Bortnyk Bolts To 3rd Bullet Brawl Title
Popular streamer GM Oleksandr Bortnyk raced away to win 2023's last Bullet Brawl on 240 points ahead of GM Daniel Naroditsky (232) and GM Jose Martinez (210), who finished second and third respectively. Bortnyk's title is his third of the year and for his efforts, he netted $400.
The top-scoring female player of the week is once again FM Anastasia Avramidou (84) who edged out IM Polina Shuvalova (83) by a single point. "Macmasterr" is the convincing winner of this week's community event, having notched 72 wins en route to victory.
The first Bullet Brawl of the new year will take place on Saturday, January 6, 2024, at 1 p.m. ET/19:00 CEST.
Standings
| Rank | Fed | Title | Name | Username | Rating | Score |
| 1 | GM | Oleksandr Bortnyk | Oleksandr_Bortnyk | 3210 | 240 | |
| 2 | GM | Daniel Naroditsky | DanielNaroditsky | 3239 | 232 | |
| 3 | GM | Jose Martinez | Jospem | 3152 | 210 | |
| 4 | GM | Benjamin Bok | GMBenjaminBok | 2948 | 181 | |
| 5 | GM | Frederik Svane | frederiksvane | 2915 | 170 | |
| 6 | GM | Vugar Rasulov | vugarrasulov | 2964 | 156 | |
| 7 | GM | Matthias Bluebaum | Msb2 | 3002 | 156 | |
| 8 | GM | Minh Truan Tuan | TranJMinh | 2916 | 137 | |
| 9 | GM | Aman Hambleton | KNVB | 2927 | 126 | |
| 10 | IM | Bojan Maksimovic | mbojan | 2927 | 125 | |
| 11 | FM | Gabriel Arteaga | Gravity_Chess | 2902 | 120 | |
| 12 | FM | Dmitry Goltsev | GolstevDmitry2000 | 2843 | 118 | |
| 13 | GM | Rasmus Svane | rasmussvane | 2914 | 117 | |
| 14 | CM | Eqor Baskakov | stollenmonster | 2862 | 115 | |
| 15 | FM | Alex Sahakyan | Alex_Sahakyan2006 | 2851 | 113 | |
| 16 | GM | Vasif Durarbayli | Durarbayli | 2896 | 112 | |
| 17 | GM | Leon Livaic | Elsa167 | 2836 | 98 | |
| 18 | CM | Egor Koshulyan | Egor_Koshulyan | 2725 | 95 | |
| 19 | CM | Matfey Rogov | Statham_13 | 2725 | 95 | |
| 20 | FM | Ilan Schnaider | IlanSchnaider | 2772 | 93 |
(Full final standings here.)
Bortnyk's perseverance throughout 2023 has seen him pick up podium placements in numerous Bullet Brawls, though first place finishes have been few and far between, thanks to GM Hikaru Nakamura and Naroditsky's dominance. In December's final Bullet Brawl, Bortnyk made one thing clear... when he is in his best form, even these bullet chess titans struggle to keep up.
Naroditsky was Bortnyk's main adversary on Saturday and while the eventual winner lost out 2.5/3 in their early clashes, the Ukrainian would have the last laugh, dispatching the site's third-ranked bullet chess player sensationally with 10 minutes left on the arena clock.
Against Hungary's WCM Stefania Sipos, Bortnyk procured another puzzle-worthy finish, this time gaining victory in 17 moves. See if you can find the sacrifice that commences this winning combination. (Note: You may be able to improve on Bortnyk's play by changing the move order; however, this puzzle starts with a brilliant sacrifice.)
Speed was a major factor in Bortnyk's winning run on Saturday, and the content creator was able to get through 80 games in just two hours (67 wins, three draws, and 10 losses).
Premoves naturally played important roles, and Bortnyk has been practicing... a clip that surfaced in November of him premoving (and winning) an entire game will likely become his most watched video on Twitch in the coming weeks.
Avramidou managed to win the $100 best female crown for the third week running, once again managing to eclipse Shuvalova by the slightest of margins. Interestingly, a 24-move draw was agreed upon in the final minute of the event, giving the Greek FM the one-point buffer she needed to claim the prize.
When the new year ticks over, this will no longer be possible as draw offers will be barred in Bullet Brawl arenas as part of reforms for Chess.com's most prestigious prize events. Expect to see more developments on this front following the fiasco in Samarkand involving GMs Ian Nepomniachtchi and Daniil Dubov.
Should we implement permanent football scoring in chess at big events?
— GothamChess (@GothamChess) December 30, 2023
3 points for a win, 1 for a draw.
Make as many draws as you want - it will cost you.
How to review games?
The games from 2023's final Bullet Brawl can be found here.
Bullet Brawl is an exciting new 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!
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