Chess.com PogChamps: Boxbox Secures Win With Sacrifice

The Chess.com PogChamps' first round ended with three decisive results, as Papaplatte, Forsen, and Boxbox were each able to earn three points from their respective openings. Once again, fans from all over the world tuned into Chess.com's broadcast, making it the most viewed stream on all of Twitch as the day headed into its final match.

While Sunday's action brought fun to the forefront, many Twitch streamers were directly affected by a sweep of copyright music usage claims. Overnight, many top Twitch streamers were threatened with permanent closure by the platform as a result of a vast number of DMCA claims, even if the clips in question were over a year old. Fuslie, one of the participants in the Chess.com PogChamps, was hit with two strikes within the last 24 hours: 

I’ve been issued 2 copyright strikes on my channel (both from clips over a year old) in the past week and told that if they find one more violation in my clips, my twitch account will be permabanned. (1/4) pic.twitter.com/y8pft3spdq

— fuslie (@fuslie) June 7, 2020

Chess.com is tracking the situation closely and is in close contact with all of the participants as it may relate to the Chess.com PogChamps.

The second round is set to start on Monday at 12:45 p.m. PDT (21:45 p.m. CEST) as Voyboy, Fuslie, and Yassuo are all set to return with Group A and B action.

Make sure to tune into Chess.com's official day 4 coverage of the 2020 Chess.com PogChamps at 12:45 p.m. PDT (21:45 p.m. CEST) on Chess.com/tv.

Papaplatte Downs Swiftor In Group D Opener

Papaplatte was quick to attack first in the day's opening game. Swiftor, wanting to reply quickly in the center, decided to postpone castling—a decision which proved lethal in the end. The German streamer's gambles paid off, and he was able to earn the three points after delivering mate on the board.

Papaplatte revealed after the game that in order to prepare for the PogChamps, he had been streaming and playing chess every day for at least two hours over the past two weeks.

Was ein Stream, Freunde! ♥️

Wir haben unser erstes Game im Schach Tournament gewonnen. Lets go! 🙏🏻

— Papaplatte (@Papaplatte) June 7, 2020

Forsen Overcomes xChocobars Defense To Win In Debut

Forsenboys watched their favorite streamer make his much-awaited debut Sunday against xChocobars. A heavy favorite to win the match, Forsen was taken by surprise in the opening when xChocobars unleashed a trick out of the King's Indian Attack. 

Forsen, being the much more experienced player, was able to recover, first by winning a piece, and then by claiming hold over the center.

The conversion was mostly smooth, but Forsen did miss one chance to conclude the game early as Hikaru was quick to point out on the official broadcast:

With NymN beating SlikeR on Saturday, the first round of Group C action ends with both Swedes sitting on top of the group. Forsen's next match will be against SlikeR on June 10 at 1 p.m. Pacific Time while NymN faces xChocobars an hour before at 12 p.m. PDT.

Group B Standings

Boxbox's Tactic Stuns Ludwig, Secures Win

While many in the audience had heard of Boxbox's dedication to chess over the past few weeks, Ludwig's introduction quickly made him a fan favorite with his wit and trash-talking skills. The American streamer was even quick to call out Hikaru on his stream during the game.

Despite being a heavy underdog, Ludwig achieved a better position from the Ponziani early, but he fumbled his advantage after hesitating to trade in the center. The lack of decisiveness gave Boxbox the opportunity to find the winning combination which resulted in mate on the board.

When asked in his post-game interview, Boxbox said his biggest motivation in this tournament was to beat Voyboy in a head-to-head game and avenge a defeat from a past League of Legends event. Ludwig, who can still advance to the championship bracket, said his biggest motivation was the prize money.

With Group D's first-round complete, Papaplatte and Boxbox lead the group with three points. Papaplatte will face Ludwig next on June 9 at 1 p.m. PDT while Boxbox will face Swiftor on June 10 at 2 p.m. PDT.

Group D Standings

Tyler1's Brother (Erobb221), NateHill Looking For First Win In Monday Clash

Monday's action will kick off with Erobb221 taking on NateHill at 1 p.m. Pacific Time on Chess.com/TV. After hanging mate-in-one against Fuslie in the PogChamps Opener, Erobb221 vowed to beat NateHill in his post-game interview. With both players needing a win in order to stay in contention for a spot in the championship bracket, expect both players to go all out in the PogChamps' second round.

Fuslie Looks To Upset Voyboy In Second Round

Voyboy may be the favorite to win the Chess.com PogChamps, but Fuslie could prove to be his biggest hurdle in the event's group stage. After her preparation with the White pieces paid off, Fuslie will have her first game of the event with the Black pieces. Voyboy will be looking to win two in a row, so make sure to tune in at 2 p.m. Pacific Time on Chess.com/tv.

Yassuo and Hutch Do Battle To Control Group B

Like Voyboy, Hutch is also one of the pre-tournament favorites and will face his toughest test of the group stage in Yassuo on Monday. Yassuo is no stranger to big moments, and after beating xQc in the most-watched game of chess played since the 2018 world championship match, he showed that he has what it takes to win on the biggest stage. Kicking off at 3 p.m. Pacific Time on Chess.com/TV, this primetime game will round out Monday's action.

Still deciding who to root for in the first-ever Chess.com PogChamps? Here's a quick sampler of each streamer:

♜ Here's a preview of all the streamers competing in the https://t.co/EufIHuV7ha #Pogchamps! Starts in 1 hour on https://t.co/kaTA3dFcqn and https://t.co/qaLMGLOA9W ♜ pic.twitter.com/aqGbbRPjGq

— Chess.com (@chesscom) June 5, 2020

Make sure to tune into Chess.com's official Day 4 coverage of the 2020 Chess.com PogChamps at 12:45 p.m. PDT (21:45 p.m. CEST) on Chess.com/tv.