Gigguk Crowned Tournament Arc 2 Champion
Tournament Arc 2 reached its epic conclusion, with Gigguk successfully defending the title after defeating Esam. The two-time champion proved to be the best among a field of superstars from the Anime community and Fighting Games players.
Like a true hero, Gigguk had to overcome many herculean challenges on his way to the top. His first victory was against Tournament Arc 1 finalist CDawgVA, followed by TA2 Redemption Arc finalist Rustage, and finally, Smash Bros legend Esam.
"I needed to be on my A-game for so many matches and so many games, and so many games came down to the wire," Gigguk said after the last match. "It was tense, and I can't wait for what comes next!"
It was tense, and I can't wait for what comes next!
— Gigguk
Esam's journey to the top was another exciting aspect of the tournament. After losing in the second round, Esam fought his way back up to find redemption as the second-place winner of the tournament. His path to the podium was not easy either: he had to overcome most of the heavyweights that Gigguk did, like CDawgVA and Rustage.
Viewers and other participants were on the edge of their seats as the finals unfolded. The incredible Kureiji Ollie was only one of the players who watched closely as the final battle for the throne was taking place. She later went to Twitter to congratulate the winner and express her gratitude and a new-found love for the game:
OTSUCRAZYYYY!!! THE TOURNAMENT HAS BEEN A BLAST!!! A BIG CONGRATULATIONS TO GIGGUK FOR KEEPING THE THRONE!!!👑✨✨ IT WAS CRAZY FUN AND I MADE FRIENDS ALONG THE WAY❣️❣️
— Kureiji Ollie (オリー)🧟♀️@ホロライブID 狂乱Hey Kids!!1M 39 (@kureijiollie) July 26, 2021
I FELL IN LOVE WITH CHESS THROUGH THIS TOURNAMENT, SO I'M REALLY GRATEFUL TO BE A PART OF IT🥰🥰 https://t.co/nm62a34d0m
Fans also enjoyed every bit of the event and even took Kureiji Ollie to the Twitter Trending Topics in the Gaming category during her inaugural match against Kizzie. With more than 750,000 live views on Twitch alone throughout the tournament, TA2 joined the list of hit events that brought new audiences to chess.
With the massive success of TA2, fans and players alike can't wait to see what comes next. "This event exists for the fans and the players, and they all say they want a Tournament Arc 3," said Aranhawaii, the event's organizer. "So I guess the next step is to open up the calendar!" he added.
What do you think will be the future of the Tournament Arc series? Will Gigguk come back as the protagonist of Tournament Arc 3? Can someone challenge the reigning champion to steal the crown away from him? Leave a comment below with your thoughts!
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.
