Bortnyk's 283 score proved insurmountable. Photo: Maria Emelianova/Chess.com.

Bortnyk Scores 74/79 In Bullet Brawl

FM JackRodgers

Updated: Oct 29, 2023, 5:57 AM | 13 | Chess Event Coverage

GM Oleksandr Bortnyk won October's fourth and final Bullet Brawl after he scored 74 wins, one draw, and four losses on his way to a commanding 283 score. The $400 winner was challenged by GMs David Paravyan and Jose Martinez, who earned $250 and $150 respectively for their efforts.

The first-placed female player in the event was IM Karina Ambartsumova, who could only be split from FM Anastasia Avramidou by tiebreak, while the winner of the community event was user "AlbusSevresPotter."

The next edition of Bullet Brawl will take place on Saturday, November 4, 2023, at 1 p.m. ET/19:00 CEST.

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

Congrats to today's #BulletBrawl champ with 74 wins, one draw, and just four losses! @BortnykChess 💪 pic.twitter.com/PeEFnRiVLH
— Chess.com (@chesscom) October 28, 2023

Bortnyk moved up to third place on the all-time Bullet Brawl leaderboard following his triumph in Saturday's 129-strong titled arena. While streaming on Twitch, he broke away from the field and outpaced each of his main challengers including Paravyan and Martinez as well as GMs Tuan Minh Le and Sergei Zhigalko.

Paravyan was one of the top seeds in October's fourth Bullet Brawl. Photo: Maria Emelianova/Chess.com.

With several notable absentees (GMs Hikaru Nakamura and Daniel Naroditsky), Bortnyk was defeated just four times in the two-hour event and impressively, two of these losses came at the hands of GM Guha Mitrabha, while India's GM Paneerselvam Iniyan was also able to take down the Ukrainian.

One of the key factors in the Ukrainian-born GM's run was his ability to keep control of positions despite his opponent's attempts to muddy the waters, which was exemplified in an attacking masterclass against Greece's FM Petros Trimitzios.

Despite a first-game loss against Le, Bortnyk stayed calm throughout the event and casually chatted with his viewers as he ran away from the field.

The battle for the $100 top female prize was closer than ever on Saturday and fittingly, Bullet Brawl's two most common winners of this category, Ambartsumova and Avramidou, finished on an equal score. Thanks to scoring one more win than her longtime rival (29 to 28 wins), Ambartsumova scooped up the prize.

Bullet Brawl continues to bring together many online chess popular personalities of all ages, and October's final edition was no different. Nine-year-old FM Faustino Oro, dubbed the "Messi of Chess," took part in the arena and managed to place 14th. Clearly, Oro is a name to look out for in the future.

Oro is the record-holder of the youngest player to score an IM norm. Photo: Luciano Godoy / Club de Ajedrez de Comodoro Rivadavia.

For those looking to get involved in the action, remember that untitled players can enter the weekly community arena! With over 200 players vying for the title in this week's edition, this event is a great opportunity for players of all levels to fine-tune their bullet skills and vie for their very own bullet brawl crown.

Standings

Rank	Fed	Title	Name	Username	Rating	Score
1		GM	Oleksandr Bortnyk	Oleksandr_Bortnyk	3224	283
2		GM	David Paravyan	dropstoneDP	3111	227
3		GM	Jose Martinez	Jospem	3137	212
4		GM	Tuan Minh Le	wonderfultime	3123	198
5		IM	Renato Terry	MITerryble	3104	187
6		IM	Yoseph Taher	yosephtaher	3033	164
7		GM	Sergei Zhigalko	Zhigalko_Sergei	3014	158
8		GM	Andrew Hong	SpeedofLight0	3025	154
9		IM	Mykola Bortnyk	Mykola-Bortnyk	2991	153
10		GM	Minh Tran Tuan	TranjMinh	2936	136
11		GM	Guha Mitrabha	mitrabhaa	2956	131
12		FM	Goutham Krishna	splendidkid	2905	127
13		NM	Janak Awatramani	12teen	2947	127
14		FM	Faustino Oro	FaustinoOro	2927	125
15		FM	Manu David	ManuDavid2910	2899	120
16		FM	Gabriel Arteaga	Gravity_Chess	2858	120
17		CM	Eqor Baskakov	stollenmonster	2873	118
18		FM	Alen Yeremyan	Yeremyan_ChessMate	2863	110
19		IM	Emin Ohanyan	OhanyanEminChess	3046	108
20		CM	Artem Bardyk	BardArtem	2866	107

(Full final standings here.)

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:

Bortnyk Scores 74/79 In Bullet Brawl

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

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