Double Dozen Results + Terrific Twelve Match-Ups!
Hola, amigos y amigas, bloggers, and members of BlogChamps 
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We had a great package of new blog submissions this stage! We want to thank all participants who submitted on time for being good sports.
Unfortunately, it was very disappointing to see 2 late submissions by @RikLIkesTacos1 and @alphaous. By the rules of late submissions, one of the judge's votes on your blog will be given to your opponent. I hope the next stages of the season will not have any late entries. Next season, we will be switching back to the old format to avoid the risk of late submissions at all costs.
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Now it is time to get into the results! Out of 24 contestants, only half of them will move on, and it is time to figure out who they will be!
Dear judges @Alina_Bakhtina_24, @PokeGirl93, @KevinSmithIdiot, @JustGettingThisOffMyChess, @nbrasington, and @ChocoCaramelPawn worked hard for the fairest and fastest verdict. Let's thank them for spending their time reading and rating all entries.
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I will not make you wait any longer. Below is the summary of every matchup and its result. The comments in the announcement will focus on the positive aspects, and more detailed feedback for each blog will be posted in a separate forum.
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P.S.: This season, the board management, consisting of Vanessa Bristow, @VOB96, The Kiwi Hobbit, the club's owner, and that ATC from New Zealand, decided not to publish the scores of each match (this ballot ended 3-2). If you want to know the match results, please message her in private.
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Group A - nova-stone vs. RikLikesTacos1
@nova-stone wrote a hilarious post about sabotaging yourself like a pro! This guide will help you on reaching success in chess and in real life in the longest and hardest way possible, or even better, not reach it at all! - The Blueprint of Avoidable Success
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@RikLIkesTacos1 decided to put all bad openings together in one blog and rank them! Be prepared to meet Grob opening, Bongcloud, and many others! Who will win the trophy for the worst opening? Read the blog to find out. - Ranking the WORST openings in chess
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A round of applause for our first qualified blogger:
CLICK HERE
@nova-stone⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Group B - theeldest1 vs. Shirogitsune14
@theeldest1 shared his experience about the 133rd New Zealand Chess Congress, which he took part in. The blog will tell you a full story - from the airplane ride to the final reflection - and you will experience this journey fully in this amazing report. - I played the 133rd New Zealand Chess Congress!
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@Shirogitsune14 wrote a blog about a common disbelief that openings will fix your chess skills. Why are so many people still willing to spend time on reading opening books, and what do you actually have to do to improve your chess? Find out all of that in this article. - Why Memorizing Openings Won’t Fix Your Chess
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Congratulations on your great blogs! However, we can only qualify one, and it was:
CLICK HERE
@theeldest1⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Group C - DocSimooo vs. jolie92
@DocSimooo did not disappoint with another great post by drawing parallels between the real world and the chess world. Pawns, sacrifices, minority attacks - every chess term has its own representation in real life, you just have to find it! - Pawns: Prey or Predators? A Reflection on Vulnerabilities.
