PogChamps 4 Day 5: Four Matches, Four Sweeps
Four matches today in PogChamps 4 presented by Coinbase, fairly well-played overall other than several occasions of the now-infamous Botez Gambit. It's just not PogChamps without a hanging queen or three.
IamCristinini defeated Punz for her first win in two matches, while Fundy is two-for-two after beating an out-of-form QTCinderella. Ludwig, not facing any special preparation like he did in his first Pog4 match, handled jakenbakeLIVE in two games, with some help from the clock. The extended day ended with 5uppp defeating MrBeast without much trouble. All four matches were decided 2-0.
- IamCristinini, She Is Winner vs. Punz
- Fundy-mental Forks Defeat QTCinderella
- Ludwig Cooks Up JakenbakeLIVE, Wins When Timer Expires
- 5uppp 2-0 on MrBeast
IamCristinini, She Is Winner vs. Punz
IamCristinini is turning into one of the PogChamps 4 breakouts from a chess standpoint after winning her match 2-0 today. Her first game against Punz turned on the Botez Gambit, which feels like it's appeared in more games than it has not throughout the tournament so far. IamCristinini instantly saw the hanging queen and took it in just two seconds. Punz later became the first player in Pog4 to resign a game.
Game two was also a relatively balanced affair until IamCristinini's extremely tricky Nc4, attacking both a queen and a rook. Punz, who had less than a minute on his clock, quickly saved his queen only to fall to checkmate on the back rank.
Both players have one group stage match left: Punz against Crokeyz on September 5 and IamCristinini against Rubius on September 6.
Fundy-mental Forks Defeat QTCinderella
Fundy found a knight fork out of the opening in the first game to win a rook, and QTCinderella never really had a chance as he wrapped up the game strongly, including using the same knight to fork the other rook too.
No Botez Gambit in that game, but QT introduced a new gambit that could catch on too.
The second game was also decided by a knight fork and Fundy solidified his status as a tournament favorite. QT had thoughts on the forks.
Ludwig Cooks Up JakenbakeLIVE, Wins When Timer Expires
In the first game, Ludwig hung a piece in the opening but jakenbakeLIVE ran into time trouble and gave the piece back then lost a rook before eventually succumbing on the clock. Despite the win, Ludwig was not pleased with himself.
Ludwig seemed to be coasting to a second win when he suddenly joined the Botez Gambit crowd.
But time trouble was a theme again and, with a winning tactic available, Jake lost on time again. Ludwig escapes with his first outright match win of Pog4.
5uppp 2-0 on MrBeast
The Botez Gambiting was also a theme today and MrBeast did not escape it in his first game against 5uppp, who took the full queen on his way to victory.
In the second game, queens were traded without incident, but 5uppp went up in material after a tactical sequence in the middle game. He wrapped up the game very efficiently, leading IM Danny Rensch to name him the "new beast in town."
Indeed, 5uppp may be one of the favorites to win PogChamps 4 after his strong performance today. He's also been playing on Chess.com since 2014 and even some over-the-board chess prior to that.
All Games Day 5
You can see all the updated results at pogchampschess.com.
Pog takes a break tomorrow but returns Saturday, September 4 with three matches. Stay tuned!
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.
Previous PogChamps 4 coverage:
Nathaniel Green is a staff writer for Chess.com who writes articles, player biographies, Titled Tuesday reports, video scripts, and more. He has been playing chess for about 30 years and resides near Washington, DC, USA.
