Meet FIDE Master Rick Frischmann
Rick Frischmann, known across chess.com as Richy_94, is a FIDE Master whose journey spans nearly two decades. He may have torched the blitz leaderboards in recent years, but his heart still belongs to Daily chess, the format where his story first began.
From 1489 to FM
In May 2009, Richy_94 opened his Daily account with a modest 1489 rating. Within a month he was already pushing 1900, and by October 2009 he had cracked 2100. The climb continued to a Daily peak of 2271 (2012-10-16) in 2012, cementing the kind of slow, grinding strength that FIDE Masters are known for.
The Comeback King
Rick's numbers scream resilience. He once rattled off a 25 game winning streak, and his comeback rate sits at an absurd 83.13%. Even after losing a piece, he still wins 56.17% of the time. He is the opponent you simply cannot count out, especially at 3 AM, his statistically best time to play.
Opening Laboratory
Rick is a true opening explorer. As White he loves the Bird Opening, particularly the Dutch Variation Batavo Gambit, and he has scored an incredible 88% with the King's Gambit Accepted Fischer line 4.Bc4 in Daily play. As Black he gravitates toward the Sicilian Defense and the Queen's Gambit Declined Chigorin. In faster time controls he has played the Scandinavian Defense 66 times and the Caro-Kann Defense dozens more, always searching for unbalanced battles.
Rivalries
No chess biography is complete without rivals. His most frequent foe is baja bajic, with Rick holding a dominant 24 to 7 edge in 31 meetings. EvanCapel tells a different story, leading the series 17 to 13 over 30 games. Other regulars in the rotation include 5ip, jimmyg112, and kapablancar, all of whom have felt the sting of his attacking play.
Blitz Resurrection
After a long pause, Rick roared back in 2025 and reminded everyone he is still dangerous. He reached a Blitz peak of 2742 (2025-01-21) in January 2025 and has hovered near 2500 to 2600 ever since, with a Bullet peak of 2676 along the way. Yet his identity remains Daily first: those slow, thoughtful games built the foundation for the FM badge he wears today.