Chess.com has announced the second edition of Pogchamps, set to begin August 21. The event will feature 16 of the most popular streamers on Twitch, including xQc, Mizkif, Austin (Rajj), and HafthorJulius, better known as The Mountain from Game of Thrones. Each will compete for a share of $50,000 in prizes over the course of ten days.
As with the first edition, the second Pogchamps will feature GM Hikaru Nakamura, WFM Alexandra Botez, Chess.com’s IM Danny Rensch, and other high-profile chess stars as commentators. Nakamura and Botez will provide lessons while top chess streamers such as IM Levy “GothamChess” Rozman, GM Daniel “TheProphet” Naroditsky, and WGM Qiyu “akaNemsko” Zhou will join them as coaches.
The event will be broadcast across multiple platforms, including YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and international outlets. The new Pogchamps event will also broadcast live on Chess.com/tv, with the final set taking place September 6.
Like with the original Pogchamps, the second edition will feature a group stage between August 21-31 and feed into the post-tournament bracket. However, players will now play a double-round robin to increase viewer enjoyment. Pogchamps will also feature a championship and consolation bracket as a way for participants to compete for top prizes while entertaining their followers.
The new field will also have less variance between the participants’ ratings, giving players a better opportunity to seize their prize fairly. Players are expected to rapidly improve throughout the event due to coaching from Nakamura and Botez, which should keep things interesting.
The previous Pogchamps event was a major success for both streamers and Chess.com. It averaged 42,000 viewers and peaked at 87,000 viewers. Many streamers are already training with coaches, including David Pakman, Gripex90, and others. More still continued to stream chess independently after the first Pogchamps ended, allowing them to continue their momentum, refine their skills, and grow in the competitive chess scene.
Nakamura became the most-followed chess streamer on Twitch after the original Pogchamps with nearly 500,000 followers. Botez is closing in on 300,000 followers as well, having seen massive growth on her channel following the first event. Chess as a genre has also become more popular on Twitch with an average of 18,800 followers.
Whether you’re a long-time chess fan or a viewer looking for something new, this Pogchamps tournament should be exciting, to say the least.
