Winner Stays: All The Information
FM Anna-Maja Kazarian defeated WFM Alessia Santeramo and collected her second crown during February's Winner Stays. Kazarian is now only one win away from ascending to the Pantheon.
Chess.com's Vice President of Engineering Josh defeated his coworker Erik, stopping the CEO from earning his third-straight win and becoming a member of the Pantheon.
In the Poggers section, the one and only Naycir dominated her match against CryBabyCarly and won by an incredible 17.5-3.5 score to win her second crown. Like her fellow streamer in the master section, Naycir is only one win away from the Pantheon.
Winner Stays is a monthly series of events where content creators of different chess levels go head-to-head for their portion of the $3,000 event prize, plus a chance at an additional $3,000 if they win their match in three consecutive events and retire to the Pantheon.
Broadcast
Fans will be able to watch the live broadcast of the event on Chess.com/TV and our Twitch Events Channel. The next event will be hosted by fan-favorites IM Anna Rudolf and GM Benjamin Bok.
Format
Each month will feature three matches, where players of three different strength levels will face each other.
- The Poggers (Under 1400)
- The Sweats (1400-2400)
- The Masters (Over 2400)
*Rating ranges are approximate.
The winner in each category will go on to face a new opponent the following month. After three consecutive wins, players retire to The Pantheon.
Each match will be played in a format loosely based on the Speed Chess Championships. Each match will last 90 minutes at the following time controls:
- 45 minutes of 5-minute blitz
- 30 minutes of 3-minute blitz
- 15 minutes of 1-minute bullet
There is no increment. Tied matches go to overtime of one-minute bullet until there is a winner.
Commentator Lifelines
- Each player has one lifeline per time control in both the 5+0 and 3+0 segments
- Any information can be shared between the player and commentator for 30 seconds
- One minute is added to the player's clock per lifeline
Event Prizes
There is a $1,000 prize fund each week for each match, with $750 going to each winning player and $250 to the losing players. The winners also stay alive for the next month's match.
A player who wins three matches in a row wins an additional $3,000.
Schedule
The next event will happen on March.
February 2022
- The Masters (Over 2400): FM Anna-Maja Kazarian vs. WFM Alessia Santeramo
- The Sweats (1400-2400): Erik vs. Josh
- The Poggers (Under 1400): Naycir vs. CryBabyCarly
January 2022
- The Masters (Over 2400): WGM Dina Belenkaya vs. FM Anna-Maja Kazarian
- The Sweats (1400-2400): Erik vs. Samay Raina
- The Poggers (Under 1400): LSV vs. CryBabyCarly
November 2021
- The Masters (Over 2400): WGM Nemo Qiyu Zhou vs. WGM Dina Belenkaya
- The Sweats (1400-2400): Hannah Sayce vs. Erik
- The Poggers (Under 1400): Naycir vs. Gigguk
September 2021
- The Masters (Over 2400): GM Jose Martinez vs. GM Benjamin Bok.
- The Sweats (1400-2400): Samay Raina vs. MrLlamaSC
- The Poggers (Under 1400): boxbox vs. Chris Ramsay
August 12, 2021
- The Masters (Over 2400): GM Krikor Mekhitarian - GM Jose Martinez
- The Sweats (1400-2400): NM Kurt Schneider - Dan Smith
- The Poggers (Under 1400): Ludwig - boxbox
July 9, 2021
- The Masters (Over 2400): GM Jose Martinez - IM Minh Le
- The Sweats (1400-2400): NM Kurt Schneider - WFM Alexandra Botez
- The Poggers (Under 1400): Ludwig - CDawgVA
June 4, 2021
- The Poggers (Under 1400): Ludwig - Fundy
- The Sweats (1400-2400): NM Kurt Schneider - Andrea Botez
- The Masters (Over 2400): GM Robert Hess - GM Krikor Mekhitarian
Players
The Pantheon
These are the players who won three matches in a row and joined the Pantheon:
Results
February 2022
January 2022
November 2021
September 2021
August 2021
July 2021: Martinez, Schneider, Ludwig Victorious in Winner Stays
June 2021: Ludwig, Schneider, Mekhitarian 'Stay' In Inaugural Winner Stays Event