PogChamps 4 Day 1: Harry Mack Raps Chess Game Analysis

PogChamps 4 presented by Coinbase has begun, and day one was quite the show, headlined not by action on the board but by Harry Mack's crowd-pleasing improvisation with his trademark freestyle rap.

Action began with Magic: The Gathering star and PogChamps newcomer Crokeyz defeating the Pog veteran Rubius 2-0. Sapnap then defeated Mack 2-0, but Mack's rapping during breaks stole the show. The day then ended abruptly after one game between QTCinderella and ConnorEatsPants after Connor briefly tried playing through a health scare for his cat, Bumper.

• Crokeyz Works Magic On Rubius
• Sapnap Beats Harry Mack At Chess; No Match For Him At Rap
• QTCinderella Wins Game vs. ConnorEatsPants

Crokeyz Works Magic On Rubius

The first game of PogChamps 4 was a back-and-forth affair where both players had completely winning positions, but it was the higher-rated Crokeyz who prevailed over Rubius in an instructive endgame.

Crokeyz won more smoothly in the second game, although Rubius had a possible stalemate trick he missed at the very end.

Sapnap Beats Harry Mack At Chess; No Match For Him At Rap

Mack only picked up chess a few weeks before the start of PogChamps 4, but even with more experience, his rapping skills are what will get everyone's attention. During breaks in the match, Harry treated the audience to some of his trademark freestyle rap, including even a shoutout to the Chess.com Analysis feature.

Despite his newness to chess, Harry played well in the opening in both games. But Sapnap, who won BlockChamps in January, had too much expertise and won the match 2-0 despite some drama in game two.

And then it happened again!

QTCinderella Wins Game vs. ConnorEatsPants

QTCinderella got the memes started early, showing up with dyed hair and a top (and even headphones) to match WFM Alexandra Botez on commentary.

Unfortunately, the match lasted just one game, and it's not clear if the second will be played. ConnorEatsPants joined the Botez theme by giving up his queen early and was never in contention.

Connor went to Twitter afterward to explain what happened.

Bumper has been crying all morning and not using the bathroom so I had to drop out of Chess in the middle of my game today to make sure he’s alright. Just wanted to let yall know so no one thinks i just gave up lol

— conar (@subtoconnorpls) August 29, 2021

All Games Day 1

PogChamps 4 started on August 29 and will run through September 12. You can read more information about the event here. Make sure to tune into the action on Chess.com/tv or Twitch, or on our Events platform!

PogChamps 4 is presented by Coinbase. Whether you’re looking to make your first crypto purchase or you’re an experienced trader, Coinbase has you covered. Earn crypto by learning about crypto with Coinbase Earn, power up your trading with Coinbase's advanced features, get exclusive rewards when you spend with Coinbase Card, and much more. Learn more at Coinbase.com/Chess.