Chess.com PogChamps: Fuslie, Voyboy, and Hutch Star With Wins On Opening Day
The first-ever Chess.com PogChamps kicked off Friday, with fans across the world tuning in to watch their favorite Twitch streamers clash on the chessboard. Opening day action saw Group A kick off in earnest, with Fuslie and Voyboy both notching wins. Hutch's win to round out the action teased Group B's much-anticipated matchup between Yassuo and xQc, set to start Saturday at 2 p.m. Pacific Time (23:00 CEST) on Chess.com/tv and Twitch.tv/Chess. The day's broadcast will begin at 11:45 a.m. PDT (20:45 p.m. CEST).
Even with only three games scheduled for the event's opening day, Chess.com's official broadcast peaked at 52,000 concurrent viewers, making it the most-watched English stream on all of Twitch.
👏 https://t.co/EufIHuV7ha #Pogchamps is the number 1 English stream on @Twitch right now! 👏
— Chess.com (@chesscom) June 5, 2020
Watch live: https://t.co/qaLMGLOA9W pic.twitter.com/qpumS34NBj
Make sure to tune into Chess.com's official Day 2 coverage of the 2020 Chess.com PogChamps at 12 p.m. Pacific Time on Chess.com/tv.
Fuslie Beats erobb In Opening Match
With Voyboy a clear top-seed and only two players advancing to the championship bracket from Group A, the match between fuslie and erobb was seen as a key pairing to determine the outcome of the group. Fuslie launched a kingside attack from the London System early, and it only took one blunder from Tyler1's brother to decide the game:
Fuslie attributed much of her success to her lessons with GM Hikaru Nakamura, where her opening preparation had paid off with the full three points.
♕ @Erobb221 BLUNDERS BIG AND GETS CHECKMATED BY @fuslie! @GMHikaru loses his mind laughing. 🤣🤣🤣 #Pogchamps pic.twitter.com/KRdxzcZzjQ
— Chess.com (@chesscom) June 5, 2020
Voyboy Breaks NateHill's Staunch Defense
Widely regarded as the tournament favorite, Voyboy showed his conversion technique against Fortnite star NateHill. Despite being a significant rating underdog, NateHill proved his work on the chessboard was paying off, both with a solid opening choice and stubborn middlegame defense.
Woohoo won my first Chess PogChamps match against @NateHillTV ! GG and well played brother 🤝
— Joedat (@Voyboy) June 5, 2020
With both Fuslie and Voyboy winning, both players share a Group A lead. The group leaders will face each other, while NateHill and erobb will fight for survival on June 8.
Group A Standings
| # | Streamer | Points | |
| 1 | Voyboy | 3 | |
| 2 | fuslie | 3 | |
| 3 | NateHill | 0 | |
| 4 | erobb221 | 0 |
Hutch Opens PogChamps With Win Over moistCr1tikal
The final match of the day featured Hutch and moistCr1tikal in Group B's opening fixture. While Hutch was nervous heading into the game, he was able to capitalize on a middlegame blunder which would prove to seal moistCritikal's fate.
♗ @MoistCr1TiKaL blunders his bishop and hangs his head in despair....@hutchinson looks a lot more relaxed now! #pogchamps pic.twitter.com/yeNdvFayYb
— Chess.com (@chesscom) June 5, 2020
While the loss is a setback for moistCr1tikal, his versatile approach and his ability to see things in different ways may prove to be a unique advantage down the stretch. With xQc and Yassuo playing tomorrow, Hutch is in clear first in Group B.
Hutch's next match will be against Yassuo on June 8 at 3 p.m. Pacific Time, while moistCr1tikal faces xQc on June 9, an opponent who he vowed to beat in his post-game interview.
Group B Standings
| # | Streamer | Points | |
| 1 | hutch | 3 | |
| 2 | moistCr1tikal | 0 | |
| 3 | xQc | 0 | |
| 4 | yassuo | 0 |
xQc Debuts Saturday, Faces Yassuo
Two of the most followed streamers on Twitch, xQc and yasssuo will clash Saturday at 2 p.m. Pacific Time on Chess.com/TV. Both players have actively been working on their chess over the past few weeks, and this clash could prove critical in deciding which players advance to the championship bracket.
SlikeR Makes Team Liquid Debut In PogChamps
Having just signed with Team Liquid earlier this week, SlikeR will be making his debut for Team Liquid on the chessboard. Known for his on stream antics and his skill in CS:GO, SlikeR will take on his rival NymN tomorrow at 12 p.m. Pacific Time on Chess.com/tv.
The perfect signing nobody expected.
— Team Liquid (@TeamLiquid) June 4, 2020
Welcome @sliker to Team #Sliquid pic.twitter.com/SIjWQhk4Vd
These two are frequent rivals on stream, having played five times already on Chess.com. SlikeR currently leads NymN in their personal matches with three wins, one loss, and one draw.
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 in to Chess.com's official Day 2 coverage of the 2020 Chess.com PogChamps at 12 p.m. Pacific Time on Chess.com/tv.
