GM Alireza Firouzja defended his title because the bullet chess champion by defeating GM Oleksandr Bortnyk 19.5-5.5 within the 2025 Bullet Chess Championship Grand Remaining. It was a dominant exhibiting, because the French number-one received each match by a margin of 10 factors or extra. He earned $10,000.
Runner-up Bortnyk made $8,000 and received two matches on Saturday. He first defeated GM Denis Lazavik 9-7 earlier than successful a one-sided match towards GM Daniel Naroditsky 16.5-5.5.
Bracket
The prizes have up to now been distributed as follows:
Losers Semifinal & Remaining: Bortnyk Exacts Revenge Vs. Naroditsky
Bortnyk received the match towards Lazavik 9-7, reaching the required two-point lead within the final recreation of standard time and thus avoiding tiebreaks. For many of the match, it was extraordinarily shut with neither participant ever reaching greater than a two-point lead.
Early on, Lazavik took the 3-2 lead after his opponent neglected an in-between transfer and blundered a chunk. Although Bortnyk discovered the very best continuation to combat on, just a few strikes later Lazavik trapped the white queen.
However Bortnyk, with Black, evened the rating within the subsequent recreation with a bishop sacrifice on g3. He then took the lead 4.5-3.5 after successful a recreation with, in the long run, 5 pawns for a chunk.
The combat raged on, nevertheless, as a number of video games later Lazavik received two in a row to even the rating at 6-6. The comeback began with Bortnyk strolling right into a mate-in-one (each gamers had been on two seconds):
Bortnyk took a 7-6 lead, however Lazavik defended an important recreation to once more even the rating. It was the final two that determined the match, and Bortnyk received each simply in time to keep away from tiebreaks.
First, in a mad time scramble, Lazavik hung a rook in an equal rook endgame. Then, from a shedding place, Bortnyk noticed the blundered mate-in-one immediately. This received the match, and Bortnyk’s celebration on digicam was fairly superior:
Bortnyk pulls off a checkmate, from a shedding place, to win the sport and match!https://t.co/5NJKAyCCj1#BulletChess pic.twitter.com/Wr1sz1eCZV
— chess24 (@chess24com) June 28, 2025
Subsequent, it was Bortnyk vs. Naroditsky within the Losers Remaining. Whereas Naroditsky had received their earlier match on this occasion 11-7, Bortnyk might hardly have had a extra pronounced run of revenge. He triumphed 16-5.
The match was a catastrophe for Naroditsky straight out of the gates. Bortnyk received the primary eight video games in a row, and the primary query by this level was whether or not he’d get to 10. Sport number-eight featured checkmate on the board as early as transfer 32.
Naroditsky received recreation 9, however then resigned rapidly within the subsequent one, on transfer 18.
It was again to the Bortnyk present from then on out, even when he misplaced 4 video games and dropped two attracts. In his fourth loss, Bortnyk discovered the cold-blooded solely successful transfer 42…Ka6! to parry a harmful assault, although Naroditsky outpaced him within the time scramble.
Revenge was full, and Bortnyk’s reward was a match towards the undefeated, and it appears undefeatable, Firouzja.
Grand Remaining: Firouzja Dominates 2025 BCC
As he had finished in each earlier match, Firouzja by no means left any doubt. He received the Grand Remaining by a monstrous 14-point margin. It was a powerful victory for the French number-one who stated that he is been out of form with bullet chess currently: “Earlier than, I used to be enjoying seven-eight hours per day; now, I’m not enjoying a lot.”
Firouzja received the primary 4 video games in a row. Sport one featured a knight sacrifice for the darkish squares, and there was nothing good to do in regards to the looming checkmate on g7.
The good 23…Bf3!! to equalize an almost misplaced place in recreation 4 was among the best strikes of the match. From there, Firouzja received within the time scramble with the handed a-pawn.
Bortnyk received recreation 5, however he went on to lose the following six in a row. Within the first recreation of that streak, Firouzja impressively rattled off the one approach to win: 31.h5! adopted by 32.g4! for a mating assault on the h-file.
Quickly sufficient, Firouzja was up 10-1. However Bortnyk discovered a pleasant queen lure to web his second win.
Later, with the rating at 12-4, Bortnyk discovered a pleasant approach to lure his opponent’s piece, however Firouzja received anyway with a swindle. By this level Bortnyk’s tilt was entrance and middle.
For the remainder of the match, Bortnyk would win only one extra recreation, whereas Firouzja would rack up seven extra of his personal. The match was determined lengthy earlier than the timer ran out.
Firouzja joined for an interview and stated that this 12 months was undeniably simpler than final 12 months, when he confronted GM Hikaru Nakamura within the Grand Remaining: “For positive it is much less nerve-wracking as a result of final 12 months towards Hikaru was loopy, so I am completely satisfied that it went easily.”
As for staying centered, he defined, “For me it was vital to see what’s my kind within the first match. After the primary match once I realized I am in good condition, I used to be not so fearful. Typically, I believe my opponents underperformed a bit towards me.”
Typically, I believe my opponents underperformed a bit towards me.
—Alireza Firouzja
In regards to the subsequent technology, gamers like IM Faustino Oro, GM Andy Woodward, and GM Yagiz Erdogmus, Firouzja stated, “I believe they’re all very quick and superb, however I do not know if any person like Hikaru or somebody that would actually compete. I do not see it but, however perhaps in just a few years we’ll see one thing like that.”
Firouzja continues to be all for qualifying for the 2026 Candidates Event. He stated he is registered for the 2025 FIDE Grand Swiss, happening in September, and can assess enjoying within the 2025 FIDE World Cup if he would not qualify there.
His subsequent huge occasion would be the 2025 Esports World Cup, the place he’ll symbolize Workforce Falcons (on the identical staff with Nakamura). He stated, “I am actually excited for the [Esports] World Cup. I believe it is one of the vital tournaments of my calendar this 12 months, it is probably the most thrilling one in all probability additionally.”
The 2025 Bullet Chess Championship passed off on Chess.com throughout June 25-28, after Play-ins on June 23. It’s the strongest on-line bullet match and determines the quickest chess participant on this planet. The time management was 1+0. The overall prize fund was $50,000.
Earlier protection:
