Forsen beat SlikeR, locking up a championship bracket spot. Six of the eight possible berths have been claimed heading into the group stage's final round.

Forsen Clinches PogChamps Championship Bracket Spot

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Updated: Jun 11, 2020, 12:58 AM | 41 | Chess.com News

The second round of the Chess.com PogChamps came to an end on Wednesday, with NymN, Boxbox, and Forsen each punching their ticket into the championship bracket. While the losses mean Swiftor, SlikeR, and xChocobars will be relegated to the consolation bracket, there is still much to play for in the group stage's final round.

Group A is set to conclude on Thursday at 11:45 a.m. Pacific Time (20:45 Central Europe) as Voyboy, Fuslie, NateHill, and Erobb square off.

With a win over Erobb, Voyboy can claim the $1,000 Group A winner prize.

Make sure to tune into Chess.com's official day 7 coverage of the 2020 Chess.com PogChamps at 11:45 a.m. Pacific Time (20:45 Central Europe) on Chess.com/tv.

NymN Grinds Out Win Over xChocobars

After punishing xChocobars' weak dark squares early, NymN was able to build on an early advantage and capitalize with a full point. With the win, the Swedish streamer clinched a spot in the championship bracket.

While the loss is xChocobars' second of the PogChamps, the Canadian streamer has made clear strides since learning to play chess for the first time two weeks ago.

Forsen Takes Down SlikeR, Advances To Championship Bracket

SlikeR amused the spectators with his trash talk once again, but he fell short as Forsen broke his Philidor Defense. Even with the loss, SlikeR brought his combative and entertaining banter to the interview, calling out both international master Hans Niemann and "Hikamaru" Nakamura for the loss.

Forsen's win was spurred by a well-known tactic in 9. Qh5+ and 10. Nxg6, winning the rook on h8 and leaving SlikeR's king exposed in the center. While SlikeR was able to keep the game going, it was never quite enough to overcome the material deficit:

Both Forsen and NymN have now clinched spots into the championship bracket. Their clash on Saturday will break the tie atop Group C and determine the winner of the first-place prize. Meanwhile, SlikeR and xChocobars will face-off this weekend to decide who has more favorable seeding in the consolation bracket.

Group C Standings

#	Streamer	Points
1	Forsen	6
2	NymN	6
3	xChocobars	0
4	SlikeR	0

Boxbox Punishes Swiftor, Qualifies For Championship Bracket

Boxbox ended the day with a win over Swiftor, clinching a championship bracket berth for both himself and Papaplatte from Group D. While Swiftor put up staunch defense, his time trouble got the best of him, ultimately costing him his queen late in the game:

Even with the win, the game still came with an early scare, as Boxbox overlooked a critical ...Nf6-g4 shot in the opening. While Swiftor may have missed his chance, Hikaru was quick to call out the mistake on the broadcast.

Papaplatte and Boxbox are set to meet in an epic Group D finale on Sunday, as the winner will take the group's first-place prize. While Boxbox may be the presumptive favorite, Papaplatte currently holds the higher overall CAPS score across both rounds. Ludwig and Swiftor will duke it out on Sunday for better seeding in the consolation bracket.

Group D Standings

#	Streamer	Points
1	Papaplatte	6
2	Boxbox	6
3	Ludwig	0
4	Swiftor	0

Fuslie, NateHill Play For Championship Bracket Spot

With both players sitting at one win so far, the winner of this match will take one of two remaining spots in the championship bracket. Both Fuslie and NateHill have demonstrated impressive play, notching clinical wins against Erobb and keeping close games against the tournament's top seed. In the case of a draw, the tiebreak will be average CAPS score across all three games. Clocks will start at 11:45 a.m. Pacific Time (20:45 Central Europe) on Chess.com/TV to kick off the seventh day of the Chess.com PogChamps.

With everything on the line, NateHill and Fuslie will both be looking for a decisive result on Thursday.

Voyboy Faces Erobb, Looks To Clinch Group A Prize

Voyboy heads into Group A's final fixture a clear favorite, but faces some pressure against Erobb, as a loss could cost him the Group A first-place prize. Erobb vowed to never lose again after his defeat earlier this week, so could he finally derail Voyboy? While Erobb will play in the consolation bracket, a win could vault him into third place. The day's final game starts at 1 p.m. Pacific Time (22:00 Central Europe) on Chess.com/tv.

Voyboy can win Group A outright by beating or drawing Erobb in the Group A finale.

Still deciding who to root for in the first-ever Chess.com PogChamps? Here's a quick sampler of each streamer:

♜ Here's a preview of all the streamers competing in the https://t.co/EufIHuV7ha #Pogchamps! Starts in 1 hour on https://t.co/kaTA3dFcqn and https://t.co/qaLMGLOA9W ♜ pic.twitter.com/aqGbbRPjGq
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