Try ChessReps and start learning chess openings from the best: https://chessreps.com/mustreader Today I'm joined by GM Oleksandr Bortnyk, one of the world's strongest speed chess players. He shares practical advice on improving at blitz and bullet, explains why even bad openings can work, and discusses why some strong players struggle with faster time controls. We also talk about the best blitz and bullet players in the world, including his views on Magnus Carlsen and Hikaru Nakamura. Oleksandr shares the harder side of a chess career: the financial challenges of competing below 2700, his difficult childhood, and collecting scrap metal to afford trips to tournaments. We discuss what he wants to achieve next and what he thinks is wrong with the Esports World Cup qualification system. And of course, we finish with a blitz game: I get three minutes, while Oleksandr gets just 30 seconds — the same time odds Daniel Naroditsky gave me when he was on the podcast. Don't miss it! Oleksandr's YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BortnykChess96 Oleksandr's X: https://x.com/BortnykChess Support me on Patreon: https://patreon.com/mustreader My X: https://x.com/mustreader My channel with podcast highlights: https://www.youtube.com/@CwMClips Collabs: mazdrid@gmail.com Many thanks to my Patreon supporter: Sarterus 00:00 — Intro 01:52 — Getting better at speed chess 03:46 — Does Puzzle Rush help? 06:42 — Is speed chess just tactics? 09:14 — Why some struggle at blitz 11:38 — Why ratings can mislead 13:21 — The best blitz players 18:18 — The best bullet players 21:08 — Bullet, blitz, rapid: different styles? 24:06 — Garbage openings work! 25:47 — Arjun's wild opening ideas 27:03 — Magnus's opening experiments 28:15 — Bortnyk's next steps in chess 29:17 — Bortnyk's last project with Naroditsky 32:27 — The best blitz time control 34:08 — Bortnyk's difficult childhood 40:24 — Why Bortnyk chose speed chess 47:14 — Classical chess doesn't pay 49:01 — Would Bortnyk return to classical? 51:45 — Playing for NAVI 52:42 — Chess salaries in esports 57:00 — What's wrong with EWC qualification? 01:02:36 — Blitz vs Bortnyk 01:07:19 — Game analysis My name is Greg Mustreader, I am a Candidate Master in chess, an entrepreneur and host of several podcasts. On the Chess with Mustreader channel, I interview top chess players, play against chess AIs, analyze the most interesting chess games and combinations of today and of the past, as well as show you my path in chess and the way I work on my chess improvement (including recaps from the tournaments I play). I live in Almaty, Kazakhstan and travel the world extensively (been to 50 countries). I'm 33 years old, I’m married, and I have three dogs and four cats. I speak English, Russian, German, and a bit of French and Chinese. Don't forget to subscribe! #oleksandrbortnyk #magnuscarlsen #blitzchess #bulletchess #grandmaster #chesspodcast #esportsworldcup #chesswithmustreader #chess