Bullet Brawl Nov. 20, 2025: Xiong Beats 34 Players Rated Over 3000 En Route To Second Title

For finishing second, third, and fourth, Bortnyk, IM Renato Terry, and GM Andrew Tang will receive $250, $150, and $100, respectively, while FM Anastasia Avramidou will receive $100 for being the highest-scoring women’s player.

The last Bullet Brawl of 2025 will commence on Saturday, Dec. 27, at 12 p.m. ET/18:00 CET.

Standings

(Full final standings here.)

Xiong always exhibits an abundance of showmanship in the Bullet Brawl arena, and Saturday was no exception. In his last title-winning run, Xiong employed the Orangutan Opening in most of his games with White. While his openings were more orthodox this week, they were still packed to the brim with drama and flair.

A battle of endurance against whiz kid and IM Faustino Oro was the first hurdle Xiong had to overcome, and when he confirmed victory on the 51st move, momentum seemed to carry him through his next four games. 

In his sixth game, Xiong faced his greatest challenge yet, the reigning European champion and 2026 candidate, GM Matthias Bluebaum. Bluebaum played his favorite French Defense and dispatched Xiong with near-perfect precision. Following this game, subsequent losses to GM Tuan Minh Le and Bortnyk threatened to derail Xiong.

With more than 15 3000+ rated players playing in the event, streaks were more consequential than individual losses. When Xiong put together 11- and 10-game unbeaten streaks at the halfway point, despite playing opponents such as GMs Bluebaum, Tang, Le, Emin Ohanyan, and IMs Reza Mahdavi and Terry, his winning chances skyrocketed.

Against Terry, Xiong secured a 17-move win after the Peruvian’s king failed to get out of the center.

Another win in the French Defense, this time from the black side, came against IM Robert Piliposyan in even fewer moves, after the latter erroneously snapped up a pawn in the aptly named “Poisoned Pawn Variation.”

As per usual, tactical opportunism is a crucial element of the winner’s performance, and when the arena clock expired, a trail of puzzle-worthy highlights lay in Xiong’s wake.

See if you can spot the brilliancies that sealed wins over IM Zurab Javakhadze and Argentinian IM Ilan Schnaider below.

Although Bortnyk finished just six points from Xiong, victory was almost assured with 10 minutes left on the clock. Bortnyk was the beneficiary of one lucky slip against IM Sina Movahed that saw him inch closer to the top.

With two titles to his name, Xiong joins 10 other players as multi-time Bullet Brawl winners. He will have one more chance to take his tally to three should he win 2025’s last brawl next week.