PogChamps 4

Here are the groups so far:

Group A: Ludwig, 5uppp, JakenbakeLIVE, MrBeast

Group B: Boxbox, Sapnap, JustaMinx, Harry Mack

Group C: Fundy, QTCinderella, ConnorEatsPants, Tectone

Group D: Crokeyz, Rubius, Punz, IamCristinini

Here are my thoughts and prediction for each group:

Group A:

- Ludwig is the favorite here with a 1200+ rapid rating. He is the most experienced one in the group and has many game experiences. If things go bad, he still has the blitz section to save him.

- 5uppp has a good chance to reach the main bracket here with a 1000+ rapid rating and also having many game experiences. It is interesting that he has the 3rd highest puzzle rating which I think would be stronger than what his rating is. He might be the one capable of taking on the three 1200+ here.

- JakenbakeLIVE with a few games and an 800+ rating, it is hard to judge his strength. He is most likely to be in the consolation bracket with the info we have so far. If he could beat a 4 digit rating, he might have a chance.

- MrBeast will be an underdog here but he is a veteran. He might be able to go to the main bracket if he can utilize his game experiences and opening preparations. Also, he has a good shot to win if he can get it to the blitz section.

Group B:

- Boxbox is really a favorite here. With his Pog 1 experience, he can sweep the group here. He has his blitz skills in case something went bad.

- Sapnap might easily get to the main bracket with his experience in BlockChamps. He will do good if he finishes it in the rapid. It might be messy in blitz for him.

- JustaMinx is 400+ rated with barely any games. It is hard to judge how well she will do. Let's just see if she can handle the 800+ rated here.

- Harry Mack is such an underdog here. With the lowest rating and some games, it is not really certain how good he is. Let's see if he can get better with more games.

Group C:

- Fundy is a favorite in this group with a lot of experience in BlockChamps, Winner Stays, and BlockBattles. He has a very high puzzle rating and is one of the only three 1200+ players. He will be a strong player here if he gets serious.

- QTCinderella is experienced and has a good chance of getting to the main bracket. With her experience in Pog 2, she is capable of being able to win against the others in her group. If she will keep her focus, she got a shot to get to the main bracket this PogChamps.

- ConnorEatsPants is hard to predict. With only a few games and experience in Pog 2, he could do better to the point he also has a good chance of getting to the main bracket.

- Tectone is also hard to predict. With a lot of games and experience in Tournament Arc 2, he also has a good chance. His rating might be not his true strength.

Group D:

- Crokeyz is the new Sardoche here. This is the dark horse that could easily win this group. He also has a good blitz rating that will save him in case of needing a tiebreaker.

- Rubius is a veteran here and has many game experiences. He has a good chance to get to the main bracket. It is uncertain for the blitz section for him, but he is good if he can perform as well as his rating.

- Punz has experience in BlockChamps. He only has several game experiences that might help him have a shot in the main bracket. We will have to see if he will improve with more games.

- IamCristinini with a 400+ rating and many games might have a shot to handle the others in the group. She is new here so she might struggle. If she can gain more experience here, it would be interesting what she can do here.

Day 1 Prediction:

Crokeyz vs. Rubius

- I expect a 2 - 0 here for Crokeyz because of his rating and game experiences. It won't be easy since it's his first time but he is the new Sardoche here. Rubious might have a shot to score a point or draw here if he uses his experience in Pog 3 so it won't be an easy 2 - 0 for Crokeyz here.

Sapnap vs. Harry Mack

- This might be an easy 2 - 0 here for Sapnap since he has his BlockChamps experience to help him. It will be tough for Harry Mack but let's see if he can gain experience here. If Sapnap will keep focus, he can do a 2 - 0 here with ease.

ConnorEatsPants vs. qtcinderella

- This is an interesting one. They both have Pog 2 experience and have faced each other before where qtcinderella won. I predict a 2 - 1 here again for qtcinderella because of her game experiences but it would be a very close match.

Day 1 Result:

Crokeyz vs. Rubius (2 - 0)

- Rubius could have won this match but failed to convert in the first game. Crokeyz was good during the match, taking his chance to win the game. I would like to see more of Rubius and hope he can be more consistent and for both of them to get better in their endgame.

Sapnap vs. Harry Mack (2 - 0)

- Harry Mack was a shocker and could have won a game or two if he had more experience. Sapnap was struggling in the beginning but was able to dominate the latter part of the games. I hope to see Harry Mack improve more in his games because his rating is not really 200.

ConnorEatsPants vs. qtcinderella (0 - 1)

- This was a sad one for ConnorEatsPants. There is nothing much to say since qtcinderella took advantage of the botez gambit. It is hard to judge who will win the next game that will be continued soon but I will go with qtcinderella here since she was able to not do a botez gambit in their game.

Day 2 Prediction:

Fundy vs. Tectone

- I predict a 2 - 0 here for Fundy since he has many experiences in events in Chess.com. Tectone might be able to put up a fight with his experience in Tournament Arc 2. With Fundy's rating and game experiences, he might be able to pull it off if he will stay focus, but Tectone also has a chance to win a game if Fundy isn't careful.

