GM Hikaru Nakamura finished first in Saturday’s $1,000 Bullet Brawl after GM Daniel Naroditsky fell agonizingly short of wresting the title from his rival’s grasp. A single point was all that split the all-time leaders after two hours of play, and a 54-point gap separated them from the third-placed GM Oleksandr Bortnyk.

The top-placed female was IM Polina Shuvalova, who won $100 for her efforts, while blitz aficionado FM Manu David opted to play in the community event rather than the titled one, scoring 254 points with 66 wins, one draw, and two losses.

The next edition of Bullet Brawl will take place on Saturday, November 18, 2023, at 1 p.m. ET/19:00 CEST.

The last time Nakamura and Naroditsky were both able to participate in Bullet Brawl, a three-point photo finish that ended in favor of the lower-ranked Naroditsky transpired. In October we reported that the final minute of that tournament was the “most intense” moment in Bullet Brawl history; however, on Saturday that was easily trumped by an even closer finish.

👑 @GMHikaru is this weekend’s #BulletBrawl King!

He clinched top spot over Daniel Naroditsky by just one point, and finished with 71 wins, 5 draws and 4 losses. pic.twitter.com/Np0tVBZxP7

— Chess.com (@chesscom) November 11, 2023

Both on hot streaks heading into the final two minutes of the event, it was Naroditsky who carried a slim lead, forcing Nakamura to win quickly and hope his compatriot did not have time to win his own game.

Paired with an anonymous Peruvian WIM, Nakamura used just 28 seconds of his time to win out of the Scandinavian Defense, and then, all eyes turned to Naroditsky’s game.

IM Kamal Aghasiyev proved to be a more challenging opponent for Naroditsky, and the topsy-turvy game saw the Azerbaijani gain a decisive advantage but just eight seconds to convert. The pair premoved much of the ending, and soon the situation was clear: Aghasiyev had a forced checkmate in five moves with one second left.

See Naroditsky’s reaction to the final moments of play below, keeping in mind that a draw would have seen him equal Nakamura in the standings and claim first due to the tiebreak (the popular commentator had one extra win).

An 11th Bullet Brawl title extends Nakamura’s lead at the top of the all-time Bullet Brawl standings, and Naroditsky firmly retains the second position on eight wins. Tactical mastery and accuracy are no longer enough to ensure first place in Bullet Brawl.

Speed and guile seem to be the determining factors among the elite at the moment. As a leaving piece, see if you can find as many checkmate threats as Nakamura did against FM Goutham Krishna.

Standings

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!

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