Kia ora, dear competitors and spectators!

I must open this announcement by saying that... Wow! You guys gave me and the judges some serious headaches choosing the qualified bloggers for the Elite Eight! All in all, we had 16 great blogs, and it is very sad that half of them have to be eliminated. Thank you so much for the amazing effort and the high quality of the entries! Also, despite one little delay, it was no more than a day, so we can proudly say that there were no forfeits! Thanks to everyone for that too! 

Before I go any further, let me remind you that @ghefley has replaced @HenryUrbanek. If you don't know what I'm talking about, the explanation is here. 

But I will not keep you waiting any longer. Below is a summary of each matchup and their final results. The comments in the announcement will focus on the positive aspects, and more detailed feedback for each blog will be posted in a separate forum.

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Group A: @RookMindset vs. @rmontanez

@RookMindset has analyzed one of the most famous and annoying (to play against) pawn formations in chess, the Maroczy Bind, usually played against the Sicilian Defense. The blog is a complete guide, with interesting ideas on how to play as White, but can help people playing as Black against it too. His writing is well detailed, looks very professional, and is easy to follow. Good job! (https://www.chess.com/blog/RookMindset/geza-maroczys-strange-legacy) 

@rmontanez has come up with an educational blog about avoiding some classic dirty traps that we have all fallen victim to. With an interestingly different format that works well and makes the reader curious to see what comes next, the blog successfully explains the most common tricks you need to watch out for. A useful and entertaining guide! (https://www.chess.com/blog/AdultChessJourney/10-chess-traps-you-need-to-shut-down-before-they-shut-you-down) 

I think all judges agreed that we had two great submissions here, and that we can unfortunately choose only one. The winner of group A is:  

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Group B: @Taken vs. @Koh-i-noor

@Taken told us more about his personal experience of reaching 2100 ELO and what aspects of the game are important to getting there and winning games. A good guide and analysis for people who are still struggling in lower ratings. Mentioning their mistakes helps beginners to see them as human and shows that such a good level is not out of reach. A great read! (https://www.chess.com/blog/TakenTraps/2100-rapid-is-not-what-you-think) 

@Koh-i-noor has honored his old username (Shrimp_Biryani) and made an analogy blog correlating chess with this very typical Indian dish. The text is engaging and fun to read, with some appealing images and memes. And the most important thing in this kind of blog: the analogies are well thought out and make sense. I have the authority to say that this was a very good job. (https://www.chess.com/blog/ShrimpBiryani/how-to-make-the-perfect-biryani) 

So, who will go on? The more technical analysis or the more unconventional idea? It was not an easy decision, but Group B goes to: 

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Group C: @Bid vs. @ghefley

@Bid chose an interesting topic about chess players who died too soon, making some nice research about their lives, games, and circumstances of death. It is the kind of blog that tells the reader some new and intriguing information, along with some engaging writing and very good formatting. Good job! (https://www.chess.com/blog/BidsBlogs/players-who-left-us-too-early) 

@ghefley has put together a very technical blog with in-depth analysis on a very important subject that is little understood by amateur players. Applying constant pressure on the opponent is a weapon that must be used constantly, but the right way to do it is a huge strategic challenge, which the blog explained very well. (https://www.chess.com/blog/ghefley/strategic-dominance-of-space) 

Very different topics are always a challenge to judge and compare, but after analyzing both, the judges have decided on the winner:

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Group D: @DavidGaming08 vs. @WinT0L0ss

@DavidGaming08 wrote a cool OTB recap blog about the last tournament he played. The text has good structure/formatting, good writing, and is perfectly organized. The human analysis was also a very positive point, allowing the reader to understand his thought process during the game. Some self-criticism and evaluation of his strengths and weaknesses added even more to this human touch. Classic topic, very well executed! (https://www.chess.com/blog/DavidGaming08/the-champion-pawn-classic-and-my-return-to-classical-over-the-board-chess) 

@WinT0L0ss has written another amazing CHYOA blog with an exciting and thrilling story using some chess themes as a background to immerse you in the plot. The blog is very engaging and challenging, with some cool plot twists. This creative approach, which has become his style, is certainly something I would like to see more of around here (thanks @VOB96 for starting this trend). (https://www.chess.com/blog/WinT0L0ssChess/the-grandmasters-heist) 

Another very hard match to decide, since both again are very different from each other, making a direct comparison complicated. But well, only one can win, and it was:

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Group E: @Alina_Bakhtina_24 vs. @DocSimooo

@Alina_Bakhtina_24 has come up with another amazing blog relating chess with a famous sportsman! She told how chess influenced and continues to have a positive effect in the career of Charles Leclerc, one of the best pilots in the world. The games against his colleague Carlos Sainz were fun to follow and the whole story is very inspiring. Definitely a pleasant read! (https://www.chess.com/blog/AlinaBakhtina/auto-racing-and-chess-why-not-story-about-charles-leclerc)

@DocSimooo wrote a very nice and engaging story about a living chess game played in Italy during the Middle Ages, bringing along some curious facts and explaining its legacy until the present days. He took the feedback from Week 2 very seriously and improved his blog a lot. Some great chess analyses by GM Capablanca were also included. An amazing article! (https://www.chess.com/blog/DocSimooo/living-chess) 

