Nakamura Claims 27th Title After 32-Game Unbeaten Streak

GM Hikaru Nakamura successfully returned to the Bullet Brawl arena after a two-week hiatus, winning his 27th title and the $400 first prize with a commanding score of 69.5/77. GMs Andrew Tang and Jose Martinez rounded out the podium which was hotly contested by an all-GM top-10.

Scoring 106 points, WGM Aleksandra Maltsevskaya won the $100 best women's prize ahead of FM Anastasia Avramidou while Jason Leverett won the community event ahead of Eirik Berget and Cesar Frank Talledo Lagos.

The next Bullet Brawl will take place on Saturday, August 31, 2024, at noon ET/18:00 CEST.

Standings

Saturday's Bullet Brawl was one of the most top-heavy editions in the event's history and with no fewer than 25 GMs playing, Nakamura needed to bring his best form to keep his perfect podium hit rate intact.

✅ back playing bullet brawl
✅ back winning bullet brawl@GMHikaru returned to the speediest arena in chess and won it for a 27th time! pic.twitter.com/Aen0sJs13q

— Chess.com (@chesscom) August 24, 2024

Nakamura's initial pairings were challenging, and the American faced seven GMs in his first 10 games: GMs Tuan Minh Le (twice), Oleksandr Bortnyk, Martinez, Novendra Priasmoro, Aram Hakobyan, and Andy Woodward.

However, Nakamura blitzed this lineup with an 8/10 score. In his first game against Le, clever intermezzos were the catalysts for his opponent's resignation on move 26.

The middle period of the arena was the most competitive, and the usual suspects—Martinez and Naroditsky—were the key threats. As Nakamura so often does, though, he found another gear, ramped up the pace, and went on a 32-game unbeaten streak that would all but confirm his 27th title.

Nakamura's barnstorming run was marked by significant time advantages and tactical precision which are best exemplified in a game against Australian hyperbullet aficionado CM Jesse Zafirakos where he invoked IM Levy Rozman with a double-rook sacrifice.

In this period, 11 more GMs fell victim to the American, and the only player who scored positively against him was Tang, who scored a perfect 3/3. GMs Bortnyk, Le, and Hakobyan each managed one win against Nakamura but with 68 wins to his name at the end of the arena, the losses were a distant memory.

The gap between Nakamura and Naroditsky has widened once again as we head toward two years of Bullet Brawl, but the pair's supremacy is undeniable. For their wins alone, the American GMs have amassed just under $20,000 in prize money, and this number may grow in the coming weeks as other top players head to Budapest for the 2024 FIDE Olympiad.

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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!

Previous coverage:

• • Announcing Chess.com Community Bullet Brawl Tournaments
  • Introducing Bullet Brawls And New Arena Options