Yidong Chen: The Relentless Blitz National Master
Meet Yidong Chen, aka RCC_2024
Yidong Chen, known online as RCC_2024, is a National Master with a serious love for blitz chess. Across a stretch of online play from 2025 through 2026, Chen logged more than 1,100 rated blitz games, proving that volume and bravery can go hand in hand. The rating graph is a story in itself, full of steep climbs and sudden drops, and yet the overall direction is clear. This is a player who keeps coming back to the board.
Opening Repertoire and Signature Battlegrounds
Chen's openings reveal a taste for open and tactical positions. The Sicilian Defense shows up everywhere in the game log, and the Najdorf Variation is the most common battleground. As White, Chen also takes on the Caro-Kann Defense with confidence, while as Black the Alapin variation and the Gruenfeld Defense provide steady counterattacking options. At heart, this is a player who would rather create complications than play it safe.
- Almost 100 blitz games in the Najdorf Variation
- Best Black result comes from the Sicilian Alapin at close to 59 percent
- Overwhelming first move preference for 1.e4
A typical setup from Chen's Najdorf battles looks like this:
Rivalries and Fighting Spirit
No online blitz career is complete without familiar rivals. Chen has a perfect record against Dimitrios Vazelakis in the sample, strong results against Olga Yushko, and a hard-fought rivalry with Alexander Rustemov. The data also points to real resilience: an 88 percent comeback rate, and losses that still take an average of nearly 87 moves. Both the longest winning streak and the longest losing streak stop at six games, but Chen always seems to bounce back.
When the Clock Is Loudest
Chen prefers blitz above all else, and the numbers suggest the best time to catch RCC_2024 in action is around 4 a.m. The queen is the most frequent checking piece, and games tend to reach complicated endgames rather than ending in a single tactical blow. Combined with a peak blitz rating of 2681 (2026-08-20), this National Master has built an unmistakable online identity: inventive, stubborn, and always ready for one more blitz battle.