Why I'm not watching Pogchamps 4

Rainn Wilson! Playing chess! No way!

This was pretty much my thought process when I saw the lineup for Pogchamps 3. I was so excited to see mainstream celebrities battle it out over the chessboard with some of my favorite streamers. However, when I saw the pogchamps 4 lineup, I didn’t feel the same way.

While the latest pogchamps is not lacking in the streamer department, it doesn’t have any big name attention draws. There’s no Dwight Schrute or Logic the rapper to get me excited about the event. The closest thing this event has to a celebrity is Mr. Beast, but as much as I love him, he doesn’t really count.

Pogchamps is the biggest event in chess, and therefore chess.com needs to be stepping it up every year. They did exactly that for pogchamps 3, and that’s what made it so great. This year however, seems to be a step down from the previous event.

Don’t get me wrong, pogchamps 4 definitely does have its redeeming qualities. One thing I’ve always really loved about pogchamps is the charity side of it, and the charity this year is really cool. This year, chess.com is matching up to $100,000 worth of community donations. All of the proceeds from the event are going towards Rise Above The Disorder, which provides free mental health services for thousands of people.

 I’m also really looking forward to seeing the Botez twins as the primary commentators for the event. They’ve done some commentary and coaching previously for pogchamps, and I’ve always enjoyed watching them on the streams. I’m excited that they’re getting more screen time this year.

Now, just because I don’t plan on watching pogchamps this year, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t. If you’ve been looking forward to this pogchamps since the last concluded, don’t let me discourage you. And if you do plan on watching it, I hope you enjoy it, cheer on the streamers, and donate if you can.

( By the way, if you’re reading this chess.com, no hard feelings, please make me a top blogger. Love you. Bye.)