Hikaru Nakamura Wins Second Consecutive Bullet Brawl, Claims $400 Prize

GM Hikaru Nakamura emerged victorious once again in the latest edition of the Bullet Brawl, securing his second consecutive title and the $400 first prize. Nakamura outpaced his longtime rival, GM Daniel Naroditsky, by scoring an impressive 251 points in the 128-player field. Despite Naroditsky’s valiant effort, he fell short by 11 points, settling for second place.

Tuan Minh Le and Matthias Bluebaum claimed the second and third spots, earning $150 and $100, respectively. Additionally, IM Polina Shuvalova received the $100 best women’s prize for her score of 87.

The next Bullet Brawl is scheduled for Saturday, September 7, 2024, at noon ET/18:00 CEST.

The final edition of August’s Bullet Brawl saw 12 players rated higher than 3000, including notable GMs such as Oleksandr Bortnyk, Raunak Sadhwani, Jose Martinez, and Andy Woodward. However, as expected, Nakamura and Naroditsky dominated the competition, adding to their combined total of 50 Bullet Brawl titles.

Nakamura faced an early setback with a surprising loss to IM Alon Mindlin but quickly bounced back with a 10-game winning streak. Despite facing tough competition from top speed chess players, Nakamura’s tactical prowess and ability to secure checkmates propelled him to his 28th title.

Nakamura’s upcoming absence from the next brawl is due to his participation in the 2024 Chess.com Speed Chess Championship in Paris. This opens up opportunities for other players to claim their first Bullet Brawl title.

The games from the recent Bullet Brawl can be reviewed on Chess.com, and fans can look forward to more thrilling competitions in the future. Bullet Brawl continues to showcase top GMs and bullet specialists, making it a must-watch event for chess enthusiasts.