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@jolie92 wrote an amazing article on Prophylaxis. While it sounds like a scary term, it is really easy to learn, actually! Her blog will go over every detail you need to know, along with a lot of examples to make it easier to understand for you! - How to Say No with Prophylaxis
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Drumrolls for our winner, please:
CLICK HERE
@DocSimooo⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Group D - MaybeEvery vs. PolishDavidd
@MaybeEvery is here with yet another of their funny bot monthly review! This time, they went to Martin's New Year's Party! Get ready for many exciting matches against holiday bots that got stronger with the new year spirit! - i went to martins new years party
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@PolishDavidd brings up a very important topic in his blog: tactical training. On all playing levels, tactics matter a lot, usually resulting in turning losing positions into winning ones. His blog will tell you about 3 types of training and help you improve at tactics. - Three Types of Tactical Training (And Why Most Players Train Tactics Wrong)
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What an exciting match! The only one who will advance is:
CLICK HERE
@PolishDavidd⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Group E - HornetCruise vs. Tec
@HornetCruise continued his interviews with top bloggers, and this time he gathered 4 of them to share their thoughts. How did they start their blogging journey? What is their creative process? How did Top Blogger status change their life? Find out more here! - The Reminisces of Top Bloggers - Part II
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@Tec wrote about his wonderful experience of participating in his first tournament in 2026. What made him sign up for a tournament during the winter holidays, and how did he perform? Crazy games, funny stories off the board, this blog has it all. - Giving and Taking - The U18 PJEM 2026
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Let's congratulate the winner of Group E:
CLICK HERE
@HornetCruise⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Group F - Mmm_Goat_Milk vs. Garudapura
@Mmm_Goat_Milk wrote a blog about how and why chess was not allowed in Antarctica! What was the story behind all of this, and what led to a curious ban on chess from the entire continent? Let's read and find out! - Why Chess is ILLEGAL in Antartica
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@Garudapura wrote about situations in chess when you do not want to castle. Catch some of your opponents off-guard by reading this blog, along with some examples of how top players won without castling. - The Art of Not Castling | When to Not Castle and Crush your Opponents!
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But who wins? Well, the judges decided that it was:
CLICK HERE
@Mmm_Goat_Milk⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Group G - read-23 vs. Deepsealore
@read-23 wrote some brief explanations about quiet moves in chess! How to find them, and when to make them? This blog will tell you that, along with some examples and puzzles, to help you learn the topic! Read his blog here. - Making Noise about Quiet Moves
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@Deepsealore wrote about the things you need to learn to start seeing things that you couldn't before. What skills do you need to change your entire understanding of chess and football? What are the connections? Check out his blog. - What Pep Guardiola and Magnus Carlsen See, That You Don't
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Quiet moves are important in football, too, right? Congratulations to the winner:
CLICK HERE
@read-23⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Group H - Anna_Chess11 vs. Charlie_Harold
@Anna_Chess11 decided to write a blog about Magnus Carlsen. His journey, his thinking process, pressures, and choices - this blog will tell you the full story of his life and what he had to come through in order to achieve greatness. - Beyond the Board: The Mind and Journey of Magnus Carlsen
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@Charlie_Harold wrote a post about the history of online chess. What started as symbols getting through the telegraph line, quickly transformed into the existence of online chess tournaments, smart boards, pre-moving, and more. - From Bugs To Bullet: The Long Evolution Of Online Chess
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Present vs. past in an exciting match. Please welcome the winner:
CLICK HERE
@Charlie_Harold⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Group I - WinT0L0ss vs. fischersh2pawn
@WinT0L0ss tells us a story about the longest chess climb the world had ever seen. Franklin got a national master title that took 45 years to achieve, all the hard moments he had to overcome, and his mindset. Read about him here. - The Longest Climb
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@fischersh2pawn wrote about another of his tournament recaps. While the start was normal, in the next games, he got paired with multiple national masters and child prodigies! How will he perform, and will he get closer to achieving the NM title? Read to find out. - Charlotte, CAVA, Cameras, and Child Prodigies
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You are both GMs as bloggers! But the winner was:
CLICK HERE
@WinT0L0ss⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Group J - BugMeLater vs. JDChesss121
@BugMeLater, inspired by Bobby Fischer, shows us 3 of the most memorable games that he has ever played. Get ready for the beauty of chess with some of the most amazing sacrifices and brilliant moves! - My 3 Most Memorable Games
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@JDChess121 wrote about the career of Vasily Smyslov. This article will tell you about all of the hard work he put into himself to become a world champion. 9 years of trial and error finally paid off. Read more. - The Career of Vasily Smyslov | The Forgotten Champion - Part 1
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The winner of this exciting match was:
CLICK HERE
@JDChess121⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Group K - alphaous vs. WillowCat423
@alphaous decided to make a tier list blog, but not a usual one. Here, he ranks world championships! You will find out a lot of interesting chess historical facts and see some of the most memorable games along the way. - The World Championship Tier List, Part 2
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@WillowCat423 decided to write a chess biography about himself! His first chess game, training sessions in the chess club, and how the start of college affected his games, truly an amazing and inspiring story to read. - My Origin Story: From Blunders to Brilliance
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Not without trouble, the judges decided that the winner was:
CLICK HERE
@WillowCat423⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Group L - GM-Dimitrios-M vs. Chesser1492
@GM-Dimitrios-M, inspired by @MaybeEvery's blog, decided to write his own take on the new monthly Martin's bots! Get ready for a New Year's party with interesting conversation, games, and full of questionable moves. - Martin invite me to his New Year's Eve Party.
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@Chesser1492 had a really interesting idea of writing about world champions before they got their crown. What was their chess and personality like when they were young? What did their chess games look like? Let's find out! - Before the Crown
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Ladies and gentlemen, the last qualified blogger is:
CLICK HERE
@Chesser1492⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Congratulations to the qualified bloggers!
And a brief message to those who didn't qualify: you did an amazing job because you reached the knockouts in one of the toughest seasons ever and had a great run! All eliminated blogs could easily be in the next round, but the rules only allowed us to pick one. We hope you come back even stronger in Season 11!
And we decided that yes, if you were knocked out now, you are allowed to compete in the Valentine's Day Contest!
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Below, you can see the updated bracket and the next match-ups:
If you are qualified, please confirm your participation in the Terrific Twelve by writing a short comment in this announcement, or send @ChocoCaramelPawn or @VOB96 a DM. And here is the link to the closed forum with the detailed feedback to all 23 blogs. As always, feel free to drop me a DM if you need more details or tips:
Season 10 Double Dozen - Feedback Forum
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TERRIFIC TWELVE KICKOFF
Now the next stage begins! You are a few steps away from getting the coveted Zachary Isaac Snow II Trophy, so please keep going, and most importantly, don't forfeit!
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The rules are simple:
• You have until February 19th, 23:59 EST (Eastern Standard Time) to submit your blog in the following forum: Submission Forum - Season 10 Terrific Twelve
• We are giving you 15 days. Make sure you submit before the deadline, and if you can't, message us and we will try to solve the problem, but only if strictly necessary. The rules for delayed submissions are still valid.
• Please don't forfeit! This is one of the biggest and toughest seasons we have ever had, and if you don't submit, there will no longer be a replacement for you! So, in respect to me, @VOB96, the other judges, and the competitors, publish a blog within the deadline, even if it cannot be perfect.
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FAQ
1) This bracket does not show the next match-ups. How will I know who my next opponent is if I qualify?
- The pairings for the next round (Super Six) will be determined by the overall seeds. The highest-seeded among the qualified bloggers will be matched against the lowest-seeded one. The second-highest will be matched against the second-lowest, and so on... Therefore, it is only possible to know your next opponent once all the results have been defined. Read: Season 10 Knockout System.
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2) I was not qualified. Should I be a good sport and congratulate my opponent for the healthy competition, or should I whine that the judges robbed me for absolutely no reason?
A: I don't really need to answer that, do I? Remember that everything here is friendly, and this competition is just for fun. Get the most out of your participation, be happy for your opponent, and come back even stronger next time!
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3) I'm qualified, but I've lost the motivation and don't want to write anymore. Would it be too bad if I just didn't submit?
A: Yes, it would! Please try your best to submit a blog, even if it can't be perfect. The main idea of this competition is... well, to compete. I'm sure you'd hate to go to the stadium to watch your favorite sport and find out that one of the teams simply didn't show up. No one forced you to join, but now that you are in, I kindly ask you to play until you are eventually knocked out (or win). So please submit a blog!
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4) If I am not competing, should I continue to follow the Season, or am I no longer welcome, and should stop talking about it?
A: The more viewers, the better! You are welcome to make predictions (forum coming soon), read the submitted blogs to learn with them, pick your favorite blogger, and follow all the announcements to see who will be crowned in the end!
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That's all, folks! As always, if you have any questions, message @VOB96 or @ChocoCaramelPawn. Good luck and all the best to all bloggers!
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