Chess.com creator tournament
PogChamps
How the chess tournament for streamers and celebrities works, every edition since 2020 with its winner, Super PogChamps, and when the next one may come.
PogChamps is a series of chess tournaments that Chess.com has run since 2020 for amateur players: streamers, content creators, celebrities and, in 2025, professional athletes. Nine events have been played under the name. Jynxzi won the latest, PogChamps 6 7, in April 2026, and India's Samay Raina won Super PogChamps, the edition for stronger players, in December 2025. Chess.com had not announced the next edition by 25 September 2026.
Next PogChamps
- Next edition
- Not announced by 25 September 2026
- Organiser
- Chess.com
- Players
- 8 to 16 amateurs, picked by Chess.com
- Latest edition
- PogChamps 6 7, 10 to 11 April 2026
- 2026 champion
- Jynxzi
- Super PogChamps 2025
- Samay Raina (India)
Chess.com has not said when the next PogChamps will be. Its May 2026 update only looked back at Jynxzi's win, and its September 2026 update does not mention PogChamps. On 25 September 2026 we found no Chess.com event page for a later edition.
The past dates show when news may come. Chess.com announced most editions between 4 and 53 days before play began (Table 1). The last two standard editions were announced in spring: PogChamps 6 on 26 March 2025, and PogChamps 6 7 on 6 April 2026, four days before it started. Super PogChamps was first named in Chess.com's September 2025 update, and its field and prize fund followed on 13 November, 19 days before play. This page will add the next edition when Chess.com announces it.
| Edition | Announced | Play started | Days of notice |
|---|---|---|---|
| PogChamps | 25 May 2020 | 5 June 2020 | 11 |
| PogChamps 2 | 20 July 2020 | 21 August 2020 | 32 |
| PogChamps 3 | 23 December 2020 | 14 February 2021 | 53 |
| PogChamps 4 | 26 July 2021 | 29 August 2021 | 34 |
| PogChamps 5 | 29 June 2023 | 26 July 2023 | 27 |
| PogChamps en Español | 3 January 2025 | 24 February 2025 | 52 |
| PogChamps 6 | 26 March 2025 | 29 April 2025 | 34 |
| Super PogChamps | 2 September 2025 (field on 13 November) | 2 December 2025 | 91 (19 after the field) |
| PogChamps 6 7 | 6 April 2026 | 10 April 2026 | 4 |
How PogChamps works
Chess.com picks the players, and all of them are amateurs. The first edition in June 2020 had 16 invited Twitch streamers. Later fields mixed creators from YouTube, Twitch, TikTok, music and gaming, and PogChamps 6 in 2025 added professional athletes. One of them, Ebere Eze, then a winger for Crystal Palace and England, won it. We found no Chess.com page that describes an application form or a qualifier.
Each edition has a group stage and then knockout brackets. The first edition split its 16 players into four groups, and each group match was one 10+5 game: 10 minutes for each player, plus 5 seconds after every move. The group results then sent the players into two brackets, the championship bracket for the title and a consolation bracket with its own final. You can set up these time controls over the board with our chess clock.
The format has changed in almost every edition. PogChamps 2 played two games per group match, with an Armageddon game after a tie. PogChamps 3 doubled the prize fund to $100,000. PogChamps 5 played the first live finals, in Los Angeles on 18 August 2023. PogChamps 6 cut the field to 12 players and four days of play, and PogChamps 6 7 cut it to 8 players and dropped the consolation bracket.
Titled players help some of the streamers get ready. IM Levy Rozman, known as GothamChess, trained QTCinderella for PogChamps 5 and joined the commentary team of that edition, and in 2026 he trained Jynxzi, who won PogChamps 6 7.
The players bring large audiences with them. On day two of the first edition, viewers peaked above 120,000 across Chess.com's channels and the players' own streams. Chess.com says the first two editions reached close to 300 million minutes watched, that PogChamps 3 peaked above 140,000 viewers on Twitch, and that the series had passed 15 million hours watched before PogChamps 5.
