Richard Natividad (RichardDaGreat) — The Blitz Craftsman
Richard Natividad, better known online as RichardDaGreat, is a fast and fearless chess player who made his name in short time controls. A blitz specialist by preference, he mixes sharp opening choices with a surprisingly patient endgame play. Fans call him theatrical. Opponents call him dangerous. Search engines call him a great subject line.
Preferred time control: Blitz. Peak blitz recognition: 2613 (2025-07-25).
Playing Style & Strengths
Funny, intense, and stubbornly practical. Richard’s games often look like a sprint that turns into a marathon.
- Combat style: aggressive openings with deep middlegame calculation and frequent endgames. Endgame frequency is high.
- Tactical resilience: very high comeback rate and solid win rate after material losses.
- Long games: average moves per decisive game are unusually high for a blitz aficionado, which suggests he refuses to give up the fight.
- Psychology: favors early morning play around 06:00 and performs well on weekends.
- Quirk: an elevated early resignation rate makes him merciless when the position is clearly lost and mercilessly committed when he is winning.
Notable Openings
Richard mixes offbeat and sound systems. He is comfortable as both White and Black and has built a stable of tricky lines.
- Alekhine Defense — a go-to choice when he wants asymmetry and counterplay.
- Bogo-Indian Defense — one of his most successful replies as White and Black.
- Australian Defense — frequent and reliable in his blitz toolkit.
- Nimzo-Larsen Attack — flexible and sharp when he wants to unbalance the opponent.
- London System Poisoned Pawn variations — a favorite for forcing tactical complications.
For a quick visual:
Memorable Streaks & Rivalries
Richard has had streaks that would make a highlight reel director sweat.
- Longest winning streak: 22 games.
- Longest losing streak: 19 games.
- Current winning streak: 3 games and counting.
- Most played opponents include kot60 — see profile Mark Kotliar — and long running matchups with humblespaceman and datsfunny.
Quick Stats & Highlights
- Peak blitz and recent momentum make him one of the more feared online blitz players in recent seasons.
- Strong bullet and rapid experience as well, with historic peak performances across controls.
- Strength adjusted win rates show consistent performance across formats, a hallmark of a complete rapid-fire player.
- Time-of-day edge: highest win rates in early morning and during weekend evenings.
Sample Game
Take a mini-tour of Richard’s style with a representative blitz game. Click to open the replay if your viewer supports it.
Playable PGN snippet:
Replay example: View Game
Charts & Placeholders
Want a quick glance at the trajectory? See a compact rating chart and openings breakdown below.
- Rating over time (blitz):
- Opening win rate summary:
- Peak performance snapshot: 2613 (2025-07-25)
Final Notes
Richard Natividad is the kind of player who will puzzle you in the opening, grind you in the middlegame, and then politely refuse to resign until the last trick is exhausted. If you play him, bring your best tactics, your patience, and an appreciation for dramatic victories. For fans and analysts looking to learn, his games are a small library of blitz endgame tenacity and opening creativity.
Tags: Richard Natividad, RichardDaGreat, blitz chess, openings, Alekhine, Bogo-Indian, Australian Defense, tactical play, comeback specialist.