Nakamura Wins November Trifecta, Scores 74.5/79

GM Hikaru Nakamura scored 73 wins and conceded just three draws and three losses in one of his most dominant Bullet Brawl performances yet, finishing with a 42-point buffer over the second-placed GM Daniel Naroditsky to claim the $400 first prize.

Hyperbullet specialist GM Andrew Tang rounded out the podium with a score of 225, while IM Polina Shuvalova came in 12th, breaking the record for the highest finish by a female player in Bullet Brawl history.

The community event had 222 participants on Saturday, and the arena was won by Peru's Cesar Frank Talledo Lagos who notched 72 wins amid 13 losses.

December's first Bullet Brawl will take place on Saturday, December 2, 2023, at 1 p.m. ET/19:00 CEST.

Standings

Much attention has been drawn to Nakamura's blitz escapades over the last few weeks. For this reason, it has been easy to miss the fact that the American's bullet chess rating has also been on the rise.

Though Nakamura's 3300 rating is a far cry from his Chess.com record of 3570, his current rating puts him in a trio (including Kostya Kornienko, who has been one of the strongest ultrabullet players in the world for years, and GM Magnus Carlsen) well ahead of the world's other top bullet chess players.

Following a game-one loss to Naroditsky, Nakamura went on a 29-game unbeaten streak and jumped out to an early lead. Winning quickly was a priority for Nakamura, as can be seen in this clip which is aptly titled "How to Beat a 2400 in 30 Seconds."

As always, tactical brilliancies were an important part of the winner's run. Check out the finishing touches Nakamura put on his game against WFM Maria Larina.

One of the more heartwarming moments of Saturday's Bullet Brawl occurred when Georgia's WFM Lile Koridze, who was streaming live on Twitch during the event, became one of the three players to defeat Nakamura during the arena (alongside Naroditsky and GM Tuan Minh Le).

Koridze, gobsmacked when the speed chess titan resigned, streamed for several hours after the event, bolstered by her excitement.

Shuvalova's 12th-placed finish saw her end ahead of several prolific blitzers including IM Yoseph Taher and NM Kevin Bordi aka Blitzstream. The 2023 IM Not A GM Speed Chess Champion scored 38 wins, four draws, and 29 losses en route to a 108 score and played in her usual uncompromising style.

Having already surpassed the 2500 FIDE rating mark, Shuvalova needs just two more GM norms to secure the coveted title.

Bullet Brawl is an exciting new titled arena that features Chess.com's top bullet specialists and now 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