Naroditsky Clinches Bullet Brawl Victory Ahead Of Nakamura

GM Daniel Naroditsky secured $400 and his 11th Bullet Brawl title after scoring 70.5/78 in February's first edition ahead of 125 other titled players. A race of titanic proportions between Naroditsky and Chess.com's two highest-rated active bullet players—GMs Oleksandr Bortnyk and Hikaru Nakamura—ended with Nakamura finishing in second place, while Bortnyk finished in eighth.

IM Karina Ambartsumova was the winner of the week's $100 top female prize, outpacing Bullet Brawl regular FM Anastasia Avramidou, while Sundram Kumar won his third straight community event with a commanding 64/76 score.

The next edition of Bullet Brawl will take place on Saturday, February 10, 2024, at 12 p.m. ET/18:00 CEST. (Note: Bullet Brawl has been permanently brought forward by one hour).

Standings

Back on 🔝 @GmNaroditsky clinches this week's #BulletBrawl Arena by three points for his 11th win! 👏 pic.twitter.com/SzwrEcV2TR

— Chess.com (@chesscom) February 3, 2024

The entry list to February's first Bullet Brawl was almost certainly the most tantalizing of 2024 so far and for Naroditsky, victory was made sweeter by the fact that he had to take down Nakamura to achieve it.

The pair played five games against each other during the two-hour arena, and just two were decisive, both falling in favor of Naroditsky. As the content creator finished just three points ahead of the world number-three, these encounters were crucial.

Naroditsky's first game against Nakamura, a lengthy Tiger's Modern Defense, seemed to set the tone for the rest which all championed maneuvering and aggression.

Brilliancies and a 37-game unbeaten streak at the back end of the arena also helped get Naroditsky over the line, and the American GM proved that he was most deserving of first place. One of the highlights of his streak was a savage double sacrifice against FM Jesus Alberto Coca Cubillos that brought the game to a screaming halt.

Though he was unable to win the event, Nakamura was also dominant with 64 wins, six draws, and five losses. In the previous edition, we reported the five-time U.S. champion's use of the "Alien Gambit," and this week he had the chance to play a similar sacrifice against the opening creator, CM Volen Dyulgerov aka Witty_Alien.

While Ambartsumova was able to add yet another top female prize to her trophy cabinet, the category has become tougher to win in 2024 thanks to the addition of several new faces. Among Ambartsumova's chasers on Saturday were the Georgian WGM, commentator, and streamer WGM Keti Tsatsalashvili, who finished in 32nd place on 63.

Bullet Brawl has still seen just six winners in its 38 editions, and joining this illustrious group of speedsters will require a Herculean effort from a top-flight player.

(Full final standings here)

Bullet Brawl is an exciting new 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