Naroditsky Collects First Bullet Brawl Title Ahead Of Nakamura, Carlsen

FM JackRodgers

Updated: Jul 3, 2023, 5:23 PM | 29 | Chess Event Coverage

GM Daniel Naroditsky outclassed the field in the first weekly Bullet Brawl and convincingly won the event ahead of GMs Hikaru Nakamura and Magnus Carlsen on Saturday. Naroditsky scored 242 points during the two-hour arena, playing out 67 wins, six draws, and seven losses on his way to acquiring the $400 first prize.

Nakamura and Carlsen put pressure on Naroditsky from the onset but were unable to keep up with the American content creator's electric pace and had to settle for second and third respectively in the 84-player field.

IM Karina Ambartsumova maintained her grasp on the $100 best female prize, which she has dominated for months.

Thanks to the community's excitement around Bullet Brawl, the event is now being held weekly and will next take place on Saturday, July 8, 2023, at 10.00 a.m. PT/19:00 CEST.

How to review games?
The games from July's first Bullet Brawl can be found here.

Naroditsky has plugged away at Bullet Brawl since its inception but until now had been unable to eclipse the likes of Nakamura and the speedy GM Jose Martinez. On Saturday, with none other than the former world champion gracing the event with his presence, Naroditsky chose the perfect time to step up his game and played some of the most punishing bullet chess this year.

Following a draw with Nakamura in the first game, Naroditsky scored 22/23 during his next 45 minutes of play, losing only a single game to Martinez during this time. Notably, his run included wins against GM David Paravyan, Chessbrah's GM Aman Hambleton, and the king of Bullet Brawl, Nakamura himself.

Part of Naroditsky's extraordinary early run. Image: Chess.com.

Fortunately for both Naroditsky and Carlsen, they managed to dodge each other during this period. While the Norwegian GM did win both of their encounters later in the event, Naroditsky was already too far in front to be caught. Quick wins against several of the world's best bullet players, including a 14-move win over Nakamura in the Jobava London, sealed the crown.

Among all the Bullet Brawl participants, few have been as consistent as Ambartsumova who again captured the best female prize with 90 points and several eye-opening onslaughts to boot, such as when she played two brilliant moves en route to a 35-move victory over her national master opponent.

Untitled players also had their chances to show off their speed and wit in the Chess.com Community Bullet Brawl arena, and they did not disappoint. One player, Canadian_rt, cooked up a brilliancy in the Giuoco Piano Game: Evans Gambit Accepted, where his thematic knight sacrifice drew the attention of the wider community.

Standings

Rank	Fed	Title	Name	Username	Rating	Score
1		GM	Daniel Naroditsky	DanielNaroditsky	3276	242
2		GM	Hikaru Nakamura	Hikaru	3214	218
3		GM	Magnus Carlsen	MagnusCarlsen	3324	216
4		GM	Jose Martinez	Jospem	3125	215
5		GM	Oleksandr Bortnyk	Oleksandr_Bortnyk	3185	210
6		IM	Terry Renato	MITerryble	3137	184
7		CM	Nika Volkov	NikaVolkov	2993	161
8		GM	Vi Pranav	vi_pranav	3028	155
9		NM	Janak Awatramani	12teen	2972	152
10		GM	David Paravyan	DropstoneDP	3114	147
11		FM	Reza Mahdavi	rezamahdavi2008	2950	143
12		IM	Cern Kaan Gokerkan	ckgchess	2992	138
13		GM	S.L. Narayanan	IndianLad	2957	131
14		FM	Harsh Suresh	Chessmissile07	2779	122
15		GM	Aman Hambleton	KNVB	2903	117
16		FM	Dimitris Makridis	greekplayer1	2882	114
17		FM	Petros Trimitzios	TrimitziosP7	2950	112
18		IM	Deniz Ozen	denizozen	2951	112
19		GM	Vasif Durarbayli	Durarbayli	2887	110
20		IM	Emin Ohanyan	OhanyanEminChess	3003	107

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:

Naroditsky Collects First Bullet Brawl Title Ahead Of Nakamura, Carlsen

Sevian Wins 1st Bullet Brawl Title Ahead Of FIDE World Rapid & Blitz Championships

Nakamura Outshines 8 Former Bullet Brawl Winners, Claims 34th Title