PogChamps 3: Rainn Wilson Wins Despite Two Botez Gambits
The second day of PogChamps 3 could not have been any more exciting, with more than 140,000 concurrent viewers on Twitch enjoying the action.
xQc beat Rubius in a thrilling match to start the day. Logic overcame some difficulties to win his match against Tubbo, and Rain Wilson defeated Michelle Khare in their tiebreak armageddon game.
- xQc Rises From The Ashes To Defeat Rubius (Twice)
- Tubbo Throws The Match With Enthusiasm
- Rainn Wilson Wins After Giving Michelle Multiple Queens
During PogChamps 3, Chess.com will match up to $100,000 in donations to the participants’ preferred non-profit organizations. Please read this article to see how PogChamps is supporting charities, and how you can help yourself!
xQc Rises From The Ashes To Defeat Rubius (Twice)
xQc defeated Rubius in a close match after having to overcome difficult starts in both games.
During the first game of the match, Rubius surprised everyone when he came out on top after the opening. It all seemed bleak for xQc after he blundered a bishop on g2. Then, the unthinkable happened, and Rubius returned the favor blundering a bishop, a pawn, and later his rook.
In their second game, xQc got into a worse middlegame after he once more blundered his bishop. At one point, it seemed like Rubius would take the match to tiebreaks after he had a mate in one over the board.
Unfortunately for the Spanish streamer, he missed the winning move and later blundered his pieces, making it easy for xQc to win the game and the match.
All Games
Tubbo Throws The Match With Enthusiasm
Logic won the match against Tubbo, after two rollercoaster games.
The first game of the match was not suitable for those who are faint of heart. Tubbo eagerly sacrificed his queen right from the get-go, and the game seemed clear. However, tragedy struck when Logic mouse slipped, missing a checkmate and losing his queen, leaving the rapper in a worse position.
An unbelievable game unfolded as Logic created counterplay on the queenside and found a way to promote his pawn. What followed was perhaps the most dramatic sequence of events in chess history, as both Logic and Tubbo missed checkmates and hanging pieces. Logic finally got the upper hand and won the first game.
The second game was balanced until the very end when Logic blundered and allowed Tubbo to promote. It appeared like the match was heading for the tiebreaks with a queen and rook against Logic's lonely king.
It was at this point that Tubbo surprised the viewers again. The British streamer tried to be safe and brought his king to aid with the checkmate—and the rest is history.
With the draw in the second game, Logic won the match. "I'm just so happy to even be a part of this," the rapper said about the tournament. "It's a big honor for me, I'm obsessed with chess. I play chess every day! I love it!"
All Games
Rainn Wilson Wins After Giving Michelle Multiple Queens
Rainn Wilson won a clutch match after the "Challenge Accepted" star Michelle Khare took it to the tiebreaks. Despite running over his opponent in the first game, Rainn had to suffer in games two and three after blundering his queen twice.
After the first game, it seemed like Rainn Wilson was the absolute favorite to win the tournament. After just a few moves, he quickly demolished his opponent in the most one-sided game of the event so far. Rainn had a CAPS score of 90.4 in game one.
It seemed like the second game was about to be another walk in the park for Rainn, as he had a winning position right from the opening. However, everything changed when he carelessly hung his queen. Michelle kept her material advantage and delivered checkmate even under immense time pressure.
In the tiebreak armageddon game, Rainn attained a winning position, but, sadly, he hallucinated a checkmate and lost his queen. With less time on the clock, Michelle gave back a lot of material, and Rainn played his way back into the game. Michelle ran out of time and lost the match.
All Games
Make sure to tune into Chess.com's daily coverage of PogChamps 3 presented by Grip6 at 11:45 a.m. Pacific (20:45 Central Europe) on Chess.com/tv.
GRIP6 is an American manufacturing company dedicated to making the best belts, wallets, and wool socks. Visit GRIP6.com/PogChamps to enter into the ultimate PogChamps giveaway. GRIP6, Built to wear, not to wear out.
As Guayakí celebrates 25 years of regenerative yerba mate, they want to thank YOU for being a part of their mission achievement to steward and restore over 200,000 acres of rainforest by sharing cases during PogChamps 3. Come To Life at Guayaki.com/chess.
Previous Coverage:
Pedro Pinhata is the Writing Lead for Chess.com. He writes articles, feature announcements, event pages, and more. He has been playing chess since 2019 and lives in Brazil.
