Death, Taxes, And Nakamura's Bullet Brawl Victories

Three things in life seem to be a surety: death, taxes, and GM Hikaru Nakamura winning the $400 first prize in Bullet Brawl. Hours after securing victory for the fourth time in Chess.com's Bullet Chess Championship, Nakamura was back online again, cleaning up the field for the 152-player Bullet Brawl field for the seventh time since the inaugural edition.

With GM Magnus Carlsen taking a rest after falling at the hands of the American GM in the final, GM Oleksandr Bortnyk was clearly the second-best player on Saturday and claimed second place ahead of GM Jose Martinez.

IM Eline Roebers won the $100 highest-scoring female prize in a tight race with IM's Karina Ambartsumova and Anna Sargsyan while user DragonWizard02 prevailed in the Community event after scoring 56 wins, one draw, and only a single loss.

As always, the next edition of Bullet Brawl will take place next week on Saturday, July 29, 2023, at 10.00 a.m. PT/19:00 CEST.

Following his defeat in the Bullet Chess Championship, Carlsen graciously indicated that he believes Nakamura is better than him at that time control and highlighted his longtime rival as "insanely impressive."

I'm going to see if there's any more juice left in the bullet tank by playing Bullet Brawl on @chesscom today. Will be streaming it on https://t.co/bMKuOqBcSO. Send energy!

— Hikaru Nakamura (@GMHikaru) July 22, 2023

Nakamura's run on Saturday was consistent with each of his other performances in Bullet Brawl in 2023. Even with a larger field, he was able to sweep through the two-hour arena. The American superstar conceded just three draws and six losses, which paled in comparison to the 65 wins he scored. 

Despite the time control, Nakamura put on an exhibition in a variety of different openings, including in the later stages of the event where he produced a model game on the white side of the Sicilian Defense: Grand Prix Attack.

Military precision created a series of puzzle-worthy moments throughout the event, and Nakamura's ability to force his opponent's resignation early helped him to build an insurmountable total of 235.

En route to second place, Bortnyk played destructive chess against his 3000+ rated colleagues and partly owes his placing to a 20-move dark-square domination over the eventual third-place Tang. Chess.com's Game Review produced a lofty performance rating of 3650 for the Ukrainian in the clash.

With one more Bullet Brawl due to take place before the start of the FIDE World Cup, there will still be a chance for Nakamura and Carlsen to lock horns in bullet chess before they potentially face off in their first classical encounter since Norway Chess 2023.

Following his meteoric rise back to the number two spot in the world, Nakamura has never been more ready to challenge his longtime rival and the chess world waits with bated breath.

Standings 

Bullet Brawl is an exciting new titled arena that features Chess.com's top bullet specialists that now takes place weekly on Saturdays. The format is a two-hour arena with a 1+0 time control; the prize fund is $2,500.

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:

• Nakamura Reigns Supreme In Bullet Brawl, Claims 6th Title
• Nakamura Breaks Bullet Brawl Record With 75 Wins
• Naroditsky Collects First Bullet Brawl Title Ahead Of Nakamura, Carlsen
• Nakamura, The King Of Bullet Brawl, Strikes Again
• Bullet Brawl Is Going Weekly
• Martinez Slam-Dunks Second Bullet Brawl Title
• Announcing Chess.com Community Bullet Brawl Tournaments
• Nakamura Wins Bullet Brawl In Final 10 Seconds
• Martinez Scorches 59 Opponents In 2 Hours
• Nakamura Wins Second Bullet Brawl
• Introducing Bullet Brawls And New Arena Options