Dark Horse Samay Raina Goes From Blunder Master To SuperPogChampion

Despite a bumpy second game, Voyboy defeated Sparg0 2-0 to advance to the Championship Bracket Final.

Voyboy started off well by finding a tactic in game one to win a piece. From there on, he played a solid game and simplified the position, leaving Sparg0 with almost no counterplay. 

In the second game, Voyboy misplayed the opening, and Sparg0 got a considerable advantage. However, Sparg0 took a little too long to cash in and then went for the wrong pawn, which forced him to give up a bishop. It was deja vu from there on, with Voyboy simplifying the position to end all hope for a comeback and take the match.

In the other Semifinal match, SonicFox knocked Will Benson out, even after losing the first game.

Things looked great for SonicFox in the first game of the Consolation Bracket Final match. Voyboy went for a dubious attack with his g-pawn, ruining the defenses around his king. To make matters worse, he blundered a pawn and had nothing to show for it.

But in chess, not playing a losing move can be more important than playing a winning move. And Sonic played not one but two losing moves in a row, throwing the game and letting Voyboy get ahead in the match.

Game two was more one-sided, with Voyboy dominating throughout. A deadly queenside attack led to Voyboy infiltrating Sonic’s position, and there was no recovery from that. He ended it all with a nice tactic followed by a checkmate to end the match 2-0.

And with that, the first-ever PogChampion returned to the podium five years later as the Consolation Bracket winner of SuperPogChamps.

Games

Championship Bracket

It was probably the first time in PogChamps history that we saw a brilliant move like the one played by Masi Oka in game one. Playing as White, Masi sacrificed his knight in game one, not to win the game or even material, but to force a perpetual check. And after a mouse slip by Sardoche in game two, it seemed like Masi’s strategy would work out perfectly.

However, the actor missed the opportunity to punish his opponent’s opening mistake. Sardoche fought bravely, equalizing the game and putting up an endgame clinic to win game two and the match.

In the other match between Samay Raina and Andrea Botez, Samay came prepared with an opening system designed to counter Andrea’s usual fiachetto openings. However, Andrea assessed the position well and punished Samay’s mistakes, getting a winning position. Samay still went for a stalemate trick that might as well have worked in PogChamps, but not quite in SuperPogChamps.

Andrea then took advantage of Samay’s opening mistake in game two and built a huge advantage. But time trouble eventually crept in, activating the Botez instinct to give up the queen.

A tense tiebreak game followed, where the players ended up in time trouble in an equal position. Samay cracked first by hanging a full piece, but Andrea cracked even harder right after—yes, going for the Double Botez Gambit.

That victory set up the stage for the Championship Bracket Final, where Samay would once more play against the highest-rated player in the field, Sardoche.

Games

A crazy first game opened the final match of SuperPogChamps between Samay and Sardoche. The Indian started off well, finding a series of aggressive moves to put the pressure on Sardoche. But in a complex position, Samay went astray first, and Sardoche got a promising advantage. 

But after one slip by the French streamer, Samay found one last brilliant resource to turn things around and draw first blood.

As probably the wildest game in PogChamps history, this one deserves to be reproduced in full:

The second game of the match was not as wild, but it was dramatic nonetheless. Needing only a draw, Samay played it safe and traded pieces to simplify the position. Trying to press for a win, Sardoche got distracted and dropped a full rook. Sadoche had had enough and just resigned.

And with that incredible finale, SuperPogChamps came to an end, with dark horse Samay Raina taking the crown. 

“I’m feeling so, so good. I cannot believe what has happened,” Samay said in the post-game interview. When asked if he would continue practicing chess, Samay joked: “Look, I don’t want to be greedy. I’m happy, and now I want to keep this feeling for a another couple of months. I’m not going to play chess for the next three months, I just want to be a winner for some time.” 

Games

During the broadcast, $12,286.39 was donated to help LIDÈ Haiti promote learning, health, and well-being for Haitian girls in underserved communities through art-centered educational programs. We invite you to help LIDÈ’s cause: