Some people’s lives are marked by careful planning, others are marked by a series of coincidences that feel too impossible to come true. For Norwegian IM Sebastian Mihajlov, the story leans towards the latter. In 2014, obsessed with Costa Rica’s outstanding performance at the World Cup, he determined to talk to someone from the Costa Rican chess team at the Tromsø Chess Olympiad. By chance, he did, and the brief encounter turned out to be a sweet encounter with the woman who would later become his wife and the mother of his two children.

Its existence, Mihajlov mused, was the result of a happy coincidence, when a Norwegian mother met her Bulgarian father on a trip. But being open to chance and being ready to go “all-in” has been a constant variable in Mihajlov’s chess journey. What started as a hobby of making “funny videos” grew into editing work for Magnus Carlsen’s YouTube channel, a role at chess24, and eventually evolved into one of Chessable’s most ambitious and tireless writers.

It was this fierce dedication that drove Mihajlov to create courses on an almost unimaginable scale. The 26 year old player poured his heart and soul into his Energetic 1.e4 course, a work that is the greatest Chess course ever created with a combines 822,384 words and, perhaps more impressively, over 340 hours of video. It is a daunting task that requires not only knowledge, fluency and creativity, but perseverance and a willingness to leave no stone unturned for its students.

With Go Above and Beyond we celebrate writers who exceed expectations. Today, we highlight IM Sebastian Mihajlov for the record-breaking scope of his work on Chessable and the passion behind it: the desire to dive in completely and create something lasting for the chess community.

What are you most proud of in your course?

That’s the depth of the line and some of the ideas I found. If I had to highlight one line, it would be my work against Winawer in France. Since those variations are so complicated and so theoretical, I was thrilled when I found something that challenged them! 🙂

What made you decide to make your course so big?

My love for chess books, especially opening books. I always dreamed of being a writer, so when I finally had the opportunity, I had to give it my best shot and try my hardest to produce a product I was proud of. I think an opening book should cover “as much as possible,” and it is important for me to be thorough. Since creating a 1.e4 repertoire is a huge undertaking, the course is huge. That wasn’t my intention, but the dialogue never ends And once again, I want to convey something that I am proud of. Plus, writing this course was the perfect way for me to keep my chess “alive”, as I still compete in tournaments but barely have time to study with a full-time job and two small children.

What is your philosophy when creating courses?

That’s a good and difficult question. I think the most important thing is that you really enjoy the work and find it interesting. When you enjoy writing a course, writing is not only easier, but the quality also improves. Readers can tell whether you are passionate about a subject.

What else are you working on today?

I’m working on Part 4 at the moment, because 1… e5 is still to be covered! 😀 After that, we’ll see! I was interested in doing something different – ​​like showing an interesting idea in a particular line rather than doing another big repertoire.

Energetic 1.e4 Course

IM Sebastian Mihajlov’s magnum opus is a repertoire of 1.e4 battles that aims to leave nothing unexplored. A renowned blitz streamer, Mihajlov has the ability to control the center and launch dynamic attacks. These motifs are common in the lines he recommends. Across three major courses, the authors combine state-of-the-art preparation with practical explanations that give club players a weapon they can rely on for life. And the journey isn’t over yet: a fourth series covering 1…e5 is in the works.

Mihajlov’s course (and other starter courses at Chessable) is now on sale on Black Friday.

Check out Mihalov’s author page!