This was a tough decision. I almost gave it a tie, and I am sure all the other judges had problems deciding too. But well, this is a competition and only one can get through. The winner of Group E is:

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Group F: @NDpatzer vs. @SavageOppress

@NDpatzer continued his great series "Science of Chess" with a very interesting discussion about how our brain processes our calculations and our vision of the board. The fact that he chooses topics from an area of his knowledge that most of the public doesn't know about certainly makes the blog intriguing and teaches us new things. Great application of the feedback received in the qualifiers, with a much more fluid and enjoyable article to read! (https://www.chess.com/blog/bjbalas/does-the-brain-imagine-chess-in-words-or-pictures)

@SavageOppress took advantage of the hype of the moment and created a super cool mathematical model to try to predict the winner of the next World Championship, explaining in detail how it works, what criteria he used, and how this system would have worked in past WCs. The blog is very engaging to read and has many well-timed jokes to make it even more enjoyable.  If you are a math and statistics nerd like me, you will definitely love it! (https://www.chess.com/blog/SavageOppress/making-a-mathematic-point-based-system-to-predict-the-next-chess-world-champion) 

Oh, how I wish you both could move on. It really hurts that one of these two amazing blogs must be eliminated. Anyway, the rules only allow us to pick one, so the winner is:

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Group G: @BugMeLater vs. @JustGettingThisOffMyChess

@BugMeLater has already made a great impression with perhaps the best thumbnail of this round. The text deals with Hans Niemann's return to chess after being accused of cheating and makes a very nice summary of some of his most important OTB and online games back to the high levels. A polemic personality and a fascinating story will always make a good blog! (https://www.chess.com/blog/AttackFirstBugLater/hans-return-to-chess) 

@JustGettingThisOffMyChess honored his position as S6 bronze medalist and posted another very good humorous piece with a similar idea to his qualifying blog, involving the relationship between chess and the seven deadly sins. The blog is engaging and well written, along with some nice formatting that made it easier to read compared to the first. A solid good entry! (https://www.chess.com/blog/JustGettingThisOffMyChess/the-seven-deadly-sins-of-chess) 

A duel of BC veterans that certainly delivered what we expected! These two have shown how this club can really help people improve. But well, there can only be one winner:

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Group H: @IM-Mat_Troi vs. @Duckfest

@IM-Mat_Troi made good use of the special date and wrote a fantastic blog about the Halloween Gambit, showing very interesting lines and games with this variation. But he did not stop there, the blog also contains a cool story about an alleged "ghostly game" between Viktor Korchnoi and the spirit of Geza Maroczy. Very interesting and cool to read! (https://www.chess.com/blog/IMCharlock-Holmes/v-halloween-effect-my-first-halloween-on-chess-com) 

@Duckfest continued his series analyzing chess in perhaps the least popular time control of this website, the daily games. It was an amazing read through his personal experiences and his very long journey in the tournament. Some nice reflections and a technical approach to his pros and cons made it a great blog to follow. Another wonderful post from him! (https://www.chess.com/blog/Duckfest/developing-with-daily-part-2) 

Now it is time to know the final participant of the Elite Eight round! The winner of Group H is:

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Congratulations to the 8 bloggers who qualified! And to those who were eliminated, keep your heads up high because you qualified in one of the toughest seasons ever and had a great run! I am not kidding when I say that all the eight eliminated blogs could easily be in the next round and the quality would still be worth. I hope you will come back even stronger for Season 8! 

Below you can find the updated bracket: 

 If you are qualified, please confirm your participation in the Elite Eight by writing a short comment in this announcement, or send me a DM. 

And here is the link to the closed forum with all the detailed feedback (qualified and non-qualified). As always, feel free to drop me a DM if you need more details or tips: 

Season 7 Sweet 16 Feedback Forum

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ELITE EIGHT KICKOFF 

And I am happy to open now the Elite Eight! These lucky bloggers are now only three blogs away from a Top Blogger recommendation, but also from the highest glory of the chess blogging universe, and the mega incredible prize of U$25 dollars! 

The rules are simple: 

• You have until December 2nd 23:59 EST (Eastern Standard Time) to submit your blog in the following forum: Submission Forum - Season 7 Elite Eight

• I am giving you 18 days again, especially because I have an important business trip until December 1st, so I will not be able to publish the next announcement before then anyway. Make good use of it. Once again, I ask you to do your best to submit before the deadline. If for some reason you need an extra day or two, please send me a DM and we can try to negotiate, but please only if it is necessary and with reasonable advance.

• Also, it is never too much to remind you: Please don't forfeit. It is my most sincere request, especially now that a replacement is no longer possible. Besides, this is one of the best seasons BlogChamps has ever had, so out of respect for the competition and everyone who organizes and participates in it, please keep the spirit alive and submit the best blog you can! 

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FAQ 

1) I was not qualified. Should I be a good sport and congratulate my opponent for the healthy competition, or should I whine that the judges robbed me for absolutely no reason?

I don't really need to answer that, do I? Remember that everything here is friendly, and this competition is just for fun. Get the most out of your participation, be happy for your opponent, and come back even stronger next time!

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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?

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!

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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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That's all, folks! As always, I'm open to questions in the comments or via DM. And if you're one of the 8 remaining contestants, get ready because I'll be sending you some reminders soon LOL.  

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