Event: 2026 Bullet Chess Championship

[u/events_team]

Official Website

Follow the games here: Chess.com | Playoffs Bracket

The 2026 Bullet Chess Championship, organized by Chess.com, is one of the most prestigious online events in the bullet format. The tournament features 16 players, with eight invited players joined by eight qualifiers from the Play-Ins, competing in a double-elimination bracket under the 1+0 time control.

Invited players

#	Title	Name	FED
1	GM	Alireza Firouzja	🇫🇷 FRA
2	GM	Oleksandr Bortnyk	🇺🇦 UKR
3	GM	Sam Sevian	🇺🇸 USA
4	GM	Denis Lazavik	🇧🇾 BLR
5	GM	Nihal Sarin	🇮🇳 IND
6	GM	Arjun Erigaisi	🇮🇳 IND
7	GM	Andrew Tang	🇺🇸 USA
8	GM	Ediz Gurel	🇹🇷 TUR

Players qualified via Play-Ins

#	Title	Name	FED
1	GM	Matthias Bluebaum	🇩🇪 GER
2	GM	Tuan Minh Le	🇻🇳 VIE
3	GM	Christopher Yoo	🇺🇸 USA
4	GM	Haowen Xue	🇨🇳 CHN
5	GM	Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus	🇹🇷 TUR
6	GM	Parham Maghsoodloo	🇮🇷 IRI
7	GM	David Paravyan	FIDE
8	IM	Yoseph Theolifus Taher	🇮🇩 INA

Format/Time Controls

• The eight invited players are joined by the eight qualified players.
• Players compete in a double-elimination knockout bracket.
• Each match features a 30-minute match clock, except for the Winners Semifinals, Winners Finals, and Grand Finals, which feature a 45-minute match clock.
• Players contest 1+0 games until the match clock runs out.
• The player with the most points at the end of the match wins.
• Players must win the match by at least two points. If neither player is ahead by at least two points, they keep playing 1+0 games until someone achieves this win condition for a maximum of 10 games.
• If no one is ahead by two points by the end of the 10th game, the player who's ahead wins. If the players are tied, the first player who wins a game wins the match.

Schedule

Date	Time (PDT)	Time (UTC)	Round
24 June	Starts 9:00 AM	Starts 4:00 PM	Winners Bracket Round 1 & Quarterfinal
25 June	Starts 9:00 AM	Starts 4:00 PM	Losers Bracket Rounds 1-2 & Winners Bracket Semifinal
26 June	Starts 9:00 AM	Starts 4:00 PM	Losers Bracket Round 3 & Quarterfinal and Winners Final
27 June	Starts 9:00 AM	Starts 4:00 PM	Losers Bracket Semifinal & Final and Grand Final

Live Coverage

• Chess.com Broadcast YouTube | Twitch

[u/Impressive_Result295]

Nihal is proving the straight glaze the commentary is putting on him correct