National Masters Defeat Super-GM Duo to Claim Second Bughouse Championship Title

National Masters Isaac Chiu and Janak Awatramani have etched their names into bughouse chess history by becoming the first duo to win the Chess.com Bughouse Championship twice. The defending champions overcame a formidable challenge from the 2024 titleholders, Grandmasters Jeffery Xiong and Awonder Liang, in a dramatic Grand Final Reset that showcased the unique intensity of bughouse chess.

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The Path to the Final

Both teams entered the tournament as the clear favorites, having won the previous two editions of the championship. Chiu and Awatramani, who had finished second in the 2024 tournament before claiming their first title in 2025, demonstrated their dominance throughout the bracket.

Dominant Quarterfinal Performances

In the Winners Quarterfinals, both top teams made strong statements. Chiu and Awatramani cruised past Aronsson and Dubansky with an 8-5 victory, while Xiong and Liang delivered the most lopsided result of the round, crushing Jalen Wang and Grace Ferguson by an 8-1 margin.

Semifinal Showdowns

The Winners Semifinals set the stage for the inevitable clash between the two champion teams. Chiu and Awatramani overwhelmed FM Eilia Zomorrodian and Michael Shinder with a dominant 13-2 scoreline. Meanwhile, Xiong and Liang faced a tougher challenge, nearly being knocked out of the Winners Bracket before mounting a comeback to win 6-4.

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Winners Final: National Masters Edge Out Grandmasters

The Winners Final delivered the first installment of the championship showdown. The national masters raced to a 4-1 lead, with one victory lasting just over 30 seconds — a testament to the lightning-fast nature of bughouse with its 2|0 bullet time control.

The grandmasters fought back to tie the score 5-5, but the match remained deadlocked at 7-7 when the match clock expired. Under the tournament’s overtime rules, the first team to gain a two-point lead would claim victory. Awatramani gave his team an 8-7 lead with a knight checkmate on g2, but Liang immediately leveled the score at 8-8 with a pawn checkmate on the adjacent board. Chiu and Awatramani then won the final two games, with Chiu flagging Xiong in the decisive encounter to secure the match and advance to the Grand Final.

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Losers Bracket: Grandmasters Fight Back

Xiong and Liang dropped to the Losers Final, where they faced the team of GM Lars Oskar Hauge and IM Mark Plotkin, who had battled through the bracket to reach this stage. The super-GMs secured a 7-4 victory to earn a rematch against Chiu and Awatramani in the Grand Final Reset.

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Grand Final Reset: Champions Prove Their Mettle

The Grand Final Reset gave Xiong and Liang the opportunity to avenge their earlier loss. With both teams having won the event in previous years, the match was expected to be a tight contest. However, Chiu and Awatramani demonstrated why they are considered the best bughouse duo in the world, emerging victorious in the reset and securing their second championship title.

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Prize and Legacy

The victory earned Chiu and Awatramani $1,500 for their title defense, along with the distinction of being the first duo to win the championship twice. Their dominance at the Chess.com Bughouse Championship is unsurprising given their formidable online ratings — Awatramani has held the top spot on the Chess.com bughouse leaderboard with a rating exceeding 3000, nearly 300 points ahead of the next highest-rated player.

The team’s success extends beyond online competition. In June 2026, they claimed the inaugural WR Bughouse Championship in Manila, defeating GM Andrew Tang and FM Richard Zheng in a three-match final to take home $50,000..

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Key Results

Position	Players	Title
1	Isaac Chiu & Janak Awatramani	NM
2	Jeffery Xiong & Awonder Liang	GM
T3	Lars Oskar Hauge & Mark Plotkin	GM & IM
T3	Eilia Zomorrodian & Michael Shinder	FM & NM

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Chiu and Awatramani’s victory cements their status as the premier bughouse team in the world. With two consecutive Chess.com Bughouse Championship titles and the inaugural WR Bughouse Championship crown, the national masters have proven that their partnership is unmatched in the chaotic and thrilling format of bughouse chess.