100-0 Denied: Bullet Grandpa Beats Dubov In Game 28

100-0 Denied: Bullet Grandpa Beats Dubov In Game 28

Arizona businessman and amateur chess player Josh Smith (@BulletGrandpa) won a single game against super-GM Daniil Dubov in the final match of the 100-0 Project Season 1 to prevent a super-adoption. The question was whether a super-grandmaster can beat an amateur in 100 consecutive bullet games without a single draw. Smith won game 28, though Dubov won all 99 of the other games.

Dubov earned $10,000 for participating, but not the $20,000 promised for sweeping the match. IM Danny Rensch also announced Season 2 will take place from December 2026 to March 2027, culminating in a match against final boss GM Levon Aronian.

Greg Mustreader and Smith created the 100-0 Project to pit an amateur bullet enthusiast against world-class opposition in a match that can, in theory, go either way. "Can the absolute best players in the world beat me 100-0?" asked the Bullet Grandpa, who is 49 years old, in the video trailer. The answer, at least in the first edition, is no.

Smith had prepared for months ahead of the final boss, Dubov. From September through October, he played 50-game matches against many content creators and chess personalities. As you can see in the table below, he wasn't swept in any of them, even by GMs Arturs Neiksans or Vasif Durarbayli.

While the training matches consisted of 50 games, the final match was 100. The time control was 1+0, the standard for "pure" bullet.

On October 6, Bullet Grandpa—who estimates he's played over 250,000 bullet games—had set his record of 2579 rating in bullet chess, but he started this match with a 2424 rating. Dubov was at a monstrous 3225. The grandmaster won the first 27 games with several sacrifices and brilliant moves along the way.

Dubov's vast opening knowledge, even of dubious lines, was on full display in this match—and even with just a minute, he converted advantages with brutal precision. Game three was a good example of Dubov winning right out of the opening against a Czech Benoni. After 9.Bb5+, there's no good move to recommend for Black. He fell apart.

The first nine games were all one-sided. Game six was a 16-move miniature that Dubov won with the black pieces. The attack started with the pawn sacrifice 7...e3! to open up the white king.

Efficiency is key in bullet chess, as you want to win quickly to avoid even the possibility of losing on time. Dubov hardly got into time trouble, and 40.f3 in the next game is a good example of Dubov's incisive conversion. The game ended with a satisfying checkmate just one move later.

Game 10 is the closest Smith got to holding a draw in the early stage, but trading into the knight endgame allowed Dubov to take over in an equal-material endgame with the more active king.

One of the biggest fears for Dubov must have been a mouse slip. We did see a mouse slip in game 14, but as GM Kayden Troff (Smith's coach) announced, "The first mouse slip, but not for Dubov!"

In game 15, Dubov's queen sacrifice 27.Qc6!! is one of the best moves of the day. If the queen is captured, 28.Rb8 is checkmate.

In game 24, Smith outplayed Dubov briefly but went on to lose control in the rook and opposite-color bishop endgame. The grandmaster went on to win with a rare checkmate, strangely ending the game with a king move!

Every 25 games, the players took a break. So three games after the first break, Smith had already decided the match. In game 28, Smith hung his queen, Dubov didn't see it and hung his bishop in return, and the amateur went on to win in the time scramble.

Josh Smith hangs his queen, but Dubov doesn't see it and blunders a bishop in return! Smith is now winning! https://t.co/BPb9w8FO0t https://t.co/EH6re6YTAQ — chess24 ( @chess24com ) November 7, 2026

Celebrating the victory, Bullet Grandpa yelled out, "He's human!"

"He's human! He bleeds!" The Bullet Grandpa celebrates as he wins game 28, so Dubov is unable to win 100-0! https://t.co/MpFf1h5pdS — chess24 ( @chess24com ) November 7, 2026

Although the experiment was effectively over, the players continued the match and played out the rest of the games. The lowered stakes may have helped Dubov loosen up, and he surprised even himself with the 99-1 final score. He said he expected 97-3 or even 95-5. "There were two or three games where I was lucky chess-wise," he said, referring to games he saved on time rather than by the strength of his moves. The following clip shows one of those games:

The Bullet Grandpa nearly wins a second game, but Dubov slips away and wins! https://t.co/Ros1zuiN6d — chess24 ( @chess24com ) November 7, 2026

Smith, after denying the sweep, said, "I was just blown away. I've never played a super-elite player of Dubov's caliber before, and I have incredible respect for his tactics." He said the match was even more difficult than he thought it would be. And he explained: "I run out of ideas. I run out of moves, and it feels so hopeless, but I try to come up with certain things, but it's so easy to put you up on a pedestal and say that you're [Dubov] just inhuman, that you're just a robot."

I was just blown away. I've never played a super-elite player of Dubov's caliber before. —Josh Smith

Dubov responded, "It's not about a pedestal or whatever. It's just you've gotta wait for this blunder, and this blunder will come for sure. And there will be like five games where you get a chance, or maybe more games actually."

You've gotta wait for this blunder, and this blunder will come for sure. And there will be like five games where you get a chance, or maybe more games actually. —Daniil Dubov's advice for Smith

As the Bullet Grandpa prepares for Season 2, which will feature a final match against Aronian, he will have to think hard about his openings with White. Dubov explained he'd watched some of the training matches and recommended playing those in secret next time. He identified a pattern: Smith likes to play, regardless of move orders, the moves d4, Nf3, b3, Bb2, g3, Bg2—that kind of setup, which you can easily premove. Dubov trusted he'd get better positions with White every game, but he did work on countering this setup with Black.

Can the Bullet Grandpa do it again, against Levon Aronian? Let us know your Season 2 predictions in the comments below!

How to review? You can review the event on the Chess24 Twitch or YouTube pages. You can also check out The Bullet Grandpa on YouTube. The live broadcast was hosted by GM Kayden Troff and Greg Mustreader.

An amateur bullet enthusiast from Arizona took on a gauntlet of streamers and masters in epic matches, all building toward one shot at super-GM Daniil Dubov. The final match, taking place on November 7 on Chess.com, was a 100-game match with a 1+0 time control per game. Winning all 100 games would have earned Dubov the full $20,000 prize, while a single draw for the Bullet Grandpa would have resulted in Dubov earning just $10,000.

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