PogChamps 4 Playoffs Day 1: Fundy Advances To Championship Semifinals After Tough Match
The playoffs began today in PogChamps 4 presented by Coinbase. The action began with jakenbakeLIVE beating JustaMinx 2-0 in the consolation bracket. Then MrBeast gave Harry Mack a draw to start the second consolation quarterfinal of the day, but Beast won quickly in their second game to advance to the consolation bracket semifinals. In the championship bracket, Fundy beat an underrated IamCristinini 2-0.
JakenBake LIVE, JustaMinx Gone
Stranded in Romania with a visa issue, JustaMinx tried hard against Jake but the higher-rated player won 2-0. Distractions inside the hotel room cost her an early exchange in the first game and Jake went on to win.
Minx had a theory about how she might play better.
Jake, meanwhile, was a little distracted in the second game.
GM Robert Hess was making his first commentary appearance of PogChamps 4 and experienced firsthand the risks of praising a player mid-game.
That turned out to be the second game's turning point, and Minx soon failed to counter a mate-in-one threat. Jake plays the winner of Friday's Rubius-NickEh30 match.
MrBeast Sacks Mack's Chances
MrBeast won a bishop early in the first game and took things to an endgame which he was well on his way to converting until the very end, when Harry Mack had finally bored MrBeast, as he put it, "to death."
MrBeast didn't let things get to an ending in the second game, taking all sorts of pieces early and getting checkmate on just move 14.
MrBeast moves on to the consolation semifinal against Tectone.
Fundy Survives Scare Vs. IamCristinini
Surprisingly, the day's only match of the championship bracket saw its first (and only) Botez Gambit when Cristinini, after pinning Fundy's knight to his queen, moved into a pin herself.
However, she had a decent amount of material for the queen and quickly recovered. In fact, for a moment she had a checkmate. Fundy saw what he'd allowed (...Bd3#), but she did not.
Unfortunately for Cristinini, when it came Fundy's time to play a mate-in-one, he took his chance. Unfortunately, we don't have the clip for you because of ongoing Twitch clip bugginess, so thanks to Twitch for that.
The second game was much quieter and reached a rook ending. Fundy only needed a draw to advance but gradually won the endgame. He was well aware of how strong his opponent was, though.
Fundy will play the winner of 5uppp-Sapnap in the semifinal.
It's hard to believe IamCristinini only recently started playing chess. Her PogChamps 4 is over, but she was the biggest surprise of the event.
All Games Consolation Bracket Day 1
All Games Championship Bracket Day 1
You can see all the updated results at pogchampschess.com.
The four remaining PogChamps 4 quarterfinal matches happen tomorrow Friday, September 10. 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:
- PogChamps 4: All The Information
- PogChamps 4 Day 1: Harry Mack Raps Chess Game Analysis
- PogChamps 4 Day 2: Nervous Ludwig Turns MrBeast Into Cat Maid
- PogChamps 4 Day 3: Group D Impresses
- PogChamps 4 Day 4: Tectone, JustaMinx Turn Tables; Boxbox Triumphs Tactically
- PogChamps 4 Day 5: Four Matches, Four Sweeps
- PogChamps 4 Day 6: All Wins for 5uppp, QT, Fundy
- PogChamps 4 Day 7: MrBeast Is Endgame Genius
- PogChamps 4 Day 8: Parties, Mouse Slips, Botez Gambits, Endgame Precision
