The Daniil Dubov vs. untitled club player Josh Smith Bullet match took place on November 7 on Chess.com. Dubov won 99 games out of 100 and lost one game. Daniil did not receive the $10,000 sweep bonus.

Josh Smith defeated Dubov in the 28th game. Smith Blundered by placing his Queen under attack in the Middlegame. Daniil did not react to Josh’s move and did not take the free Queen. Smith captured Dubov’s Bishop on the next move and gained a significant advantage.

The game Daniil lost was the only one where the players’ Elo changed. Smith gained 16 Bullet points on Chess.com, and Dubov lost 16 points. Daniil and Josh’s ratings were 3198 and 2440 points respectively at the end of the match.

The match consisted of 100 Bullet games with a 1+0 time control. The prize fund for the match was $20,000. Dubov received $10,000 as a starting fee. Had Daniil won 100-0, he would have received a $10,000 sweep bonus.

Josh Smith is an amateur player with a US Chess rating of around 1800. Josh is a 49-year-old businessman from the state of Arizona, USA.

Chess.com co-founder Danny Rensch announced Season 2. Josh Smith will play against World’s No. 20 Levon Aronian in the final. The season will take place from December 2026 to March 2027.

Credit: Lennart Ootes / FIDE