Bullet Brawl Aug 1,2026: Nakamura Wins 50 Video games, Claims 63rd Bullet Brawl Title

GM Hikaru Nakamura reclaimed the Bullet Brawl throne with relative ease on Saturday one week after lacking out on the $400 first prize attributable to inferior tiebreaks. With 50 wins, eight attracts, and solely 11 losses to his identify, Nakamura convincingly gained the two-hour area with a rating of 176, 21 factors away from the earlier winner, GM Tuan Minh Le.

Rounding out the highest 4 and profitable $150 and $100 respectively had been GMs Haowen Xue and Pranesh M, whereas FM Anastasia Avramidou accomplished her finest girls’s prize hat-trick.

The subsequent version of Bullet Brawl will start on Saturday, August 8, at 12 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. CET.

Standings

(Full closing standings right here.)

From the second Saturday’s Bullet Brawl commenced, it grew to become clear that Nakamura was on a mission to safe his 63rd title with out permitting any of his opponents an identical window of alternative he gave to Le every week in the past. Following a draw with Xue in his first sport, Nakamura defeated 12 titled gamers in a row and catapulted himself into the lead.

During this streak, Nakamura racked up three sensible strikes and remarkably, all three used comparable ways to make the most of his opponent’s weak again ranks. Against Turkish CM Mert Can Sevig, Nakamura saved the sport after his opponent entrenched a handed pawn on a2. See if you happen to can resolve the three one-move puzzles beneath.

In the very subsequent sport, Nakamura discovered one other shrewd sacrifice towards WIM Irina Mikhaylova.

Finally, Nakamura dispatched Pranesh, one of many prime seeds within the occasion, off the again of a mass liquidation tactic that compelled the sport right into a profitable king and pawn ending.

Nakamura ultimately got here unstuck in one other conflict with Sevig, however his devastating run within the first quarter had already amplified his standing as the favourite. In spite of this, Le loomed as soon as once more, having posted a 9 sport streak of his personal to maintain himself in competition.

When the pair got here nose to nose for the primary time it was Nakamura who got here out of the Catalan Opening: Closed, Traditional Variation up by a pawn attributable to navigating the central rigidity higher. The American then made consolidation look simple and Le ultimately resigned on transfer 35.

Although final week’s hero would go on to attain 6/12 towards Nakamura, this wasn’t sufficient to curb his streak-hungry rival. Other contenders, comparable to GMs Xue, Pranesh, Oleksandr Bortnyk, and IMs Yoseph Taher, Sergey Sklokin, Renato Terry, and Reza Mahdavi additionally prevented Le from constructing streaks and hawking down the chief.

In the second half, relentless ruthlessness helped Nakamura prolong his result in 21 factors. FM Ivan Vihor was one sufferer who felt the fury of a galvanized Nakamura.

Despite having the world wrapped up with 5 minutes to go, Nakamura remained essential of his personal play. Against Terry, Nakamura said the next on Twitch: “That does nothing, what am I doing”?, earlier than mounting a surprising comeback and profitable the sport.

With this victory, Nakamura is one victory away from having as many wins as there are squares on a chess board. It is nigh inconceivable to think about his feats within the Bullet Brawl area being surpassed within the close to or distant future.

All-Time Leaderboard

Bullet Brawl is an thrilling area that includes Chess.com’s prime bullet specialists. It takes place weekly on Saturdays. The format is a two-hour area with a 1+0 time management; the prize fund is $1,000. Like Titled Tuesday and Arena Kings, Bullet Brawl typically options prime GMs, together with Hikaru Nakamura, Andrew Tang, Tuan Minh Le, and plenty of extra!

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