Bullet Brawl June 13, 2026: Nakamura Wins 10th Bullet Brawl Of 2026, Maintains Perfect Record

GM Hikaru Nakamura, the undisputed king of Bullet Brawl, pulled off another comprehensive victory on Saturday, gaining his 10th title in as many appearances in 2026. Nakamura finished with 182 points, 42 points clear of GM Oleksandr Bortnyk, and a further nine ahead of the third and fourth place-getters, IM Renato Terry and GM Dmitry Andreikin.

While Nakamura fell short of posting another 200+ score, the result was never seriously in doubt as he powered through the 194-player titled field with 53 wins, six draws, and just 10 losses.

Nakamura will receive $400 for the win, while Bortnyk, Terry, and Andreikin will receive $250, $150, and $100, respectively. Meanwhile, Georgian IM Meri Arabidze picked up the $100 best women’s prize.

Standings

(Full final standings here.)

With plenty of established Bullet Brawl regulars in the fray on Saturday, Nakamura had to work hard to bulldoze his way to the top. GMs Matthias Bluebaum, Jeffery Xiong, David Paravyan, and Narayanan S.L. were some of the elite speedsters the American had to overcome, as well as the aforementioned place-getters.

Xiong, in particular, was a menace—the world number-60 kicked off the arena with 14.5/15 and employed his trademark Orangutan Opening (also known as the Polish or Sokolsky) in each of his games with White.

Following the streak, Xiong was unable to keep up the heroics, perhaps owing to a lopsided 3/10 score against Nakamura.

Bluebaum was another player whose punchy start made him a threat; however, four consecutive losses to Nakamura, Paravyan, Narayanan, and Terry shattered his momentum. 

As has so often been the case in 2026, Bortnyk emerged as Nakamura’s closest challenger after the Ukrainian star scored 10.5/12 in the first quarter and kept up the pace. Against Serbian FM Djuro Skaric, Bortnyk needed just 17 moves to procure a nine-point material advantage and prompt his opponent’s resignation.

Naturally, the 10 games between Nakamura and Bortnyk became the focal point of the arena, and although the now 59-time winner scored a commanding 7.5/10, many of the games could’ve swung either way if not for Bortnyk often facing a time deficit.

In one such clash, Bortnyk could have won a rook with tactics but cruelly would have likely lost on time even if he did.

In another, Nakamura tricked Bortnyk into playing 25…Qxd3?? before uncorking a decisive zwischenzug.

Having dealt with most of his would-be rivals personally, Nakamura garnered a 15-point buffer at the top just over an hour into the event, and much like in previous weeks, he extended this lead with an indomitable 13-game streak.

The final game, which was a clean, 25-move victory over Germany GM Rasmus Svane, epitomized the consistency and meticulousness that have helped Nakamura maintain his supremacy in the format.

The American superstar has truly turned Bullet Brawl into his personal playground. Based on current form, his rivals will need something special to halt his march toward yet another title next Saturday.

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