Today was the first day of something you thought you’d never see. When watching PogChamps, one might expect Botez Gambits, stalemates, and generally the worst chess you’ve ever seen when tens of thousands of dollars are on the line.
That was not the case at all for SuperPogChamps. Good chess and even impressive tactics marked the first day of the event—with Masi Oka in particular showing class as he climbed to the top of Group A’s standings.
Andrea Botez and Linda Dias also made it to the Championship Bracket, while Voyboy, SonicFox, and Sparg0 will have to continue in the Consolation Bracket.
SuperPogChamps continues December 3 with the round-robin stage of Group B, starting at 10 a.m. ET / 16:00 CEST / 8:30 p.m. IST.
Group A Standings
Round 1: First Round, First Upset
From round one, it was clear that the two players to watch from Group A were Andrea and Masi. The two won their matches with relative ease, quickly punishing their opponents’ mistakes to win both games. On the other board, Voyboy delivered the event’s first upset, winning the match 2-0 against his higher-rated opponent.
Andrea’s first game was the “closest,” but Sparg0 blundered a central pawn to a tactic in the first few moves. A brief stream malfunction didn’t prevent fans from appreciating Andrea’s thoughts:
Andrea then built up her advantage with every slip from Sparg0, eventually winning the first game. She then beat her opponent convincingly in the second, winning a piece early and never letting go of her advantage.
Masi Oka’s first game was a prelude to the rest of the day. He built a massive advantage on the board and on the clock against Linda Diaz. As chat and commentators pointed out, Masi’s superpower is much like that of Hiro Nakamura, the character he played in Heroes—he can manipulate time to his advantage.
Masi won the first game and then adopted a professional approach in the second, forcing a draw by perpetual check to win the match.
On the other board, Voyboy defeated his higher-rated opponent 2-0. Most surprising was his game two win, where he played a fantastic counterattack to checkmate his opponent and silence the engine, which liked SonicFox’s position.
Round 1 Games:
Round 2: Andreas Do Bleed
Andrea entered the day as the highest-rated player in the group—but as SuperPogChamps shows, even top seeds bleed. SonicFox was the first player to beat Andrea in the day, taking the match to tiebreaks. Almost equally challenging was Linda’s match victory over Voyboy, while Sparg0 could never really threaten Masi.
Andrea had a nice first game, playing all the right pawn pushes to build a considerable positional advantage and eventually win on time.
Disaster struck when she decided to sacrifice a pawn in an equal position in game two. Unfortunately for her, she missed that she was actually sacrificing a knight, facilitating SonicFox’s win.
Andrea showed no mercy in the tiebreaker game, though, winning the match and keeping the dream of finishing first in her group alive.
A surprising turn of events complicated the match between Linda and Voyboy. After tricking her opponent with an opening trap, Linda seemed to have a clear path to a first-game win. But even when you’re close to an 1800 rating, you can manage to spoil a winning position:
Linda did not make the same mistake twice, however, and won game two after finding a tactic to win Voyboy’s rook.
Meanwhile, Masi won a smooth match against Sparg0. He first won a piece and found a nice pawn sacrifice to checkmate his opponent in game one. He then capitalized on Sparg0’s endgame mistake in game two to win the match 2-0 and leapfrog Andrea in the group standings.
Round 2 Games:
Round 3: Andrea’s Cholesterol Levels Are Not Healthy Despite Beating Linda
While Masi and SonicFox cruised to their match wins, things were not so easy for Andrea. Linda delivered Andrea’s second game defeat, messing up the group standings.
Andrea and Linda played a close first game, with each player having an advantage at different points. However, time pressure got the best of Andrea as she slipped in the endgame, allowing Linda to win decisive pawns and the game. The players’ vibes were visibly different at the end of game one:
Despite the tough loss, Andrea mustered enough strength to win game two and take the match to tiebreaks. One could say Andrea had not yet fully recovered, however:
What finally had Andrea back on her feet was munching on her snacks. The nutritional boost helped her deliver a swift victory and keep Masi within her reach in the group standings.
However, actually pulling the feat of reaching Masi would prove to be a difficult task. He won his match once more without any trouble. Commentator GM Aman Hambleton was impressed by Masi’s play, enough to call him not only the favorite to win the group but the entire event!
SonicFox’s 2-0 victory over Sparg0 earned them three points, tying them with Linda for third place in the group standings.
Round 3 Games:
Round 4: Masi Masters Time And Tactics To Take 5-Point Lead
It was in round four that the two Group A favorites met. Masi eventually beat Andrea to build a massive five-point lead. Meanwhile, Sparg0 won his first match despite losing game one, while Linda beat SonicFox 2-0.
The first game between the two leaders was at first a balanced affair. Andrea then had a moment of self-doubt, which led her to play a passive, retreating move with her bishop. Masi then infiltrated with his queen and, after what seemed like a natural move by Andrea, Masi delivered a stunning tactical blow. Can you find the move he played?
Masi showed great technique by winning another pawn and simplifying into a winning endgame.
Their second game was more balanced, with both players having an advantage at different points. It seemed like Andrea would come out on top this time, but an unfortunate misplay in the endgame led to a draw. That was all Masi needed to win the match and build a massive lead in the standings.
On another board, Sparg0 got his first match win of the day. Odds were against him as not only did he lose the first game, but he also lost power in his house. Playing on his phone, he won the second game to take the match to tiebreaks and then defeated Voyboy to win the match.
With their match wins, Andrea and Linda were back in the top three, both with seven points. Voyboy and SonicFox could still catch up to them with an outright match win, though, making the last round a decisive one.
Round 4 Games:
Round 5: Who’s Making It To The Championship Bracket?
Leader Masi Oka once more won his match with relative ease. Though not relevant for the standings, his 2-0 match win left him undefeated, which is all the more reason for him to be proud of his day one performance.
It all started with another brilliant tactic he found in game one. With a pseudo-rook sacrifice, he won a crucial pawn and infiltrated SonicFox’s defenses, soon winning the game.
Masi then played another great game with yet another brilliant move, sweeping the match.
In the match between Andrea and Voyboy, the younger Botez sister had to win at least one game to guarantee her spot in the Championship Bracket. She did that and more, winning both games, even playing a brilliant move in the process to punish Voyboy’s centralized king:
Finally, it was Linda’s turn to beat Sparg0 and guarantee her passage to the Championship Bracket. After a rough start in game one, Linda utilized the Thinking Mustache technique to gain an advantage and eventually win the game.
In game two, Sparg0 played f2-f3 and ended up in a terrible position out of the opening. He somehow managed to equalize the game and could’ve even won, but missed his opportunity. Linda did not have to be asked twice, stabilizing the position and pouncing on Sparg0’s mistake to win game two and the match.
With these results, Masi, Andrea, and Linda made it to the Championship Bracket. Masi’s first-place finish grants him a bye in the first round of the knockout, while Andrea and Linda will have to play against the second- and third-place finishers of Group B.
Round 5 Games:
LIDÈ Haiti Donations
During the broadcast, $10,633.97 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:
