Nihal Sets Record With 56-Game Unbeaten Run

GM Nihal Sarin soared to dizzying heights and amassed a total score of 294 in September's fourth Bullet Brawl. Thanks to 78 wins, six draws, and just three losses during the two-hour arena, Nihal finished ahead of 10-time victor GM Hikaru Nakamura (251) and GM Andrew Tang (214) en route to claiming the $400 first prize.

FM Anastasia Avramidou was the winner of the $100 best female prize once again. In Saturday's edition, she placed 15th overall, the highest positioning of a female player in Bullet Brawl so far.

In the 263-player strong community event, user "Carbonara_bonne" garnered a 237 score after winning 66 games and conceding nine.

The next edition of Bullet Brawl will take place next week on Saturday, September 30, 2023, at 1 p.m. ET/19:00 CEST.

A new multi-time Bullet Brawl winner has emerged in Indian prodigy Nihal and the Kerala native announced himself in style in the latest edition. Having reached the quarterfinals of the 2023 Speed Chess Championship and winning Titled Tuesday's late tournament four days ago, Nihal put on an exhibition in Saturday's event.

In September's third edition, we reported that Nakamura had set a new record for the longest undefeated streak in Bullet Brawl history (46 games). However, history has been rewritten just seven days later with Nihal's 56-game unbeaten run. The world number-43's opponents were no easy-beats either, and his run featured an array of wins over dangerous GMs including Jose Martinez, Sergei Zhigalko, Oleksandr Bortnyk, Andrew Hong, and Shamsiddin Vokhidov.

One notable aspect of Nihal's performance was his ability to win games in fewer than 30 moves, a skill that came in handy later in the event as he staved off a comeback from the indomitable Nakamura.

The eventual first- and second-place getters played only once during the two-hour arena, a game which the 19-year-old Sarin was able to win in a clinical fashion in a rook endgame arising from the Modern Defense.

Tang, who placed third, also made an impression with his tactical mastery, which was on full display in his 24-move victory over WFM Marija Larina and earlier against Iranian GM Amin Tabatabaei.

In Bullet Brawl events over the weekend, 108 titled and 263 untitled players participated, and with a healthy weekly prize fund on offer, the world's top bullet chess players will continue to pit themselves against each other in the popular arena.

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!

Previous coverage:

• Nakamura Eclipses Carlsen After 46-Game Unbeaten Streak
• Nihal Streams For First Time in 3 Years, Wins In Bullet Brawl Masterclass
• Nakamura Closes In On 10th Bullet Brawl Title
• Naroditsky Claims 4th Bullet Brawl Title
• Nakamura Sets New Bullet Brawl Record With 83 Wins
• Naroditsky Doubles Down On Bullet Brawl Crown
• Naroditsky Runs Riot In Bullet Brawl
• Bortnyk Blazes Bullet Brawl Field
• Death, Taxes, And Nakamura's Bullet Brawl Victories
• Nakamura Breaks Bullet Brawl Record With 75 Wins
• Naroditsky Collects First Bullet Brawl Title Ahead Of Nakamura, Carlsen
• Nakamura, The King Of Bullet Brawl, Strikes Again
• Bullet Brawl Is Going Weekly
• Martinez Slam-Dunks Second Bullet Brawl Title
• Announcing Chess.com Community Bullet Brawl Tournaments
• Nakamura Wins Bullet Brawl In Final 10 Seconds
• Martinez Scorches 59 Opponents In 2 Hours
• Nakamura Wins Second Bullet Brawl
• Introducing Bullet Brawls And New Arena Options