Pogchamps: All The Information
Chess.com is kicking off the summer with the inaugural 2020 Chess.com PogChamps, featuring top Twitch streamers. Based on the FIFA World Cup, the 16 invited players will compete for their share of a $50,000 prize fund through a group stage and championship playoff.
With group stage play set to begin on June 5, the PogChamps will feature two weeks of entertainment, concluding on June 19 with the championship final. Grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura will be providing commentary throughout the PogChamps, in addition to providing lessons for each of the participants.
Here's all the information you need to follow the 2020 Chess.com PogChamps:
Broadcast and streaming:
All 2020 Chess.com PogChamps matches will be broadcast live with master commentary on Chess.com/TV. Players may choose to stream as well on their own channels on a delay and will not be permitted to use chat for outside assistance. Players who choose not to stream will be required to join a Zoom call for fair play and broadcast purposes.
Seeding and Groups:
- Seeding 1-16 is ranked by a blend of Chess.com blitz and rapid ratings, as well as total games played
- Group A: Voyboy, fuslie, erobb221, NateHill
- Group B: hutch, yassuo, xQc, Cr1tikal
- Group C: forsen, Sliker, NymN, xChocobars
- Group D: boxbox, Swiftor, Papaplatte, Ludwig
2020 Chess.com PogChamps Match Schedule:
Official match times for each game will be posted prior to the subsequent round of play. The dates for each stage of the event are as follows:
- Group Stage: June 5-14
- Quarterfinals: June 15-17
- Semifinals: June 18
- Finals: June 19
Group Stage Schedule
Date | Time (PT) | Round | Group | White | Black |
June 5 | 2:00 PM | Round 1 | A | fuslie | erobb221 |
June 5 | 3:00 PM | Round 1 | A | NateHill | VoyBoy |
June 5 | 4:00 PM | Round 1 | B | moistCr1tikal | hutch |
June 6 | 12:00 PM | Round 1 | C | ItsSliker | NymN |
June 6 | 2:00 PM | Round 1 | B | yassuo | xQcow |
June 7 | 12:00 PM | Round 1 | D | Swiftor | Papaplatte |
June 7 | 1:00 PM | Round 1 | C | xChocobars | forsen |
June 7 | 2:00 PM | Round 1 | D | Ludwig | boxbox |
June 8 | 1:00 PM | Round 2 | A | erobb221 | NateHill |
June 8 | 2:00 PM | Round 2 | A | VoyBoy | fuslie |
June 8 | 3:00 PM | Round 2 | B | hutch | yassuo |
June 9 | 1:00 PM | Round 2 | D | Papaplatte | Ludwig |
June 9 | 2:00 PM | Round 2 | B | xQcow | moistCr1tikal |
June 10 | 12:00 PM | Round 2 | C | NymN | xChocobars |
June 10 | 1:00 PM | Round 2 | C | forsen | ItsSliker |
June 10 | 2:00 PM | Round 2 | D | boxbox | Swiftor |
June 11 | 11:30 AM | Round 3 | A | NateHill | fuslie |
June 11 | 1:00 PM | Round 3 | A | erobb221 | VoyBoy |
June 12 | 1:00 PM | Round 3 | B | moistCr1tikal | yassuo |
June 12 | 2:00 PM | Round 3 | B | xQcow | hutch |
June 13 | 1:00 PM | Round 3 | C | NymN | forsen |
June 13 | 2:00 PM | Round 3 | A | erobb221 | VoyBoy |
June 13 | 2:30 PM | Round 3 | C | xChocobars | ItsSliker |
June 14 | 1:00 PM | Round 3 | D | Papaplatte | boxbox |
June 14 | 2:00 PM | Round 3 | D | Ludwig | Swiftor |
June 14 | 3:00 PM | Round 3 | B | xQcow | hutch |
Playoff Schedule
Date | Time (PT) | Round | Group | White | Black |
June 15 | 1:00 PM | Quarterfinal | Cons | erobb221 | moistCr1TiKaL |
June 15 | 2:00 PM | Quarterfinal | Champ | Hutch | NateHill |
June 15 | 3:00 PM | Quarterfinal | Champ | Voyboy | Yassuo |
June 16 | 1:00 PM | Quarterfinal | Cons | Itssliker | Swiftor |
June 16 | 2:00 PM | Quarterfinal | Champ | Boxbox | Forsen |
June 16 | 3:00 PM | Quarterfinal | Cons | Ludwig | xChocobars |
