Boxbox won Group D's first-place prize on Sunday, booking him a match with Forsen in the quarterfinals.

Boxbox Wins Group D Finale Heading Into PogChamps Quarterfinals

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Updated: Jun 14, 2020, 6:35 PM | 9 | Chess.com News

With the group stage complete, Chess.com PogChamps is headed to the quarterfinals. Sunday's action saw Boxbox continue his unbeaten run, fan-favorite Ludwig score his first win, and an emboldened xQc stand toe-to-toe with one of the tournament favorites.

The quarterfinals in both brackets will run through Wednesday, June 17, as players will be fighting to avoid elimination. Monday's slate offers three matches as both brackets get underway.

While Sunday marked the tenth day of the PogChamps, viewership has remained strong throughout. In fact, the chess category reached a new viewership milestone on Twitch during Sunday's broadcast:

It's a new all-time high for concurrent viewers in the Chess category on @Twitch!

Thanks to all 140,000+ of you who are tuned in to chess right now whether it's #Pogchamps #ClutchChess or any of the amazing streamers in the category, your support is invaluable in growing chess! pic.twitter.com/pu3WuIbJyI
— Chess.com (@chesscom) June 14, 2020

Monday's quarterfinals will be starting at 12:45 p.m. Pacific Time (21:45 Central Europe). With three matches scheduled, the PogChamps will feature talents like MoistCr1tikal, NateHill, and Voyboy.

Erobb faces MoistCr1tikal in Monday's quarterfinal. Can he string two consecutive wins together?

Make sure to tune into Chess.com's official quarterfinals coverage of the 2020 Chess.com PogChamps on Monday at 12:45 p.m. Pacific Time (21:45 Central Europe) on Chess.com/tv.

Boxbox Beats Papaplatte, Plays Forsen On Tuesday

Boxbox, seen as a dark horse to win the PogChamps, had his final group stage test on Sunday against Germany variety streamer Papaplatte. While Papaplatte was not favored to win the group, he had already exceeded expectations by beating both Ludwig and Swiftor through his careful play.

Papaplatte took a pragmatic approach in the opening, but blundered in key moments, conceding the advantage. Boxbox converted smoothly, even having three rooks on the board at the same time.

With the win, Boxbox secures the Group D prize and will face Forsen on Tuesday in the quarterfinals. Papaplatte will take on Group C Winner, NymN, on Wednesday.

Ludwig Notches First PogChamps Win Against Swiftor

While Ludwig is widely regarded as the tournament's most fun player, the American streamer had yet to win a game, including in his exhibition against SlikeR. Against Swiftor on Sunday, Ludwig broke the streak, citing "Dvoretsky's Endgame Manual" as the source of his improvement.

The conversion came after Swiftor missed a chance to win material early, missing Ludwig had hung a bishop on c4. Once Ludwig regrouped, his kingside expansion proved lethal.

Both Ludwig and Swiftor are headed to the consolation bracket, but with the win, Ludwig avoids a rematch with SlikeR in the quarterfinals. Instead, he'll take on xChocobars, who is still looking for her first win of the PogChamps.

Group D Standings

#	Streamer	Points
1	Boxbox	9
2	Papaplatte	6
3	Ludwig	3
4	Swiftor	0

Hutch Overcomes xQc's Resourcefulness, Wins Group B

xQc has quite a week. After his loss to MoistCr1tikal went viral, his Twitch account was temporarily closed on Friday, forcing his match against Group B's favorite, Hutch, to be postponed. Prior to the match, many were skeptical of xQc's ability to keep the game close, considering his opponent's level of experience. While xQc eventually lost in time trouble, he still surprised many with his resilient play:

Hutch secured the Group B prize, earning him a quarterfinal match against NateHill on Monday. xQc will face Fuslie in the quarterfinals' last match on Wednesday. The result means Yassuo will face tournament favorite Voyboy on Monday.

Group B Standings

#	Streamer	Points
1	hutch	9
2	yassuo	6
3	moistCr1tikal	3
4	xQc	0

Erobb, MoistCr1tikal Kicks Off Playoff Action

MoistCr1tikal will be favored heading into tomorrow's quarterfinal, but his opponent beat the tournament favorite last Saturday. While Erobb's win was certainly unconventional, momentum could prove to be a factor if MoistCr1tikal is not careful. Expect this match to be close, as the winner could be poised to make a deep dark horse run in the bracket. Clocks will start at 1:00 p.m. Pacific Time (22:00 Central Europe) on Chess.com/TV.

The winner of this match could make a deep run in the consolation bracket.

Hutch, NateHill Open Championship Bracket Action

Hutch returns on Monday, looking to punch his ticket into the semifinal. In his post-game interview Sunday, Hutch commented that he already sees himself progressing to the final, given that his toughest competitors in Voyboy, Boxbox, and Forsen are all on the other side of the bracket. Could this be his downfall? Expect NateHill to be prepared after missing his chance to beat Fuslie in last week's round. Clocks will start at 2:00 p.m. Pacific Time (23:00 Central Europe) on Chess.com/TV.

How will NateHill's rapid improvement match with Hutch's experience?

Yassuo Faces Voyboy In League Of Legends Clash

These two were destined to meet. Many point to Voyboy as the presumptive tournament favorite, who would be unbeaten if not for his sporting gesture on Saturday. While Voyboy's chances of winning the event are strong, Yassuo's improvement has been visible across each of his three games. Expect an extremely tactical fight between the two League of Legends stars. The day's final game starts at 3 p.m. Pacific Time (00:00 Central Europe) on Chess.com/tv.

Monday's action closes with an all League of Legends clash in the championship bracket.

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