PogChamps 3 Chess Puzzles: Day 7
The seventh day of PogChamps 3 presented by GRIP6 brought us four different matches. Pokimane, xQc, and Logic impressed with their improvement, surprising the audience once more.
Pokimane vs. Rubius
Pokimane played a solid game against Rubius in the first match of the day. Despite a few hiccups, Poki beat the Spanish streamer with impressive tactical shots that are not easy for a beginner's eye to spot. She attributed her success to the puzzles she's been doing on Chess.com.
Game 1, Puzzle 1 - Pokimane to play
Pokimane was down in material but found the following next few moves to turn the game around.
Game 1, Puzzle 2 - Pokimane to play
Rubius threatened to checkmate Pokimane. Can you find the best response that she missed during the game?
Game 1, Checkmate test - Pokimane to win
Rubius jokingly offered a draw in this position. Even though he was just trolling, we all know that stalemate is a common plague among beginners (and we remember the Tubbo vs. Logic debacle). Just to be sure, let's practice checkmating in the same position Pokimane had:
Game 2, Puzzle 1 - Rubius to play
Game 2, Puzzle 2 - Pokimane to play
Game 2, Puzzle 3 - Pokimane to play
Both players thought Negreanu was threatening a checkmate. What is the best way to respond to this ghost threat?
Daniel Negreanu vs. xQc
xQc once more left old PogChamps spectators in disbelief. Those who saw him play in the first edition of PogChamps can't help but marvel at his progress. The Canadian streamer beat Daniel Negreanu, who was undefeated until that moment.
Game 1, Puzzle 1 - Negreanu to play
Game 1, Puzzle 2 - xQc to play
Game 2, Puzzle 1 - xQc to play
Do you see the saving tactic that xQc found in this position?
Rainn Wilson vs. Logic
It took three games for Rainn Wilson to defeat Logic. Those who watched previous matches of the rapper wondered if he could stand up to Rainn, one of the most skilled players in PogChamps 3. To everyone's delightful surprise, Logic showed that he's also a strong player who'll be fighting for the title.
Game 1, Puzzle 1 - Rainn to play
Game 1, Puzzle 2 - Logic to play
Logic found this beautiful combination during the game.
Game 2, Puzzle 1 - Rainn to play
Logic captured a seemingly hanging pawn, and Rainn found the right way to punish the rapper's greedy move.
Game 2, Puzzle 2 - Rainn to play
Rainn also found this great move during the game.
Game 2, Puzzle 3 - Rainn to play
Game 3, Puzzle 1 - Rainn to play
Logic made a common mistake in the Ruy Lopez opening, but Rainn failed to take advantage of it.
Game 3, Puzzle 2 - Rainn to play
Game 3, Puzzle 3 - Rainn to play
xQc vs. Pokimane
One of the most anticipated matches of the event, the match between xQc and Pokimane unfolded before more than 100,000 pairs of eyes. The veteran xQc emerged victorious after two games, scoring 2-0. Despite the score, Pokimane played a great game and gave xQc a hard time.
Game 1, Puzzle 1 - xQc to play
Game 2, Puzzle 1 - Pokimane to play
Poki found the right capture in this position. Can you?
Game 2, Puzzle 2 - xQc to play
Do you see the same tactic xQc spotted during the game?
Game 2, Puzzle 3 - xQc to play
xQc also found the best move in this position.
If you want know what happened during the seventh day of PogChamps 3, you can read the report here. For more information on PogChamps, read this article. Also, make sure to tune into Chess.com's daily coverage of PogChamps 3 presented by GRIP6 on Chess.com/tv.
Could you find the right moves in each of these positions? How difficult was it for you to find them? Leave a comment below to let us know!
During PogChamps 3, Chess.com will match up to $100,000 in donations to the participants’ preferred non-profit organizations. Please read this article to see how PogChamps is supporting charities and how you can help, too!
Other PogChamps 3 puzzles:
Pedro Pinhata is the Writing Lead for Chess.com. He writes articles, feature announcements, event pages, and more. He has been playing chess since 2019 and lives in Brazil.