Boxbox vs. JustaMinx

- This is an easy 2 - 0 for Boxbox since he has Pog 1 experience. JustaMinx is hard to judge and she is relatively new to the game so let's see if she can hold against Boxbox here. Hope that JustaMinx will gain experience from this match and improve along the way.

Ludwig vs. MrBeast

- It is a rematch from Pog 3 and I think it will be another 2 - 0 for Ludwig. Ludwig has many game experiences in Chess.com events, but MrBeast has his game preparation to back him up. Ludwig might be able to 2 - 0 this, but it won't be that easy since MrBeast is a veteran and may be able to run away with a game.

Day 2 Results:

Fundy vs. Tectone (2 - 0)

- Fundy easily won this and quickly too. I hope that Tectone would gain experience from this and learn that en passant is enabled. Fundy did good and I hope for him to focus more so that he won't hang a pawn and also can't wait to see how Tectone will fair against the others.

Boxbox vs. JustaMinx (2 - 0)

- It was a shaky start for Boxbox but he was able to pull through due to JustaMinx botez gambit. I hope for JustaMinx to learn from her mistake here so that she won't hang her pieces. Boxbox actually looks good in both games, he just needs to take his time to find better moves.

Ludwig vs. MrBeast (2.5 - 1.5)

- Ludwig had a bad day here and almost lost to MrBeast. MrBeast improved a lot and I can't wait to see what more he can achieve in this tournament. I hope for Ludwig to stay focus under pressure so that he won't be making these silly mistakes.

Update:

ConnorEatsPants just got replaced by NickEh30

- NickEh30 is hard to predict how well he will compare to ConnorEatsPants. He is up against experienced players so let's see how he will fair off. I hope to see how he can manage against the veterans here.

Day 3 Prediction:

Crokeyz vs. IamCristinini

- I will give an easy 2 - 0 here for Crokeyz since he has been grinding more ratings after that first match. IamCristinini is new and will be trying to gain experience here. I hope to see how she will do against him.

Punz vs. Rubius

- This is an interesting one but I think Rubius could win by 2 - 1. Rubius is very experienced here but gets inconsistent with his play while Punz is hard to predict since he only has BlockChamps for the experience. Rubius might be able to win this if he can stay consistent when things go bad for him and I can't wait to see how Punz will fair off with someone who is a veteran in this event.

Very disappointed in Pogchamps 4.  I've watched and enjoyed all previous tournaments.  And I mean every match! It's a super idea and relatable for the chess player who plays for fun. However,  the quality of opponent in Pogchamps 4 is low by anyone's standard.  You even had one player who allegedly hadn't played chess since March.  And the blunders come thick and fast.

But what really spoils it is the poor production level.  The screens are cutting all over the place.  Live feeds of the players and the split screen of both player's live feeds.  It's like the director has a new button to press...and boy, does he or she press it!! Makes the relevant match really, really hard to follow...and surely that is the essence of Pogchamps...the actual game of chess!  

Show the analysis screen for the majority of the game, where the commentary matches it.  When there is drama, simply cut to one player.

On a positive, it's still relatively early day's in this fourth tournament.  Hopefully the quality of the matches and onscreen coverage will improve.

Day 3 Results:

Crokeyz vs. IamCristinini (2 - 0)

- IamCristinini could have brought this to tiebreaks and earned a point for herself. Crokeyz was so good in the first game but faltered in the second one. It was a lucky 2 - 0 for him and I hope to see more of IamCristinini and see how she will do.

Punz vs. Rubius (0 - 2)

- Punz had his chances but failed to see it and possibly stood a chance against Rubius. Rubius took all the chances he got against him to secure his first win. Let's see how Rubius continue this momentum and let's hope Punz gets better.

Day 4 Prediction:

NickEh30 vs. Tectone

- I will give a close 2 - 1 here for Tectone. Tectone has his Tournament Act 2 experience to help him out. NickEh30 is a new name here and it is hard to judge how well he can do here. Since they are closely rated, it will be a close match between them.

Harry Mack vs. JustaMinx

- This is hard to predict but I will say 2 - 1 here for Harry Mack. He was a shocker last match and I can't wait to see what he has in store. JustaMinx will be able to put up a fight here if she will learn from her mistakes.

Boxbox vs. Sapnap

- I will give Boxbox here a 2 - 0 win. Both of them had shaky first matches but Boxbox showed that he is an experienced player. Sapnap might be able to put up a fight here if he will stay serious, which will make it a hard 2 - 0 to win for Boxbox.

Day 4 Results:

NickEh30 vs. Tectone (0.5 - 1.5)

- The first game had a bunch of ups and downs where both of them failed to take advantage of their chances. NickEh30 did quite well and could have won against Tectone. Tectone managed to do well in the second game and was able to win the match, showing his experience.

Harry Mack vs. JustaMinx (0.5 - 1.5)

- Both sides had their chances to win but Harry Mack could have won this match. JustaMinx had her chance in the first game but was not experience to win the game that is up a piece. Harry Mack could have won game 2 but then again was not experienced to do checkmate thus, JustaMinx was able to cheese a back rank mate.

