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Tang Snaps Naroditsky's 3-Week Streak
Tang is one of just seven players to win an edition of Bullet Brawl in more than 50 iterations. Photo: Lennart Ootes/Saint Louis Chess Club.

Tang Snaps Naroditsky's 3-Week Streak

JackRodgers
| 31 | Chess Event Coverage

GM Andrew Tang made a statement in Saturday's Bullet Brawl after winning 70 games and accruing 253 points on the way to claiming the $400 first prize and his second title. For the first time since March, a player not named GM Hikaru Nakamura, GM Daniel Naroditsky, or GM Oleksandr Bortnyk won the title, and Tang did so in style, streaking his way through the last 20 games.

Naroditsky finished in second place with 238 points, GM Jose Martinez finished in third with 212, and GM Christopher Yoo rounded out the top four with 207, while WGM Aleksandra Maltsevskaya claimed the $100 best women's prize.

The next Bullet Brawl will commence on Saturday, June 29, 2024, at noon ET/18:00 CEST.

Standings

Rank Fed Title Username Name Rating Score
1 GM penguingm1 Andrew Tang 3169 253
2 GM DanielNaroditsky Daniel Naroditsky 3103 238
3 GM Jospem Jose Martinez 3118 212
4 GM ChristopherYoo Christopher Woojin Yoo 3063 207
5 GM Msb2 Matthias Bluebaum 3108 202
6 GM Oleksandr_Bortnyk Oleksandr Bortnyk 3110 191
7 IM legendisback1 Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus 3029 189
8 IM yosephtaher Yoseph Theolifus Taher 3068 172
9 FM FaustinoOro Faustino Oro 2935 151
10 GM wonderfultime Tuan Minh Le 3091 142
11 GM GMBenjaminBok Benjamin Bok 2942 140
12 GM hansen Eric Hansen 2946 127
13 GM Fandorine Maksim Chigaev 2921 126
14 NM Abund Qingyu Yuan 2863 121
15 GM Javokhir_Sindarov05 Javokhir Sindarov 2891 107
16 WGM Sanyura Aleksandra Maltsevskaya 2746 106
17 FM WindWhistler11 Daniel Gutiérrez Olivares 2669 101
18 IM AlmasRakhmatullaev Almas Rakhmatullaev 2758 99
19 FM kemelgallo Kemel Antonio Gallo García 2719 97
20 CM Puzzlebot_1294 Arush Chitre 2679 95

Tang's job as a quantitative trader at longtime Chess.com sponsor SIG seems to have limited his over-the-board opportunities since January; however, the 2024 Hyperbullet Champion has continued to impress in online events.

Tang and Naroditsky's bullet battles stretch all the way back to more than five years. Image: Tryingtolearn1234/YouTube.

In a field stacked with podium regulars including Naroditsky, Bortnyk, and Jospem as well as GM streamers Tuan Minh Le, Benjamin Bok, and Eric Hansen, Tang had his work cut out for him but was able to build a lead off the back of scintillating attacking miniatures. Many of these games are puzzle-worthy so we've selected a few for you to attempt.

If checkmate was not an option, Tang was able to use his tactical prowess to win material.

This puzzle features a tactical shot by one of Tang's opponents, CM Hristos Marinakis, although the 21-year-old was not able to convert his advantage.

Tang's piece de resistance, though, is a stunning game against FM Mykola Korchynskyi where the U.S. GM played no less than three brilliant moves. The following game is a work of art... if the Louvre exhibited chess games, this would be a candidate. 

"Checkmate" by Moritz Retzsch (1799) once hung in the Louvre museum.

Another performance worth noting is that of the 10-year-old Argentinian FM Faustino Oro. Fresh home from Madrid where he narrowly missed picking up an IM norm, Oro finished ninth in Saturday's Bullet Brawl ahead of Le, Bok, Hansen, and GM Maksim Chigaev.

At the age of 10, Oro has more chess knowledge than most players gain in their lifetime. Photo: Federico Marin Bellon/Madrid Chess Festival.

Chess fans from South America and the surrounds can be excited about Oro's future and hope that the Argentinian continues to improve. GMs Jose Raul Capablanca, Carlos Torre, and Oro's compatriot GM Oscar Panno are just a few of the superstars to emerge from the region.

(Full final standings here)

How to review games?
The games from this week's Bullet Brawl can be found here.



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:

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