Chess at Warp Speed: Nakamura Sets a Bullet Brawl Calendar Record as Bluebaum Wins Freestyle Friday
Hikaru Nakamura won his 20th one-minute Bullet Brawl of 2026, a calendar record, with Vietnam's Le Tuan Minh third. Bluebaum took Freestyle Friday.
Imagine a chess game where each player has one minute for the whole game, with no extra time added per move. That is bullet chess, and on Saturday, 3 October, Hikaru Nakamura reminded everyone why he is the format's king. He won Chess.com's Bullet Brawl again and set a new record for the most wins in a calendar year.
Twenty wins out of 21
The Bullet Brawl is a two-hour online arena at a 1+0 time control: one minute per player, no increment. In an arena, players are paired again as soon as their game finishes. The more you win, and the faster you win, the more points you collect.
Nakamura topped Saturday's event with 155 points and took the US$400 first prize. According to Chess.com, it was:
- His fourth Bullet Brawl win in a row
- His 20th win of 2026, a record for one calendar year, set with three months still to go
- His 69th Bullet Brawl win overall
He has now won 20 of the 21 Bullet Brawls held this year, a win rate of about 95 per cent. He wasn't entirely happy with his play, though. "I think I've won 20 of 21 Bullet Brawls... very good consistency, even though today was easily the worst Bullet Brawl I've had in a very long time," he said.
A Southeast Asian on the podium
Vietnamese grandmaster Le Tuan Minh finished third with 137 points and won US$150.
Saturday's prize winners:
- GM Hikaru Nakamura, 155 points (US$400)
- GM Jose Martinez, 140 points (US$250)
- GM Le Tuan Minh, 137 points (US$150)
- GM Pranav Venkatesh, 136 points (US$100)
IM Rose Atwell won the best women's prize (US$100). The next Bullet Brawl is on Saturday, 10 October.
Freestyle Friday: shuffled pieces, World Championship spots
A day earlier, on Friday, 2 October, Chess.com's Freestyle Friday series began its new season. Freestyle chess, also known as Chess960, shuffles the pieces on the back rank at the start of every game. That means players can't rely on memorised openings.
This season the series offers qualifying spots for the 2027 FIDE Freestyle Chess World Championship through its knockout standings.
Germany's GM Matthias Bluebaum won the opening event with 9/11 and US$400. Three players finished half a point behind on 8.5/11: GM Oleksandr Bortnyk, GM Pranav Venkatesh and GM S.L. Narayanan. Hans Niemann scored 7.5/11 in a strong field that also included Jan-Krzysztof Duda and Parham Maghsoodloo.
Bluebaum's win wasn't always smooth. Commentator Vidit noted that, by engine evaluation, Bluebaum gave his round-nine opponent, Renato Terry, three to five chances before converting the key win.
Why speed chess is booming
Bullet and freestyle are two of the most watchable formats in chess right now. Games are short, mistakes happen live, and the results are often surprising. India's Pranav Venkatesh, who finished in the prizes at both events, shows how the same players are competing across several new formats.
For Malaysian chess fans, these weekly events are free to watch online. They are also a chance to follow Southeast Asian players such as Le Tuan Minh against the world's best.
Key takeaways
- Hikaru Nakamura won the 3 October Bullet Brawl, his 20th win of 2026 and a calendar-year record.
- Vietnam's GM Le Tuan Minh finished third in the one-minute event.
- Matthias Bluebaum won the season's first Freestyle Friday with 9/11.
- Freestyle Friday now offers qualifying spots for the 2027 FIDE Freestyle Chess World Championship.
FAQ
What is bullet chess? A very fast format. In the Bullet Brawl, each player gets one minute for the whole game with no increment (1+0).
What is freestyle chess? Also called Chess960, it shuffles the back-rank pieces at random before each game, so players can't rely on prepared openings.
How many Bullet Brawls has Nakamura won? According to Chess.com, he has won 69 overall, including 20 of the 21 held in 2026.
Sources: Chess.com