Profile
Ricardo D. Darruda, known online as rdarruda, is a dedicated chess player who has earned the title of FIDE Master. A fast thinker with a taste for tactical battles, he embraces the clock and thrives in compact, high-energy formats.
Rapid play is his preferred time control, and his career showcases a steady climb through the blitz and rapid scenes from 2022 onward. His approach blends sharp calculation with practical decision-making, and he brings a calm, humorous edge to the board when a tactic slips by his opponent.
Chess Career and Achievements
Since 2022, rdarruda has been active across blitz and rapid events, peaking with a blitz rating of 2594 in July 2024. He also reached a rapid peak of 2178 in early 2022, demonstrating strong all-around playing strength and resilience in faster time controls. A notable mark of his competitive spirit is a longest winning streak of 13 games, a testament to his focus and momentum in favorable positions.
His tactical awareness shines in moments of pressure, with a high comeback rate after losing a piece—about 88%. This reflects his tenacity and ability to turn near-defeats into practical drawing chances or winning finales.
Playing Style and Openings
rdarruda enjoys diverse openings with solid success across formats. Key openings and their performance in blitz include:
- Budapest: 3.d5 — 220 games, 103 wins, 77 losses, 40 draws; Win rate 46.82%
- Sicilian Defense: Accelerated Dragon — 206 games, 91 wins, 82 losses, 33 draws; Win rate 44.17%
- Amazon Attack — 131 games, 67 wins, 44 losses, 20 draws; Win rate 51.15%
- Sicilian Defense: Nyezhmetdinov-Rossolimo Attack, Fianchetto Variation — 129 games, 42 wins, 74 losses, 13 draws; Win rate 32.56%
- Pirc Defense: Classical Variation — 109 games, 54 wins, 45 losses, 10 draws; Win rate 49.54%
- Döry Defense — 104 games, 39 wins, 52 losses, 13 draws; Win rate 37.5%
- London System: Poisoned Pawn Variation — 84 games, 39 wins, 36 losses, 9 draws; Win rate 46.43%
These openings illustrate a player who is adaptable, often steering the game into dynamic, tactical waters where his composure and calculation can shine. A few rapid-event results also show a wide-ranging taste for both traditional and offbeat lines, always aiming to outmaneuver opponents in the early middlegame.
For a lighter note, rdarruda has experimented across many systems in rapid as well, including several historically sharp lines that test quick decision-making and practical resourcefulness.