Chess.com Launches PogChamps With Top Twitch Streamers

Update: The full guide and schedule for this event can be found here.

Starting on June 5, the inaugural 2020 Chess.com PogChamps will kick off, featuring 16 of Twitch's most followed streamers. Over two weeks, top streamers like Boxbox, Voyboy, and yassuo will compete for their share of $50,000 in prizes. With so much on the line, GM Hikaru Nakamura, WFM Alexandra Botez and Chess.com's IM Danny Rensch will be providing commentary throughout the event's two weeks, with Nakamura and Botez providing lessons for each of the competitors. The 

Launched in tandem with Twitch, the event will be the precursor to a Twitch Rivals finale, set to take place in early July. The team event will be Twitch Rivals' second-ever chess event, after hosting Komodo Boss Rush in early 2019.

The Chess.com PogChamps will be broadcast live on Chess.com/tv, with its final set to take place on June 19. Nakamura, the world's highest-rated blitz player recently became the most followed chess channel on Twitch and has been the catalyst of inspiration for many of the participants.

Multiple Chess.com streamers have been doing recent collaborations with stars from other games, including teaming up with popular Diablo 2 streamer MrLlamaSC for some D2/Chess action. One recognizable name taking part will be NateHill, one of the biggest Fortnite streamers, a game that Chess.com streamers have taken interest in over the last year and have played in tandem against other chess streamers and fans alike.

In preparation for the Chess.com PogChamps, Nakamura has been co-streaming lessons with streamers like xQC, NymN, and fuslie. Many other top streamers have been streaming chess independently, bringing chess into the limelight in a time of need:

Shoutout to the big streamers who've discovered chess. Some do it once or twice, some every single stream. Some are casual visitors to our game, some are becoming obsessed. Streamers like @xQc @BoxBox @voyboy @Papaplatte @Yassuo @nymnion Chess thanks you for all the new fans.

— Hikaru Nakamura (@GMHikaru) May 21, 2020

For many new chess streamers, the PogChamps will offer a chance for them to use what they have learned from players like Nakamura in a competitive setting. The event will feature a group stage from June 5 through 14, which will feed into the post-tournament bracket. Unlike any other event run on Chess.com, PogChamps will feature both a championship and consolation bracket, meaning that the participants can compete for top prizes, while also focusing on providing entertainment for their followers.

The participants' skill levels vary widely and there are multiple chess newbies in the field. One-on-one coaching with top Chess.com streamers like Nakamura and Botez means that players will be improving rapidly throughout the event, adding a unique element into this already uniquely-structured competition.

Chess.com will also be awarding 1-month Diamond membership drops to random viewers throughout the event, so make sure to tune into each player's stream, and you could win while watching the action.

Among the confirmed participants are Boxbox, yassuo, Voyboy, Swiftor, NateHill, xChocobars, fuslie, NymN, Lex Veldhuis and ItsSliker. Chess.com will be releasing the final streamers in the field over the next week to promote the PogChamps. Other invites include xQc, LIRIK, Reckful, Forsen and Aydan.

Once the individual event concludes June 19, the top eight finishers will draft their teammate for a special Twitch Rivals event which will cap a truly special month of mainstream chess content, based on how they placed in the PogChamps. Twitch and Chess.com will release more information regarding July's Twitch Rivals event at a later date.

This first-of-its-kind event is sure to bring even more attention to the already-booming chess streaming world, and fans of all skill levels can catch the action on Chess.com/TV.

Contact:

Chess.com's Esports Department
email: esports@chess.com
phone: (800) 318-2827

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