Naroditsky Wins Birthday Bullet Brawl Ahead Of Nakamura, Tang

GM Daniel Naroditsky, who celebrated his 29th birthday on Saturday, showed that with age comes wisdom as he won his 24th Bullet Brawl and the $400 first prize ahead of GMs Hikaru Nakamura and Andrew Tang. Naroditsky notched 77.5/83 and scored 283 points, eclipsing Nakamura by a 27-point margin.

IM Karina Ambartsumova won the hotly contested $100 best women's prize, edging out FM Anastasia Avramidou by four points, while Sundram Kumar won another edition of the community event.

The next Bullet Brawl will take place on Saturday, November 16, 2024, at noon ET/18:00 CEST.

Standings

Record levels of participation were registered in Saturday's Bullet Brawl as 199 titled players played, vying to join a lean list of all-time winners. GMs Nakamura, Naroditsky, Oleksandr Bortnyk, and Andrew Tang were the top-four seeds and they lived up to their ratings, finishing atop the leaderboard, albeit in a different order.

It's a birthday #BulletBrawl win for @GmNaroditsky who dominates the arena to claim victory over Hikaru and Andrew Tang! 👑 pic.twitter.com/MvyrG22Say

— Chess.com (@chesscom) November 9, 2024

Women masters were also well represented in this week's arena, and the top four women players—Ambartsumova, Avramidou, WGM Hoang Thi Bao Tram, and IM Meri Arabidze—all finished in the top 30. WFM Anna Cramling Bellon, who finished 84th with a score of 37, streamed the event live on Twitch and locked horns with several other content creators.

Playing on his birthday, Naroditsky commenced the arena in style, going unbeaten in his first 27 games. The streak was full of kingside hack attacks and sacrificial, tactical shots that would have pleased the late GM Mikhail Tal, who was born on the same day as Naroditsky in 1936.

Naroditsky's victims during his opening streak included GMs Nihal Sarin (twice), Tamas Banusz, and Tuan Minh Le; however, his finest games were miniatures against lower-rated opponents. See if you can solve the Mediterranean mystery below.

Against Eritrea's top player, CM Kibrom Weldegebriel Beraki, Naroditsky took just six moves to capitalize and convert after his opponent blundered a bishop on the 13th move.

Nakamura was the player who eventually snapped Naroditsky's streak, and this would have been enough to leapfrog the leader had he not lost to Tang and FM Kazim Gulamali earlier in the arena.

The pair—who have 56 Bullet Brawl titles between them—played again in the second half of the arena, and this messy Scandinavian Defense helped decide who would seize this week's crown.

Naroditsky almost mirrored his near-perfect start with a 25-game unbeaten streak at the tail end of the event and finished the arena with a 22-move win over popular streamer CM Volen Dyulgerov, or "Witty_Alien." Cramling Bellon came heartbreakingly close to toppling Naroditsky in the final quarter of the arena after botching a five-point material advantage.

While Naroditsky brawled his way to a 24th title, the Charlotte Chess Center posted a tribute to the GM, labeling him as "a model of integrity and sportsmanship," a fitting description of a player who has stayed humble despite winning 24 Bullet Brawl titles.

🥳 IT’S DANYA’S BIRTHDAY! 🎂

Resident GM “Danya” Naroditsky is known in the chess community for his https://t.co/YIOYr6tqt8 commentary, speedrun videos, and skill in bullet and blitz. As a model of integrity and sportsmanship, he is beloved by all at the CCC!

HBD Danya! pic.twitter.com/GPVAHEh7lP

— Charlotte Chess Center (@CLTchesscenter) November 9, 2024

All-Time Leaderboard

*Naroditsky's 24th win will be added 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