Tihomir Yanev - International Chess Maestro
Meet Tihomir Yanev, better known on the boards and bytes as TheNextLevelFan. An accomplished International Master, Tihomir plays chess like a grandmaster in training—bold, precise, and sometimes downright sneaky. His journey through the chess universe is marked by a rating rollercoaster that climbed all the way to a blistering blitz peak of 2667 in May 2025, a rapid rating soaring to 2598, and a bullet best at 2617. Clearly, he’s no slouch across any time control, though blitz seems to be his playground of choice.
Style & Strengths
Tihomir's forte is resilience, boasting a whopping 82.95% comeback rate after falling behind—a surely frustrating sight for his opponents. Despite a slightly notorious tilt factor of 10, this player keeps chugging along with a tactical awareness sharper than a knight in a haystack. His endgame frequency is impressively high at 77.83%, meaning he loves battles that go down to the wire.
Those who compete against him may find his reflexes and quick thinking particularly challenging in blitz, where he holds a win-rate topping 51.4% over thousands of games with affairs so secretive they're labeled "Top Secret" openings. Offensively, he pushes with clever use of the Alapin Sicilian Defense and the Closed Sicilian among others, lurking in less conventional territory with a win rate of near-perfect 95.8% in some lines tagged as "Undefined"—a mystery even to chess engines!
Fun Facts & Quirks
- His favorite hour to play and win? 23:00—night owl or midnight strategist?
- Average moves per win hover around a marathon 72 moves, so stamina is definitely on his side.
- Once held a stunning 12-game winning streak, proving that when he’s firing on all cylinders, few can stop him.
- Seems to play well with white pieces, rubbing off a solid 54.11% win rate—maybe white really is his lucky color.
Latest Performances
In his most recent notable clash, Tihomir, playing as TheNextLevelFan, triumphed over opponents like Dima_Horielov and AC130-Ghostrider with wins by resignation and time, displaying both patience and speed. His strategic choice of the French Defense and Sicilian Defense variations shows a preference for classic yet rich positions with room for dynamic tactics.
In Summary
Tihomir Yanev is a fierce competitor on the chessboard, mixing a blend of grit, experience, and a pinch of mystery. Whether blitzing opponents in seconds or grinding out victories over hours, this International Master keeps raising his game to the next level—because boring games are just not his style.
Positives in Your Recent Games
Tihomir, you continue to demonstrate solid fundamentals and strong tactical awareness in your blitz games. Your recent wins highlight your ability to:
- Capitalize on opponent inaccuracies early, such as converting advantages in the Semi-Slav and Sicilian Defense lines.
- Use piece activity effectively, especially through strong queen and rook maneuvers.
- Execute timely exchanges that simplify winning endgame positions.
- Maintain pressure in complex pawn structures and transitions, which align well with your opening repertoire like the Caro-Kann and Nimzo-Larsen.
Your consistent use of openings such as the Caro-Kann, Nimzo-Larsen Attack, and modern defenses, where you hold over 50% win rate, shows a solid preparation and confidence in these lines.
Areas To Improve
While your results are strong, there are some aspects worth focusing on for continuous improvement:
- Time Management: Quick decisions are vital in blitz, but avoid overly rushing. Some losses suggest that critical moments could benefit from slightly better clock management.
- Handling Pressure in Complex Positions: In recent losses, positions became tactically complex or involved difficult defensive tasks. Work on strengthening your calculation accuracy under time pressure.
- Endgame Technique: While you convert advantages well, look for opportunities to refine your endgame technique to squeeze wins or secure draws in tight spots.
- Expand Your Opening Flexibility: Your top openings have good results, but increasing variety can make your play less predictable and harder to prepare against at your level.
Notably, some opening lines like the Barnes Defense and general Sicilian show lower success rates — consider reviewing these lines to either improve understanding or replace with more reliable options.
Recent Performance Trends and Next Steps
Your recent rating shows a positive trend overall, with a modest rating gain over one month and steady improvement over six months. This indicates consistent growth and learning from games. Key next steps to maintain and accelerate progress include:
- Continue reviewing your games, especially losses, to identify recurring strategic or tactical mistakes.
- Integrate focused training on specific weaknesses such as tactical calculation under time pressure and endgame studies.
- Practice better time control strategies during blitz to avoid rushed blunders.
- Experiment with alternative openings and especially address lines with lower win rates to expand your strategic depth.
Overall, your strength-adjusted win rate near 50% in competitive play shows solid competitiveness. Keep building on your practical experience and sharpening critical moments in your games to push your rating upwards.
