It's Deathmatch Time Again Folks!
The Official Chess.com/TV Group Blog
Beginning tomorrow morning (Saturday, April 28th) at 9:30 AM Pacific/12:30 PM Eastern/5:30 PM London time on Chess.com/TV will be the 4th Chess.com Deathmatch coverage by IMs David Pruess and Danny Rensch. The show will be open to ALL Members, no matter what membership level you are.
This Deathmatch is special because it involves two players here on Chess.com; the highest rated bullet player vs. the highest rated blitz player. As it turns out, they are IMs as well. IMs Eric Hansen and Conrad Holt will be duking it out for 3 hours in various stages of time control and for the right to claim the $1,000 prize. "Pre-game" show coverage begins at 9:30 AM Pacific.
Qualifications for this deathmatch ended at midnight, April 14th, and whoever were the top players in each time control were invited to take part in this event. Eric Hansen was the king of the bullet mountain and Conrad Holt held the crown as the #1 blitz player. It should be an excellent match.
The one rule change from previous death matches is that the 5 1 time control is being extended from 1:15 to the first 1:30, and the 1 1 time control is being reduced from :45 to :30. (Excerpt from David Pruess' Blog)
On paper, the match seems razor-close. Holt's ratings are: blitz 2537, bullet 2616 for an average of 2576.5. Hansen's ratings are blitz 2379, bullet 2789, for an average of 2584! Who do you think will prevail in this match-up: the top-rated bullet player or the top-rated blitz player?? (Excerpt from David Pruess' Blog).
For additional information about this event, check out David's blog and get ready for an amazing match tomorrow morning. But remember everyone, there are rules and guidelines for the Chess.com/TV Chat Room. It's likely to be a very active chat tomorrow and we don't want one or two people spoiling it for everyone. There are likely to be a lot of mods in the room so there will be eyes watching at all times. Don't ruin it for everyone else by being a smart-alec, troller, spammer or just looking for attention. The people the chat, the HOSTS, and moderators (like myself), won't appreciate it one bit. So behave. Be cordial. Enjoy the show. We're here for chess. Not for drama. Unless the drama takes place on the chessboard. 
-Mark
Co-creator of the Official Chess.com/TV Group and Chess.com/TV Chatroom Moderator
