and daily chess too, with bullet ratings tipping above 2300 at times — a blurring spectacle for those who dare to keep up. Daily chess may be less frequent, but perfect wins in this category remind us that when Kirill commits, it’s with utter dedication.
Opponent Awareness and Timing
Kirill’s win rates fluctuate throughout the week and day, with best results notably on Thursdays and during late mornings (10-11 AM). Opponents beware — Kirill combines sharp preparation with excellent timing to seize victories when you least expect!
Kirill Burdalev is a fascinating blend of tenacity, sharp tactics, and strategic depth wrapped in the guise of an International Master. Whether launching a blitz onslaught or patiently grinding out an endgame, Kirill’s chess story is one of relentless pursuit of excellence — and, interspersed with a little mystery, naturally reserved for those who dare to guess Kirill’s Top Secret.
Hi Kirill!
I have reviewed your latest blitz sessions (both the victories and the painful time–forfeit defeats). Overall you show solid 2300-level understanding, sharp tactical flair and a wide, ambitious repertoire. Below you will find a concise, point-by-point assessment, followed by an action-plan you can start using today.
1 What you already do very well
- Dynamic piece play – In the Taimanov win versus rhl_b you correctly sacrificed a pawn with 20.fxe5! and kept the initiative until Black collapsed.
- Opening range – You handle 1.e4, 1.d4 and even the French Advance with confidence, and as Black you rotate between the Sicilian, Nimzo-Indian, Slav and Scandinavian. This versatility makes you unpredictable and is reflected in your high early-game conversion rate.
- Tactical alertness – Your wins are full of forks, pins and well-calculated material grabs (e.g. 24.Bxb8! in the same Taimanov game).
2 Main areas to improve
-
Time management – Four of the five recorded losses are on time in positions you could still save or even win.
Flagging against bz_vet and Aleksandr Devaev happened with > +4 ⩵ computer evaluation.
• Enter moves faster once the position is simplified.
• Use an increment awareness drill: play several 1 + 1 games focusing solely on hitting the increment every move. - Defending against flank pawn storms – In the loss to Elnaz_Kaliakhmet the sequence …h5/…g6/…Rh8 looked promising but left dark-squares fatally weak. Work on typical Queens’-Gambit-Declined structures; practise keeping the pawn shield intact and recognising when to play …h6 instead of …h5.
- Converting technical endgames – Against Antonios Gkavardinas you were a clean pawn up but drifted, then flagged. A little end-game pattern work (Lucena, Philidor, ¾-move technique) will lift your score by 3-4 %.
- Impulse sacrifices – The attractive 10…Nxg4?! versus bz_vet wins a pawn but hands over the dark-squares and burns clock. When you feel the urge to sacrifice, apply the “CCT + 2-move horizon” rule: calculate the opponent’s two best replies before committing.
3 Targeted action-plan (next 14 days)
| Day | Theme | Task |
|---|---|---|
| 1–3 | Clock handling | Play 20 games of 1 + 1, aiming to keep >10 s after every 10 moves. |
| 4–6 | Dark-square defence | Solve 50 puzzles with <=3 moves where the key is guarding dark squares (search QGD h-pawn motifs). |
| 7–9 | Endgames | Rehearse Lucena, Philidor, “rook + 4 vs rook + 3” in the browser drill; then play 10 games starting from those FENs. |
| 10–12 | Impulse control | Analyse three of your speculative sacs with an engine; note when they truly work. |
| 13–14 | Integrate | Play a regular blitz session and self-review immediately after each game (max 5 min/game). |
4 Handy reference links & stats
• Peak blitz rating: • Glossary: don’t forget what a zwischenzug is!
• When do you score best? Check the interactive graph:
• Curious about day-to-day performance swings?
5 Motivational snapshot
If you cut your average thinking time per move by just 0.4 s, your flag losses disappear and your current performance projects to ≈ 2400 blitz. Keep the tactics crisp, tame the clock, and that next rating peak will follow.
Good luck at the board, and feel free to send me your next critical game for a deeper dive!
