Rick Rodriguez

Rick, what’s looking good

• Fast initiative: Your best wins come from opening the center and bringing two or three pieces to the attack quickly. The finishes vs baz101 and sgze show clean follow‑through once lines open.
• Rook activation: In your Vienna and Scotch wins you used open files and rook lifts naturally. That’s a core blitz strength—keep leaning on it.
• Simple classical setups: Games where you developed, castled, and only then pushed pawns went smoothly. Your Black wins with …e5 illustrate how sound development beats early queen moves from opponents.

Key moments from your recent games

• Passed pawn sprint vs BrownChaos: Their c‑pawn ran all the way to a new queen while your rooks fought elsewhere. Habit: when a pawn starts running, put a rook behind it and bring your king toward the queening square. If you can’t get behind immediately, give one check or attack something to win a tempo, then slide the rook behind next.
• Second‑rank knight jumps vs flarryeyegrey: A knight landing on your second rank (near your king) forced your king to run. Quick blunder‑check each move: “Can a knight jump in with check on my second rank next turn?” If yes, castle or play a small pawn guard (like c‑pawn one square) before doing anything fancy.
• Queen raids vs raynoble1170 and others: Grabbing a pawn with the queen is tempting, but the cost is lost development. Live by the two‑move promise: after any early queen grab, spend the next two moves finishing development and castling before hunting more pawns.
• Time trouble losses: When you followed principles (develop, castle, open a file), the middlegame was easy. The losses on time happened after early detours. Blitz rule: your first 8–10 moves should be on autopilot—pieces out, king safe, one clear plan—so you keep time for the first critical moment.

Your easy‑to‑remember rules

• Castle by move 10 in normal positions. If you haven’t, stop pawn‑grabbing and get it done.
• Second‑rank alert: protect the squares in front of your king (as White: c2 and f2; as Black: c7 and f7) before you attack.
• One plan per game: either push your f‑pawn to attack or play for central control, but don’t mix plans unless you’ve completed development.
• Passed pawn protocol: rook behind the pawn, king walks toward it, use checks to gain time if needed.
• Trade when you’re ahead in development to enter simpler positions where your active rooks and king safety matter more than pawn counts.

Opening menu that fits your style

• As White vs 1…e5
  • Vienna: Knights to the center, bishop pointing at the enemy king, castle early. Choose: attack with the f‑pawn or control the center—stick to one.
  • Italian setup: Knights out, bishop to their king side, small pawn center, castle, then open the e‑ or d‑file when your rooks are ready.
• As Black vs 1. e4
  • Classical …e5: Knights and light‑squared bishop out, castle short. If White’s queen wanders early, develop with tempo and hit the center instead of chasing.
• As Black vs 1. d4
  • Keep it simple: …d5, …e6, …Nf6, …Be7, castle. Only pin with …Bb4 if you know the follow‑up; otherwise keep the center solid and break later with …c5 or …e5.

Tiny habits that prevent big blunders

• Before every move: list their next checks and captures. If one hits your king or second rank, fix it first.
• After any queen move that grabs material: develop twice, then castle. Only then resume the hunt.
• When they create a passed pawn: stop switching wings—keep both rooks focused on that pawn’s file until it’s blockaded or captured.

10‑day tune‑up plan

• Days 1–3: 15 minutes/day of puzzles that feature second‑rank knight jumps and back‑rank mates. Goal: instant recognition.
• Days 4–5: 6 blitz games total with one rule—castle by move 10 and connect rooks by move 12. No early queen pawn‑grabs.
• Day 6: Endgames—rook vs passed pawn for 20 minutes. Practice “rook behind” and walking the king over.
• Days 7–8: Opening reps—play the same Vienna plan as White in 3 games and the same …e5 setup as Black in 3 games. Write your plan in one sentence before each game.
• Days 9–10: Loss review—pick two losses (e.g., vs BrownChaos, flarryeyegrey) and find the first moment you broke a rule above; write the fix in one line.

Quick reference checklist (use during games)

• Is my king safe this move and next (no second‑rank jumps)?
• Can I finish development or castle right now?
• If a pawn is running, can I get a rook behind it this move or next?
• Am I improving my worst piece with this move?

Encouragement

You’re winning cleanly when you trust simple principles: quick development, safe king, and active rooks. Tighten the second‑rank safety check, honor the two‑move promise after queen raids, and be ruthless about getting your rook behind passed pawns. These small habits will convert even more of your good positions into wins. Keep going, Rick—you’re building a strong, practical blitz style.