Kwan Knocks SlugChamps Out Of The Park
Cleveland Guardians outfielder Steven Kwan stepped up to the challenge and earned locker-room bragging rights after taking out the first edition of SlugChamps on Tuesday. In a high-octane final against shortstop Daniel Schneemann, Kwan scored 2.5/3 and received $6,000 to donate to his chosen charity: Cleveland Metropolitan School District Chess Clubs.
For his efforts, Schneemann received $3,000 to donate to Cleveland Guardians Charities while third-placed Bo Naylor received $1,000 toward the Cleveland Animal Protective League.
Standings
Steven Kwan takes home the first ever SlugChamps trophy! 🏆
— Chess.com (@chesscom) February 20, 2024
The founder of the Guardians chess club, @skwanzaa, comes out on top! He's earned locker room bragging rights and $6,000 toward a charity of his choice 👏⚾️♟️ pic.twitter.com/IzBOFtmgY5
In the wake of BlitzChamps, which saw NFL stars scrimmage for glory in 2023, Chess.com has expanded its horizons to Major League Baseball, and the Cleveland Guardians hit a home run as the first team to represent the league.
Playing from their training camp in Arizona, the players all played on computers side by side and unlike most professional chess tournaments, engaged in banter and used intimidation tactics to gain the upper hand.
Like in BlitzChamps, eight players played in a single-elimination knockout where each match was decided in a best-of-four blitz bonanza, and immediately four players stood out: Kwan, Hedges, Naylor, and Schneemann.
Naylor, in particular, announced himself as a contender for the title as he dispatched outfielder Will Brennan by a 3-0 margin, barely putting a foot wrong, but the other victors were hot on his heels with just a single loss each.
The semifinals saw the closest matchups of the day. After skipping out to a 2-0 lead against Hedges, the tournament favorite Kwan hung back-rank checkmate while chasing threefold repetition. Hedges, clearly pleased with his victory, stood over his teammate and stared him down ahead of their fourth game. Kwan would have the last laugh, though. Poetically, his third game was the best of the entire event. The Albin Countergambit was Kwan's poison of choice, and he showed his theoretical knowledge of the dangerous Lasker Trap, gambiting his bishop and winning White's queen. A strikeout for Hedges.
Naylor and Schneemann traded wins in the second semifinal, and the shortest game in the championship bracket occurred in the fourth game. Playing against Naylor's Philidor Defense, Schneemann piled the pressure on and stopped Black from castling before capitalizing on a blunder to checkmate on move 16.
Schneemann managed to keep the momentum rolling into the tiebreak game and booked his spot in the finale against Kwan.
Boasting a 948 Chess.com blitz rating to Schneemann's 609, Kwan was the favorite by all counts, but Schneemann threw a curve ball, playing speedily to reverse the pressure. With a checkmate in one available in the first game, Kwan missed the win and flagged. As Schneemann had insufficient material to checkmate, a draw was confirmed.
A tragic queen-blunder by the lower-rated player gifted the second game to Kwan before the founder of the Cleveland Guardians Chess Club executed a coup de grace in game three.
A confident nod to his teammates marked a subdued celebration for Kwan, who would later admit it is "more stressful playing chess" than baseball.
Meanwhile, in the consolation bracket, the last-minute stand-in Fry played what Hess dubbed as the "best move of the entire event" but missed checkmate when it mattered most. For baseball players, this is the equivalent of being caught between third base and home plate.
The popularity of chess in elite sports continues to grow, and we can expect to see future Major League Baseball collaborations as well as other sports incorporated. If you're a fan of a sport that hasn't yet had a chess collaboration, leave a comment detailing which sport you would like to see on your big screens.
The live broadcast was hosted by GM Robert Hess and GM Aman Hambleton.
All Games
SlugChamps: Guardians Chess Club was an online blitz chess competition between players of the Cleveland Guardians baseball team. Playing side-by-side on computers in Arizona, eight ballplayers faced off in a single-elimination bracket to see who could hit a home run on the chessboard.
Previous Coverage