June 17 | 1:00 PM | Quarterfinal | Champ | Papaplatte | NymN |
June 17 | 2:00 PM | Quarterfinal | Cons | xQc | Fuslie |
June 18 | 12:00 PM | Semifinal | Champ | Hutch | Nymn |
June 18 | 1:00 PM | Semifinal | Cons | moistCriTiKaL | Sliker |
June 18 | 2:00 PM | Semifinal | Champ | Voyboy | Boxbox |
June 19 | 12:00 PM | Semifinal | Cons | xQc | Ludwig |
June 19 | 1:00 PM | Final | Champ | TBD | TBD |
June 19 | 2:00 PM | Final | Cons | TBD | TBD |
Total Prize Fund: $50,000
Each player's winnings are determined by how far they advance into the Chess.com PogChamps.
Group Stage: 16 players, $4,000 prize pool.
- Each group stage winner (4 total) wins a $1,000 prize
Championship Bracket: 8 players, $30,000 prize pool
- Chess.com PogChamps Winner: $10,000
- 2nd Place: $6,000
- Semifinalist (2): $3,000
- Quarterfinalist (4): $2,000
Consolation Bracket: 8 players, $16,000 prize pool
- 1st Place: $4,000
- 2nd Place: $3,000
- Semifinalist (2): $2,000
- Quarterfinalist (4): $1,250
Format
Group Stage
- The 16 players will be split into four groups of four players each, determined by the seeding above.
- In this phase, players will face each of the three opponents in their group.
- Each match will consist of a single 10+5 game.
- Players will earn three points for a win, one point for a draw, and zero points for a loss.
- At the end of group play, each group will be ranked by points accumulated.
- The top two players advance to the Championship bracket, and the remaining two players advance to the Consolation Bracket.
In the case of a tie on points, the first tiebreak is average CAPS score across all three games.
Championship and Consolation Brackets
- Each bracket will consist of eight players, with predetermined seeding (see bracket below) to ensure competitive equity.
- Both brackets will follow a single-elimination format, with the winner of each match progressing to the next round.
- The quarterfinals of the Championship bracket will consist of two 10+5 games, where the higher seed chooses which color to play first. The quarterfinals of the Consolation bracket will consist of a single 10+5 game unless both players in each pairing agree to play two games. If one game is played, white will be randomly chosen. In either bracket, in the case of a draw, a sudden death 3+0 game will be used to determine a winner, with the higher seed playing with the white pieces. In case of draw in the tiebreaks, the colors will alternate until there is a winner.
- The semifinals and finals will both consist of two 10+5 games with alternating colors, with the higher seed from group play choosing which color to play first. In the case of a tie, a sudden death 3+0 game will be used to determine a winner, with the higher seed from group play playing with the white pieces. If players share identical seeds from group play, the player with the higher CAPS (accuracy) score from their previous round non-tiebreak game(s) will choose which color to play first in the 10+5 games, and will play white in the 3+0 tiebreak. In case of a draw in the first 3+0 tiebreak, the colors will alternate until there is a winner.
Players
The following chess players have confirmed their participation in the 2020 Chess.com PogChamps:
- Cr1tikal
- forsen
- xQc
- boxbox
- Voyboy
- yassuo
- Swiftor
- NateHill
- Papaplatte
- xChocobars
- Hutch
- fuslie
- Ludwig
- NymN
- erobb221
- SlikeR
Tune in this Friday on June 5 to catch the opening day of the 2020 Chess.com PogChamps. The event will be streamed live on Chess.com/tv.