GM Oleksandr Bortnyk won October’s fourth and final Bullet Brawl after he scored 74 wins, one draw, and four losses on his way to a commanding 283 score. The $400 winner was challenged by GMs David Paravyan and Jose Martinez, who earned $250 and $150 respectively for their efforts.

The first-placed female player in the event was IM Karina Ambartsumova, who could only be split from FM Anastasia Avramidou by tiebreak, while the winner of the community event was user “AlbusSevresPotter.”

The next edition of Bullet Brawl will take place on Saturday, November 4, 2023, at 1 p.m. ET/19:00 CEST.

Congrats to today’s #BulletBrawl champ with 74 wins, one draw, and just four losses! @BortnykChess 💪 pic.twitter.com/PeEFnRiVLH

— Chess.com (@chesscom) October 28, 2023

Bortnyk moved up to third place on the all-time Bullet Brawl leaderboard following his triumph in Saturday’s 129-strong titled arena. While streaming on Twitch, he broke away from the field and outpaced each of his main challengers including Paravyan and Martinez as well as GMs Tuan Minh Le and Sergei Zhigalko.

With several notable absentees (GMs Hikaru Nakamura and Daniel Naroditsky), Bortnyk was defeated just four times in the two-hour event and impressively, two of these losses came at the hands of GM Guha Mitrabha, while India’s GM Paneerselvam Iniyan was also able to take down the Ukrainian.

One of the key factors in the Ukrainian-born GM’s run was his ability to keep control of positions despite his opponent’s attempts to muddy the waters, which was exemplified in an attacking masterclass against Greece’s FM Petros Trimitzios.

Despite a first-game loss against Le, Bortnyk stayed calm throughout the event and casually chatted with his viewers as he ran away from the field.

The battle for the $100 top female prize was closer than ever on Saturday and fittingly, Bullet Brawl’s two most common winners of this category, Ambartsumova and Avramidou, finished on an equal score. Thanks to scoring one more win than her longtime rival (29 to 28 wins), Ambartsumova scooped up the prize.

Bullet Brawl continues to bring together many online chess popular personalities of all ages, and October’s final edition was no different. Nine-year-old FM Faustino Oro, dubbed the “Messi of Chess,” took part in the arena and managed to place 14th. Clearly, Oro is a name to look out for in the future.

For those looking to get involved in the action, remember that untitled players can enter the weekly community arena! With over 200 players vying for the title in this week’s edition, this event is a great opportunity for players of all levels to fine-tune their bullet skills and vie for their very own bullet brawl crown.

Standings

Bullet Brawl is an exciting new titled arena that features Chess.com’s top bullet specialists and now 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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