🆚 Opponent Insights
| Most Played Opponents | ||
|---|---|---|
| alisayamshchikova | 92W / 8L / 7D | View Games |
| kravchenko9 | 99W / 2L / 4D | View Games |
| trickypeat | 61W / 25L / 4D | View Games |
| zelimirno1 | 8W / 2L / 1D | View Games |
| ka1ser64 | 2W / 8L / 0D | View Games |
Rating
| Year | Bullet | Blitz | Rapid | Daily |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2222 | 2178 | ||
| 2024 | 2230 | 2306 | 2186 | 2000 |
| 2023 | 2364 | 2272 | ||
| 2022 | 2353 | 2186 | ||
| 2021 | 2280 | 2368 | 2179 | |
| 2020 | 2309 | 1860 | 2179 | |
| 2019 | 1755 | 2272 | ||
| 2018 | 1877 | 2222 | ||
| 2017 | 2128 |
Stats by Year
| Year | White | Black | Moves |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 12W / 6L / 1D | 12W / 12L / 0D | 63.6 |
| 2024 | 25W / 18L / 1D | 20W / 18L / 3D | 79.2 |
| 2023 | 80W / 27L / 6D | 74W / 28L / 12D | 74.8 |
| 2022 | 31W / 13L / 1D | 26W / 19L / 5D | 75.4 |
| 2021 | 91W / 40L / 12D | 75W / 64L / 4D | 78.5 |
| 2020 | 235W / 138L / 42D | 223W / 158L / 28D | 77.7 |
| 2019 | 100W / 57L / 5D | 76W / 76L / 8D | 76.8 |
| 2018 | 56W / 47L / 4D | 59W / 42L / 3D | 72.8 |
| 2017 | 17W / 8L / 2D | 16W / 9L / 0D | 72.8 |
Openings: Most Played
| Blitz Opening | Games | Wins | Losses | Draws | Win Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alekhine Defense | 101 | 58 | 36 | 7 | 57.4% |
| Amazon Attack: Siberian Attack | 97 | 55 | 35 | 7 | 56.7% |
| Caro-Kann Defense | 77 | 37 | 33 | 7 | 48.0% |
| London System: Poisoned Pawn Variation | 58 | 34 | 17 | 7 | 58.6% |
| Döry Defense | 55 | 25 | 27 | 3 | 45.5% |
| Amazon Attack | 45 | 22 | 21 | 2 | 48.9% |
| French Defense | 44 | 27 | 15 | 2 | 61.4% |
| East Indian Defense | 41 | 19 | 17 | 5 | 46.3% |
| Slav Defense: Bonet Gambit | 40 | 27 | 13 | 0 | 67.5% |
| Australian Defense | 37 | 24 | 11 | 2 | 64.9% |
| Rapid Opening | Games | Wins | Losses | Draws | Win Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon Attack | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
| Petrov's Defense | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0.0% |
| Scandinavian Defense | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
| East Indian Defense | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 50.0% |
| King's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation, Delayed Fianchetto | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 50.0% |
| English Opening: Caro-Kann Defensive System | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 50.0% |
| Grünfeld Defense: Counterthrust Variation | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0.0% |
| French Defense | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 50.0% |
| London System: Poisoned Pawn Variation | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0.0% |
| French Defense: Winawer Variation, Advance Variation | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0.0% |
| Bullet Opening | Games | Wins | Losses | Draws | Win Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| East Indian Defense | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 50.0% |
| French Defense: Exchange Variation | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0.0% |
| Bird Opening: Dutch Variation, Batavo Gambit | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
| Ruy Lopez: Exchange Variation | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.0% |
| Modern Defense | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.0% |
| Nimzo-Indian Defense: Normal Variation, Gligoric System, Bernstein Defense | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.0% |
| Ruy Lopez: Old Steinitz Defense, Semi-Duras Variation | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.0% |
| Scandinavian Defense | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.0% |
| French Defense: Classical Variation, Svenonius Variation | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
| English Opening: Drill Variation | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
| Daily Opening | Games | Wins | Losses | Draws | Win Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sicilian Defense: Closed | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
🔥 Streaks
| Streak | Longest | Current |
|---|---|---|
| Winning | 28 | 4 |
| Losing | 8 | 0 |