Nakamura Bests Naroditsky To Win Back-To-Back Brawls
GM Hikaru Nakamura won his second straight Bullet Brawl and the $400 first prize after scoring 251 points and outpacing his longtime rival, GM Daniel Naroditsky, on Saturday. Naroditsky was the only master in the 128-player field able to challenge Hikaru, however, the 22-time winner fell 11 points short.
GM Tuan Minh Le and German juggernaut GM Matthias Bluebaum finished in second and third, respectively, and will receive $150 and $100 for their efforts, while IM Polina Shuvalova's score of 87 entitled her to receive the $100 best women's prize.
The next Bullet Brawl will take place on Saturday, September 7, 2024, at noon ET/18:00 CEST.
Standings
| Rank | Fed | Title | Username | Name | Rating | Score |
| 1 | GM | Hikaru | Hikaru Nakamura | 3225 | 251 | |
| 2 | GM | DanielNaroditsky | Daniel Naroditsky | 3178 | 240 | |
| 3 | GM | wonderfultime | Tuan Minh Le | 3102 | 206 | |
| 4 | GM | Msb2 | Matthias Bluebaum | 3083 | 190 | |
| 5 | GM | champ2005 | Raunak Sadhwani | 3105 | 187 | |
| 6 | GM | Oleksandr_Bortnyk | Oleksandr Bortnyk | 3161 | 178 | |
| 7 | GM | Philippians46 | Andy Woodward | 3028 | 165 | |
| 8 | GM | Nitzan_Steinberg | Nitzan Steinberg | 2985 | 151 | |
| 9 | GM | Indianlad | S.L. Narayanan | 2959 | 150 | |
| 10 | GM | Jospem | Jose Martinez | 3110 | 140 | |
| 11 | IM | Zurability | Zurab Javakhadze | 2820 | 135 | |
| 12 | GM | LionTheLeon_06 | Leon Luke Mendonca | 2899 | 125 | |
| 13 | IM | blitzking1729 | Srihari L R | 2813 | 123 | |
| 14 | IM | Chessmissile07 | Suresh Harsh | 2849 | 121 | |
| 15 | FM | GoltsevDmitry2000 | Goltsev Dmitry | 2852 | 117 | |
| 16 | GM | ChessSharkz | Kayden Troff | 2916 | 111 | |
| 17 | IM | Koksal06 | Ege Koksal | 2809 | 106 | |
| 18 | FM | rezamahdavi2008 | Reza Mahdavi | 3016 | 103 | |
| 19 | GM | gm_rashid | Raset Ziatdinov | 2679 | 98 | |
| 20 | IM | DrKerfuffle | Nicolas Abarca | 2774 | 97 |
August's final edition of Bullet Brawl was contested by 12 players rated higher than 3000, including GMs Oleksandr Bortnyk, Raunak Sadhwani, Jose Martinez, and Andy Woodward, but as per usual, the dominant forces were Nakamura and Naroditsky. The two now possess a combined total of 50 Bullet Brawl titles.
🔥 @GMHikaru takes top spot on the #BulletBrawl podium once again! pic.twitter.com/U05HGlYl8j
— Chess.com (@chesscom) August 31, 2024
Nakamura's 28th title did not come easily and a shocking first-game loss to Israel's IM Alon Mindlin forced Nakamura to click into gear early. Following this upset, the world number-two doggedly posted a 10-game winning streak.
During this period, Nakamura executed a stylish attack on WCM Katharina Reinecke's king, using his minor pieces and queen to slash apart his opponent's defenses before delivering checkmate on move 21.
The participation of several top-flight speed chess players made it difficult for the eventual winner to find his groove, and Nakamura's longest winning streak of 13 was a far cry from the 59 he recorded back in March. Naroditsky, Martinez, and Bortnyk were the chief culprits in terms of this.
Despite finishing outside the top four, Bortnyk exuded confidence during the event and managed a 2.5/5 score against Nakamura, fresh off the back of a Titled Tuesday win over GM Magnus Carlsen.
Naroditsky's 52-move masterclass against Nakamura was the most impressive win by one of Nakamura's challengers.
In the end, the tactical genius of Nakamura and his ability to beeline toward checkmate are what allowed him to rise above the competition and confirm his 13th title for the year and 28th since Bullet Brawl's inception.
Nakamura is expected to miss next week's brawl as he jets to Paris to vie for the 2024 Chess.com Speed Chess Championship crown. Bullet Brawl regulars Martinez and GM Tuan Minh Le will also compete in the 16-player knockout opening the floodgates for other players to claim their first Bullet Brawl title.
All-Time Leaderboard
*Nakamura's 28th win will be added to the leaderboard shortly.
How to review games?
The games from this week's Bullet Brawl can be found here.
Bullet Brawl is an exciting titled arena that features Chess.com's top bullet specialists and takes place weekly on Saturdays. The format is a two-hour arena with a 1+0 time control; the prize fund is $1,000.
Much like Titled Tuesday and Arena Kings, Bullet Brawl often features top GMs, including Hikaru Nakamura, Daniel Naroditsky, Andrew Tang, Tuan Minh Le, and many more!
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