Bullet Brawl Dec. 27, 2025: Bluebaum Leapfrogs Tang, Claims 1st Bullet Brawl Title

German candidate and GM Matthias Bluebaum has etched his name into the annals of Bullet Brawl history after surging at the tail end of Saturday’s event to win his maiden title.

Bluebaum kept in contention for the $400 first prize with a nine-game streak in the dying minutes of the arena, capping it off with a win over GM Andrew Tang in the penultimate game to steal victory.

Tang, along with IMs Renato Terry and Yoseph Taher, won $250, $150, and $100, respectively, for their second through fourth finishes, while FM Anastasia Avramidou will receive the $100 best women’s prize once again.

The first Bullet Brawl of 2026 will commence on Saturday, Jan. 3, at 12 p.m. ET/18:00 CET.

Standings

(Full final standings here.)

Despite Bluebaum having a breakthrough year, a first Bullet Brawl title had eluded him until Saturday. However, with many of the world’s best speed chess players otherwise occupied at the 2025 FIDE World Rapid Championship, it was an opportune time for Bluebaum to make his mark. Still, GMs Tang, Tuan Minh Le, and an army of IMs and bullet specialists stood in his way.

After starting with 6.5/7, Bluebaum’s title ambitions were rocked by an ambush laid by the Iranian IM Reza Mahdavi. Following a seemingly innocuous capture, Bluebaum was blindsided by a zwischenzug that led to checkmate on the 19th move.

Plagued by the nature of the loss, Bluebaum went on to score a lackluster 6/12 in his next games. He dropped points to several non-GM opponents, as well as Tang and Mahdavi once again. By this point, the latter pair had established a lead, and a resilient response was the only way for Bluebaum to get back in the hunt.

A trio of quick wins then galvanized the 28-year-old. Against CM Alexander Logachiov, Bluebaum found the brilliant 17…Bf5!!, which diverted his opponent’s queen and allowed him to drive Logachiov’s king to the center of the board.

In the second half of the event, Bluebaum put together 12- and 10-game unbeaten streaks and the arena soon evolved into a sprint finish between him and Tang. Although Bluebaum trailed by a few points, fortunate pairings saw him face and defeat the leader twice in the last 10 minutes. 

The decisive game saw the players jostle for space and optimal squares in the rare Queen’s Gambit Declined: Baltic Defense, Argentinian Gambit, and this was where the world number-43 shone. The position crumbled quickly once Bluebaum snuck a rook behind Tang’s front line.

With this being his first title, Bluebaum is the 16th player to win Bullet Brawl since its inception in 2023.