PogChamps 4 presented by Coinbase is set to begin on August 29, 2021 and run until the finals on September 12.
Expected to be one of the most viewed chess tournaments in history, PogChamps 4 will have a $100,000 prize fund.
The first three events PogChamps, PogChamps 2, and PogChamps 3 shattered viewership records achieving close to 500 million minutes watched.
PogChamps 4 is poised to be the largest yet. Chess.com will also continue to emphasize supporting the chess community by matching up to $100,000 in community donations.
Here’s all the information you need to follow Chess.com PogChamps 4:
- Hosts And Commentators
- Broadcast And Streaming
- Format
- Prize Breakdown
- Community Outreach
- Players
- Match Schedule
- Results Website
- Groups And Seeding
- Brackets
- Bots
Hosts And Commentators
- WFM Alexandra Botez
- Andrea Botez
- IM Danny Rensch
- IM Levy Rozman
- IM Anna Rudolf
- GM Aman Hambleton
- GM Robert Hess
- GM Daniel Naroditsky
- WGM Qiyu “Nemo” Zhou
- and more!
Broadcast and streaming
All Chess.com PogChamps matches will be broadcast live on Chess.com/TV with commentary led by chess celebrities.
Players can stream on their own channels on a delay as well, but will not be allowed to use chat for outside assistance. Players who decide not to stream must join a Zoom call for the purposes of fair play and broadcasting.
Format
Group Stage
- The 16 players will be divided into four groups with four players in each, determined by the seeding below.
- In this group stage, players will play all three opponents in their group in a match.
- Each match will be two games at the 10+5 time control. The higher-seeded player will play white in the first game.
- If a match is tied after two games, a 3+2 tiebreak game will be played. The player who has the higher CAPS (accuracy) score from the two-game match will choose their color for the tiebreak game.
- Players receive three points for each match won outright, two points winning a match via armageddon tiebreak, one point for losing a match via armageddon tiebreak, and zero points for losing a match without tiebreaks.
- At the end of group play, players will be ranked within their group by points accumulated.
- Each group’s top two players make it to the Championship bracket, and the other two will play in the Consolation Bracket.
If two players in a group are tied on points, the first tiebreak is CAPS score averaged across all three matches they played in.
Championship and Consolation Brackets
- Both brackets will consist of eight players, with seeding predetermined to ensure competitive play.
- Both brackets will use a single-elimination format. The winner of each match proceeds to the next round.
- Matches will consist of two 10+5 games, and the higher seed plays White in the first game. If the match is tied after two games, a single 3+2 game will be used to determine a winner, with the higher seed playing with the white pieces. If the tiebreak game is drawn, 3+2 games continue with colors alternating every game until there is a winner.
- If players shared seeding from group play, the player with the higher CAPS (accuracy) score from their previous round non-tiebreak game(s) will get the higher seed.
Prize Breakdown
Total Prize Fund: $100,000
Winnings are determined by how far a player advances in the tournament.
Group Stage: 16 players, $8,000 prize pool.
- Every group stage winner (4 total) will receive a $2,000 prize
Championship Bracket: 8 players, $60,000 prize pool
- Tournament Champion: $20,000
- Runner-Up: $12,000
- Semifinalists (2): $6,000
- Quarterfinalists (4): $4,000
Consolation Bracket: 8 players, $32,000 prize pool
- Consolation Champion: $7,000
- Runner-Up: $5,000
- Semifinalists (2): $4,000
- Quarterfinalists (4): $3,000
Community Outreach
During PogChamps 4, Chess.com will be matching donations from the community, up to $100,000 for a total of $200,000 to charity. We have partnered with Rise Against The Disorder, a 501(c)(3) dedicated to making mental health care more affordable and accessible.
Players
As players are confirmed they will appear below. The current field:
Match Schedule
We will post official match times for each game before the beginning of each round of play. Dates for each stage of the event will be posted here.
Results Website
Results will be posted at the site below once the event begins.Track Results
Groups And Seeding
Groups will be based on a variety of factors including (but not limited to) total games played, amount of chess streamed, and blitz, rapid, and tactics ratings.
The groups will appear here when finalized.
Brackets
Once the group stage is finished, the Championship and Consolation brackets will appear here.
Bots
How do you stack up against some of the PogChamps 4 players? Click the button below to go to our Play Computer page where you can match your wits with the Ludwig and MrBeast bots as well as bots of past Pog players like xQc, Pokimane, Neeko, and CodeMiko.