Bullet Chess Championship Returns June 22, Firouzja Leads Field To Defend His Crown

Calling all speed addicts! The world's fastest players will meet again to battle in the next edition of the Bullet Chess Championship starting June 22. With a $50,000 prize fund and the most dangerous bullet players in the world, drama is all but guaranteed.

The Bullet Chess Championship is one of Chess.com's most beloved events. Since launching in 2019, the championship has brought together the most formidable bullet specialists to battle on the big stage before a global audience. With a lineup of chess heavyweights and the largest prize fund for bullet events, the Bullet Chess Championship is the world's most elite bullet event.

The event will bring together eight invited and eight qualified players. Any titled player can participate in the Play-Ins, each a 60-minute arena. The Play-ins take place on June 22, with eight arenas happening throughout the day. The winners of each arena will then join the invited players in the Playoffs, a 16-place double-elimination knockout taking place from June 24 to 27.

Spearheading the list of invited players is the current champion, GM Alireza Firouzja. The Frenchman has been an unstoppable force, winning the last two editions of the event. With three titles to his name, Firouzja shows no signs of slowing down and will be ready to defend his crown. A fourth title would match GM Hikaru Nakamura's record for most championships in the event's history.

From chess powerhouse India, GMs Arjun Erigaisi and Nihal Sarin both join the competition to try to snatch Firouzja's crown. The two players are well-known faces from the top of Chess.com's bullet leaderboard and are among the most serious threats to Firouzja's reign.

Another player to watch is speed chess specialist GM Oleksandr Bortnyk. Always a top performer in strong events like Titled Tuesday and Freestyle Friday, Bortnyk is also one of the highest-rated bullet players on Chess.com. A finalist in 2019 and 2025, Bortnyk will be looking to get revenge on Firouzja, who knocked him out last year in the Grand Final.

Also joining the field are GM Denis Lazavik and GM Sam Sevian. At just 19 years old, Lazavik has already established himself as one of the most dangerous speed chess players in the world. Sevian, meanwhile, is one of the most decorated young Americans in chess history. A Bullet Brawl regular and one of its champions, he arrives looking to prove his worth on a bigger bullet stage.

Join the event's live broadcast on Chess.com's Twitch and YouTube channels and don't miss a single move of the high-speed action of this year's Bullet Chess Championship!

Who do you think will win this year's Bullet Chess Championship? Let us know in the comments below!