Twitch has teamed up with Chess.com to host the PogChamps tournament, running from June 5-19 and featuring popular streamers on the platform. Forsen, xQc, boxbox, yassuo, and Fuslie have been confirmed as tournament competitors, just to name a few.
In case you haven’t heard, chess is hip again and fans are going nuts over some of the world’s top Grandmasters. Hikaru Nakamura and xQc collaborated in early April, bringing chess plenty of new attention. This exposure collided with World Champion Magnus Carlsen’s $1 million tour – a series of tournaments featuring chess’s top talent. Now, PogChamps is bringing popular streamers to the sport, culminating in a Twitch Rivals which will be held in July.
Many chalk up chess as dated and slow, but competitors such as Nakamura and Carlsen have shown that this couldn’t be further from the truth. The two recently completed a fierce semi-finals showdown in the Lindores Abbey Rapid Challenge, with Nakamura coming out on top despite Carlsen’s early lead and position as the favorite. Many who hold prestigious titles in the chess world have colorful personalities too, holding the attention of many viewers. This upcoming PogChamps tournament, July’s Twitch Rivals, and the rest of Carlsen’s tour promise plenty of entertainment for chess fans new and old.
Source: Chess.com
