2025 Chess.com 3-Check Championship: Official Discussion Thread - Chess Forums

Feb 11, 2025

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We're excited to announce the Chess.com 3-Check Chess Championship, the second event of the 2025 Chess.com Community Championships! The event starts February 27 at 9 a.m. ET / 15:00 CET / 7:30 p.m. IST with the qualifiers and features a $2,500 prize fund.

3-Check is one of the oldest variants available on Chess.com. In it, players can win a game by checkmating their opponent or, as the name suggests, checking their king three times. So, for those of you who love to give spite checks when you're about to lose, this is your opportunity to shine!

Below is a video of GM Fabiano Caruana playing the variant on the Chessbrah channel:

The event starts with eight qualifiers taking place throughout February 27. With the first qualifier starting at 9 a.m. ET / 15:00 CET / 7:30 p.m. IST and the last at 7:30 p.m. ET / 1:30 (+1) CET / 6 a.m. (+1) IST, members will have plenty of chances to play.

As always, we may require participants to join a video call for fair-play checks during the qualifiers to ensure everyone's safety. Players who join the fair-play call must set up two cameras from different angles in the room. Non-compliance will result in a player's removal from the event.

Qualifiers Format (Feb/27)

There are eight qualifiers
Each qualifier is a 75-minute arena
Time control: 3+0
The winner of each arena qualifies for the Final
Players who already qualified for the Final cannot play in subsequent qualifiers
Must be a member of the Chess.com Community club in order to play

Knockout Final Format (Feb/28)

The eight players who qualified play a double-elimination knockout
Time control: 3+0
Each match consists of four games
If the match ends in a tie, players contest 3+0 games until there's a winner

In the first Chess.com Community Championship event of 2025, GM Andy Woodward made history by becoming the first player ever to beat GM Ray Robson in a Chess.com puzzles competition. Now, we'll be crowning our first 3-Check Champion ever.

Watch the Feb/28 Finals broadcast on our ChessTV, Twitch and YouTube channels.
Find all relevant info in the 3-Check Chess Announcement and on our Events Page.
Below a quick summary:

Variant: 3-Check
Prize Fund: $2,500
Qualifiers Format: Eight 75 min arenas, 3+0 blitz, rated. Winner advances to Knockout Final.
Qualifiers Date: February 27, first arena at 9 a.m. ET / 15:00 CET / 7:30 p.m. IST. Full Schedule
Finals Format: 8 Players double-elimination knockout, 4 games per match, 3+0 blitz, rated.
Finals Date & Time: February 28 at 1 p.m. ET / 19:00 CET / 11:30 p.m. IST with live broadcast.