🆚 Opponent Insights
| Recent Opponents | ||
|---|---|---|
| arnacman | 1W / 1L / 0D | |
| Viktor Parfenov | 1W / 1L / 1D | |
| CravenChen | 1W / 1L / 0D | |
| mrhristohristov | 2W / 0L / 1D | |
| squandius | 1W / 0L / 0D | |
| exsclusive666 | 1W / 0L / 0D | |
| Most Played Opponents | ||
|---|---|---|
| Daniel Lowinger | 11W / 12L / 2D | |
| ExceptionallyNooby | 11W / 13L / 1D | |
| Carl Boor | 9W / 8L / 5D | |
| slavunder | 20W / 1L / 0D | |
| Georgios Souleidis | 10W / 9L / 1D | |
Rating
| Year | Bullet | Blitz | Rapid | Daily |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2608 | 2574 | 2336 | |
| 2024 | 2617 | 2466 | 2354 | |
| 2023 | 2445 | 2441 | 2503 | |
| 2022 | 2503 | |||
| 2021 | 2503 | |||
| 2020 | 2503 | 2503 | ||
| 2019 | 2368 | 2000 | ||
| 2018 | 2295 | 2388 | 2000 | |
| 2017 | 2346 | 2324 | ||
| 2016 | 2358 | 2368 | ||
| 2015 | 1859 | 2323 | 1800 |
Stats by Year
| Year | White | Black | Moves |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 523W / 451L / 71D | 481W / 506L / 60D | 74.1 |
| 2024 | 203W / 161L / 23D | 196W / 160L / 33D | 71.4 |
| 2023 | 119W / 72L / 11D | 101W / 84L / 8D | 78.3 |
| 2022 | 4W / 0L / 0D | 2W / 0L / 0D | 66.3 |
| 2021 | 0W / 0L / 0D | 1W / 0L / 0D | 30.0 |
| 2020 | 25W / 17L / 6D | 23W / 22L / 6D | 86.2 |
| 2019 | 24W / 14L / 1D | 21W / 18L / 1D | 65.4 |
| 2018 | 158W / 123L / 16D | 144W / 129L / 18D | 81.6 |
| 2017 | 119W / 105L / 26D | 97W / 133L / 14D | 84.1 |
| 2016 | 20W / 14L / 1D | 24W / 14L / 1D | 37.8 |
| 2015 | 266W / 135L / 44D | 217W / 184L / 41D | 79.6 |
Openings: Most Played
| Blitz Opening | Games | Wins | Losses | Draws | Win Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Caro-Kann Defense | 322 | 169 | 133 | 20 | 52.5% |
| Unknown | 254 | 125 | 126 | 3 | 49.2% |
| Sicilian Defense: Closed | 191 | 106 | 65 | 20 | 55.5% |
| Modern | 189 | 105 | 79 | 5 | 55.6% |
| Nimzo-Larsen Attack | 166 | 86 | 74 | 6 | 51.8% |
| Czech Defense | 145 | 73 | 61 | 11 | 50.3% |
| Sicilian Defense: Alapin Variation | 135 | 69 | 56 | 10 | 51.1% |
| Barnes Defense | 133 | 60 | 64 | 9 | 45.1% |
| Sicilian Defense | 118 | 50 | 57 | 11 | 42.4% |
| Amar Gambit | 114 | 58 | 48 | 8 | 50.9% |
| Bullet Opening | Games | Wins | Losses | Draws | Win Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amar Gambit | 7 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 85.7% |
| Colle System: Rhamphorhynchus Variation | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 33.3% |
| Nimzo-Larsen Attack | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 66.7% |
| Modern | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 50.0% |
| Caro-Kann Defense | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
| French Defense: Classical Variation, Svenonius Variation | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 50.0% |
| Sicilian Defense: Closed | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 50.0% |
| King's Indian Defense | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 50.0% |
| French Defense | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0.0% |
| Scandinavian Defense | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.0% |
| Rapid Opening | Games | Wins | Losses | Draws | Win Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amar Gambit | 8 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 62.5% |
| Scandinavian Defense | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 83.3% |
| Modern | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 50.0% |
| Scotch Game | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
| Colle System: Rhamphorhynchus Variation | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
| French Defense | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
| Nimzo-Larsen Attack | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
| Döry Defense | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 50.0% |
| KGD: Classical, 3.Bc4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
| Amazon Attack | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
🔥 Streaks
| Streak | Longest | Current |
|---|---|---|
| Winning | 12 | 0 |
| Losing | 10 | 1 |