Bortnyk Blazes Bullet Brawl Field

Ukraine’s GM Oleksandr Bortnyk won July’s final Bullet Brawl after chalking up 70 wins in the two-hour arena en route to an insurmountable 261 score. His journey to the top was marked by a 26-game win streak in the final 30 minutes of the event.

GMs Daniel Naroditsky and Jose Martinez attempted to wrest the $400 first prize from Bortnyk but had to settle for second and third respectively, which they both achieved comfortably. IM Karina Ambartsumova once again claimed the $100 best female prize ahead of WGM Meri Arabidze while Turkiye’s Alparslan Cenikli ruled the roost in the community event.

As usual, the next edition of Bullet Brawl will take place next week on Saturday, August 5, 2023, at 1 p.m. ET/19:00 CEST.

With many of the world’s top players having landed in Baku, Azerbaijan, ahead of the 206-player 2023 FIDE World Cup, July’s final Bullet Brawl left a balanced top end where it was anyone’s guess who would take the event. Bortnyk entered at 10 a.m. local time as the top seed and suffered a loss against GM Sergei Zhigalko in his first game. In spite of the early setback, the Ukrainian GM quickly bounced to a commanding lead after winning 12 straight games.

Keeping his cool seemed to be part of the plan for the energetic victor, who streamed on Twitch as he played. A pre-move or two helped keep positive energy flowing throughout.

While his early streak was impressive, a 26-game one at the tail end of the arena allowed him to tighten his grasp on the trophy. Bortnyk blended speed with precision in his run that featured wins against the likes of GMs Nihal Sarin, Jose Ibarra, Zhigalko, and Pablo Zarnicki.

Bortnyk’s brother, IM Mykola Bortnyk, turned out to be the biggest thorn in his side during the streak, and after 103 moves, the eventual winner flagged his kin with just a single second remaining on his clock. Fortunately, he already had first place under lock and key.

Proving a worthy challenger to Bortnyk, Naroditsky won 64 games, drew seven, and lost three; however, he was limited because he joined the arena late. This didn’t stop him from bowling over several titled players with incisive theoretical lines on his way to the $250 second prize.

For those interested in the 13-move demolition above, check out the game below that saw the American GM play with 100 percent accuracy according to Chess.com’s Game Review.

Ambartsumova also cemented herself as the women’s player to beat and has appeared in the prizewinners list more times than any other player in Bullet Brawl so far (rivaled only by GM Hikaru Nakamura who has won the event an astounding seven times). Ambartsumova’s tactical prowess was on full display, particularly in her kingside onslaught against FM Atilla Eynullayev as the arena drew to a close.

For the next few weeks, various contenders are expected to win Bullet Brawl as the king of Bullet Brawl, Nakamura, attempts to win the World Cup. Keep an eye out for players like Naroditsky, GM Andrew Tang, GM Eric Hansen, and IM Renato Terry, who will all fancy their chances to take the event in future editions.

Standings 

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!

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