Naroditsky Wins Bullet Brawl Ahead Of Turkish Prodigies

Famed commentator and GM Daniel Naroditsky added a 22nd Bullet Brawl title to his resume on Saturday after outscoring Turkish prodigies GM Ediz Gurel and IM Yaqiz Erdogmus, whose combined age of 28 is the same as the winner's. A 23-game unbeaten streak for Naroditsky at the tail end of the event allowed him to pass Gurel on his way to the $400 first prize.

IM Polina Shuvalova won $100 as the best women's player. Her score of 98 gave her a 27-point buffer over her closest competitor, while Cesar Frank Talledo Lagos topped the community event.

The next Bullet Brawl will take place on Saturday, August 17, 2024, at noon ET/18:00 CEST.

Standings

Danya is HIM 👏 He secures another #BulletBrawl win 👏 pic.twitter.com/FOBMSP4t1I

— Chess.com (@chesscom) August 10, 2024

Turkiye is brimming with chess talent and on Saturday, two players hailing from the country did their utmost to outshine the 22-time winner Naroditsky. Gurel announced himself as a contender by toppling the eventual winner in the first game and went on to score 2/4 in their other encounters.

Of the 15-year-old's games with Naroditsky, the best featured an inspired knight sacrifice on move 25 of a Closed Sicilian Defense.

The 13-year-old Erdogmus also showed early signs of form and defeated prolific speed chess IMs Renato Terry and Yoseph Taher in 20 and 13 moves, respectively.

Despite the Turkish whiz kid's early success, the adage "form is temporary, class is permanent" coined by Greek philosopher Heraclitus presided over the event, and Naroditsky clutched up 14 straight wins to snatch victory from the emerging stars.

The Jobava London was the secret ingredient to Naroditsky's success on Saturday. It seemed that in every second game, the U.S. GM was concocting another puzzle-worthy piece trapping or sneak-attack checkmate. See if you can find the moves Naroditsky spotted to secure his three shortest wins during his arena-winning streak.

Eight moves were all Naroditsky needed to ensnare one opponent's matriarch.

Naroditsky's combinations use a mix of forcing moves and temptation, making it difficult to discern between a bluff and a threat.

Naroditsky had notched 67 wins, four draws, and 13 losses when the two-hour timer expired. While his score of 232 was far from his highest, he did play more consistently than 15 other GMs and an array of talented IMs who comprised the field.

Away from Bullet Brawl, Naroditsky achieved another ridiculous feat earlier in the week when he dispatched a 2600-rated player in a 30-second bullet game with a blindfold on! Naroditsky was streaming live on Twitch when this occurred so you can replay the stunt below.

Just four wins separate GM Hikaru Nakamura and Naroditsky on the all-time leaderboard and with 12 wins in 2024 for Naroditsky, the gap is closing.

All-Time Leaderboard

*Naroditsky's 22nd win will be added to the leaderboard shortly.

Bullet Brawl is an exciting 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