Kia ora!

The Qualifiers are over, and only a few have survived! Today, we will find out who the lucky bloggers are who have won the last 8 places in the Sweet 16 phase of BlogChamps Season 8!

So, in Week 2, we had 49 entries! It was just a bit less than Week 1, but that is perfectly normal and, to be honest, more than I had expected! An outstanding number for a second week compared to recent seasons. And the best news is that the average quality was once again very high!

Thank you all for this incredible effort and engagement! You guys made not only Week 2 but the whole qualifiers something special. The main coordinator and new club owner is very happy I hope we can keep up the hype in the knockout stages!

• Total blogs submitted in the qualifiers: 101 (52 W1 + 49 W2)

• Total number of participants: 75 (81.5% participation rate) - Amazing!

I would like to thank the Week 2 judges @nbrasington, @NMChessToImpress, and that annoying Kiwi @VOB96 for their quick, accurate, and fair decisions.

Anyway, enough talk. Now, as I did in Week 1, below are the 8 qualified bloggers who will make it through to the Sweet 16, along with their scores. Their feedback, as well as everyone else's, will be posted in a separate forum. (Read on to find the link.)

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THE TOP 8 QUALIFIED FOR THE KNOCKOUTS

1) @RookMindset - Chess Nightmares From A-Z: 7.83

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2) @emateu26 - Andorra Chess - International Women's Day & ESNA: A Chess Story of Growth and Triumph: 7.43

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3) @WinT0L0ss - The Quantum Chess Paradox: 7.33

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4) @Chesser1492 - Will You Discover Who Killed Hans Niemman?: 7.07

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5) @squirtle - Reacting to Your Chess Games: Part 2: 6.87

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6) @Starflight_FTW - Top 5 Reasons Chess Players Tilt: 6.77

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7) @DavidGaming08 - The Hungarian Prince Who Never Became the King: 6.67

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8) @RandomUsernameForChessAcc - How Social Media and the Pandemic broke the Chess world. & @Utkarsho - How to study Chess Openings?: 6.63

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Clarification: Since there was a tie for the exact last spot (#8), we decided that instead of voting for the best blog and eliminating the other, we would give both @RandomUsernameForChessAcc and @Utkarsho a chance to compete in the knockouts. Therefore, and with the prior consent of @PokeGirl93, this special match will be between the three of them instead of a 1v1.

The rules say that the top 8 qualify, and well, they both finished in the top 8, so we thought they both deserved a chance to try and publish another blog in the knockouts, rather than being eliminated in an "early knockout" round. A new extra phase just between two users would require at least a few days of delay in the competition, so we feel this is the best and fairest decision.

Also, this is now VOB's dictatorship, so anyone who complains will be banned (jk).

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Congratulations on qualifying for the Sweet 16! I hope you continue to improve your blogs and that you look forward to now competing in 1v1 matches against the Week 1 bloggers.  Check out the updated bracket with the exact match-ups below:

If your username is above, please leave a comment in this announcement confirming your participation in the knockouts. If you are too shy, a DM to me will also work!

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Now, a message for those who did not qualify. Unfortunately, Season 8 is over for you. But hey! Don't get discouraged or disappointed because our goal here is exactly the opposite, and I'm sure there are many positive things you can take away from this participation:

• You've gotten some feedback from experienced bloggers on your articles, and you now have a direction on how to improve even more.

• Your blogs are much better now than they were before you joined us.

• You've probably gotten more views and comments than you would have if you weren't here.

• You can (and I hope you will) stay in the club to learn more, be part of a blogging community, ask questions, get feedback, share experiences, etc.

• You can watch the rest of the competition, learn with the best blogs, and cheer on your favorite!

• You can (and I hope you do) compete in Season 9 and try again! It is expected to be around July 2025.

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Below you will find the locked forum with your position and your feedback in Week 2:

Full Ranking & Feedback Forum (Season 8 Week 2 Qualifiers)
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SWEET 16 KICKOFF

And I am pleased to announce that the knockouts have begun! Only 17 users survived one of the toughest Qualifiers that BlogChamps has ever had, and now they will have the chance to prove themselves among the best!

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The rules are much simpler now:

• You have until April 3rd, 23:59 EST (Eastern Standard Time) to submit your blog in the following forum: Submission Forum - Season 8 Sweet 16

• I am giving you 18 days based on last Season's deadline. I ask you to do your best to submit before this due date. If, for some reason, you need an extra day or two, you can send me a DM, and we can try to negotiate, but please only if it is really necessary.

• Also, remember that a lot of non-qualified bloggers would like to be where you are, so please don't forfeit. It is my most sincere request. I am sure we can make Season 8 very special, and it takes a lot of effort from me and the judges to provide this fun competition for everyone, so please keep the spirit alive! This can be a historic season if we can avoid forfeits in the knockout stages, and I am counting on you to make it happen! (Rules for late submissions - Season 8)

If you really see no other way, please let me know as soon as possible so you can be replaced. But again, try your best not to.

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FAQ

1) I was not qualified. Am I allowed to stay in this club, or should I quit while insulting everyone?

We'd love to see you stick around, follow the rest of the Season, keep improving your blogs, and enter Season 9! In the meantime, don't hesitate to message me for feedback on your blogs, and you can always count on at least one reader. 😊 

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2) I'm qualified, but I've lost the motivation and don't want to write anymore. Would it be too bad if I just didn't submit it without informing anyone?

Yes, it would! Please try your best to submit a blog, even if it can't be perfect. The main idea of this competition is... well, to compete. I'm sure you'd hate to go to the stadium to watch your favorite sport and find out that one of the teams simply didn't show up. No one forced you to join, but now that you are in, I kindly ask you to play until you are eventually knocked out (or win). So please submit a blog or let me know well in advance (next 2 or 3 days maximum), so you can be replaced in time.

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3) If I am not competing, should I continue to follow the Season, or am I no longer welcome and should stop talking about it?

The more viewers, the better! You are welcome to make predictions (forum coming soon), read the submitted blogs to learn with them, pick your favorite blogger, and follow all the announcements to see who will be crowned in the end!

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P.S.: If you've submitted a blog for Week 2, or if you will still submit one for the knockout round in March, don't forget that you can also enter the same blog in the monthly competition of The Blogger Awards v2.0 club, where prizes are awarded by category, increasing your chances of winning a medal for the strongest points of your post.

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That's all, folks! As always, I'm open to questions in the comments or via DM. And if you're one of the 16 remaining contestants, get ready because I'll be sending you some reminders soon

Good luck to you all, and I'll see you back with the Sweet 16 results!