Boxbox vs. Sapnap (2 - 0)

- Sapnap had his chances in both games to win against Boxbox. Boxbox was still able to pull a win due to his experience and tactical sharpness. Sapnap did very well here and I can't wait to see how well he could do moving on.

Day 5 Prediction:

Punz vs. IamCristinini

- This is a close match since both had their chances in their first match. I will give a 2 - 1 here for Punz because of his experience. IamCristinini could possibly win this if she will perform well as she did in the first match.

Fundy vs. QTCinderella

- Fundy could 2 - 0 this due to being experienced. QTCinderella can make this hard for him and I think she can if she can stay focus. Fundy did really well in his first match and can't wait to see how well he can do against QTCinderella where she is focused on not blundering her Queen.

Ludwig vs. jakenbakeLIVE

- Ludwig had a shaky start but he can still manage to 2 - 0 this. jakenbakeLIVE is pretty hard to judge but let's see how he will manage against a veteran. Ludwig won't be in trouble as long as he does not get nervous and it is interesting to see if jakenbakeLIVE can put pressure, which might help him to score.

MrBeast vs. 5uppp

- This is an interesting one but I will give 2 - 1 here for 5uppp. MrBeast might be able to score here with his opening preparation. 5uppp will be able to win this because of his tactical sharpness and better chess skills but I hope to see how MrBeast improves himself so that he will be able to go on par with him.

Day 5 Results:

Punz vs. IamCristinini (0 - 2)

- IamCristinini has improved a lot here. Punz managed well against her but it wasn't his day. I hope to see how IamCristinini will improve more here and also how Punz will be able to learn from this.

Fundy vs. QTCinderella (2 - 0)

- Fundy won this convincingly. QTCinderella had her chances to make this difficult for him but she failed to convert. She did well at the beginning of both games but Fundy manages to stay on top with his experience.

Ludwig vs. jakenbakeLIVE (2 - 0)

- Ludwig just got lucky here. jakenbakeLIVE did surprisingly well and had his chances in both games to take advantage of the situation. I am worried about the performance Ludwig is doing and I hope jakenbakeLIVE improves more in this tournament.

MrBeast vs. 5uppp (0 - 2)

- 5uppp did pretty well here, taking his chances to win the match. MrBeast was doing well in the first game but did a botez gambit. I am really interested in how 5uppp will do in his future matches and I hope for MrBeast to improve more on this.

Day 6 Prediction:

5uppp vs. jakenbakeLIVE 

- This is gonna be a close one to call. I will give a 2 - 1 here for 5uppp since he might have a shot against jakenbakeLIVE in the blitz section. They are so closely rated and it will be interesting who will come at up.

QTCinderella vs. Tectone

- QTCinderella might take this with a 2 - 0. Tectone has a shot here to keep this close with her if he will stay focus. QTCinderella has a good chance here if she will stay focus and does not hang any pieces.

Fundy vs. NickEh30

- This might as well be an easy 2 - 0 here for Fundy. NickEh30 might be able to manage well against him if he will not blunder his pieces. Fundy has been getting good here so let's see how NickEh30 will be able to do something about this.

Day 6 Results:

5uppp vs. jakenbakeLIVE (2 - 0)

- 5uppp was so good during this match and got lucky in the second game. jakenbakeLIVE could have a chance if didn't blunder his queen and didn't get baited. They both did well in this match and I was impressed but 5uppp took his chances to win this match.

QTCinderella vs. Tectone (2 - 0)

- Tectone could have won a game or two in this match. QTCinderella manages to stabilize herself here and manage to win this match. Tectone had his chances but failed to convert so can't wait to see more of him.

Fundy vs. NickEh30 (2 - 0)

- Fundy was looking good here in this match. NickEh30 did pretty well against him and had his chances to make it difficult for him. Fundy was the more experienced player here and was able to pull through, and also can't wait to see how well NickEh30 will improve.

Day 7 Prediction:

Crokeyz vs. Punz

- Crokeyz can easily win this 2 - 0 if he will stay focus and does not hang pieces. Punz had a rough tournament and will try to redeem himself here. Crokeyz has this in the bag, but let's see how can Punz make it hard for him.

Sapnap vs. JustaMinx

- Sapnap can 2 - 0 here if he will keep focus. JustaMinx just had a nice win and could have a good mindset coming to this game. Sapnap is good here but he needs to be careful since JustaMinx could be able to pull an upset here.

Boxbox vs. Harry Mack

- Boxbox has an easy 2 - 0 here. I hope for Harry Mack to learn from his previous match so he can manage well against him. Boxbox will be good here if he will be tactically sharp, and let's see how Harry Mack will do.

MrBeast vs. jakenbakeLIVE

- jakenbakeLIVE might do a 2 - 0 here with his performance so far. MrBeast could do well here if he will not hang his pieces and practice his chess skills. jakenbakeLIVE will be able to take this as long as he does not hang his pieces, while MrBeast just needs to take his chances when it comes.