PogChamps 6 7 results (2026)
PogChamps 6 7 is the 2026 edition. Chess.com announced it on 6 April 2026 with eight creators and a $100,000 prize fund, and said the players would bring "the full force of their three-digit Elos", which means ratings under 1000. People also search for the event as PogChamps 7 and PogChamps 67. The announcement does not explain the name.
The eight players were split into two groups of four. In each group, every player met every other player twice in 5+5 games, and the top two of each group went into a knockout. For the first time there was no consolation bracket. Chess.com planned all of it for one day, 10 April; its series page later called PogChamps 6 7 a two-day event.
Jynxzi won. He beat ohnePixel 2-0 in the final and took $30,000. The other players were Agent00, ExtraEmily, StableRonaldo, Joe Bartolozzi, Steak and PlaqueBoyMax.
| Place | Prize |
|---|---|
| 1st: Jynxzi | $30,000 |
| 2nd: ohnePixel | $20,000 |
| 3rd | $15,000 |
| 4th | $10,000 |
| 5th-6th | $7,500 each |
| 7th-8th | $5,000 each |
Super PogChamps
Super PogChamps is the edition for players who are too good for a standard PogChamps: former PogChamps players who kept improving, and celebrities who already play chess well. In its announcement, Chess.com said it had found SonicFox "too strong to participate" in PogChamps 5; SonicFox played Super PogChamps instead. It ran online from 2 to 5 December 2025.
Twelve players took part, in two groups of six. Group games were 10+5, and the championship and consolation brackets had two-game matches with 5+3 tiebreaks. The field included the actor Masi Oka, the basketball executive Daryl Morey, the baseball player Will Benson, Andrea Botez, Tyler1, Wirtual, Voyboy, the PogChamps 1 champion, and Sardoche, the PogChamps 3 champion. The prize fund was $50,000, with $10,000 for the winner.
Samay Raina won. He beat Andrea Botez in the semifinal and Sardoche 2-0 in the final on 5 December, and Voyboy beat SonicFox 2-0 in the consolation final. GM Aman Hambleton and WFM Alexandra Botez hosted the broadcast on Chess.com's Twitch and YouTube channels. Chess.com pledged $10,000 to the charity LIDÈ Haiti, and viewers donated $12,286.39 more during the broadcasts.
Samay Raina at Super PogChamps
Samay Raina, the Indian comedian, is the only Indian player we found in a PogChamps field, and he won the event he played. Chess.com's PogChamps page says he "toppled Andrea Botez in the semis and Pog3 champion Sardoche in the final". According to Telegraph India, he was unbeaten in all 10 of his games, and he gave his whole $10,000 prize to the HelpChess fund, which supports chess players in need.
In September 2020, five years before his win, Raina told the Times of India that chess streamers had "made chess more consumable for the masses".
PogChamps winners list
| Edition | Dates | Champion | Runner-up | Final | Consolation winner | Prize fund |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PogChamps | 5 to 19 June 2020 | Voyboy | Hutch | 2-1 | MoistCr1tikal | $50,000 |
| PogChamps 2 | 21 August to 6 September 2020 | Hafu | Gripex | 2-0 | easywithaces | $50,000 |
| PogChamps 3 | 14 to 28 February 2021 | Sardoche | Rainn Wilson | 2-1 | Neeko | $100,000 |
| PogChamps 4 | 29 August to 12 September 2021 | Fundy | Crokeyz | 2-1 | MrBeast | $100,000 |
| PogChamps 5 | 26 July to 18 August 2023 | CDawgVA | Franks-is-heres | 3-1 | Wirtual | $100,000 |
| PogChamps en Español | 24 February to 8 March 2025 | Jelty | Roberto | 3-0 | DotCSV | Not found |
| PogChamps 6 | 29 April to 2 May 2025 | Ebere Eze | Sapnap | 2-0 | Mongraal | $100,000 |
| Super PogChamps | 2 to 5 December 2025 | Samay Raina | Sardoche | 2-0 | Voyboy | $50,000 |
| PogChamps 6 7 | 10 to 11 April 2026 | Jynxzi | ohnePixel | 2-0 | No consolation bracket | $100,000 |
No player has won PogChamps twice. Sardoche came closest: he won PogChamps 3 in 2021 and reached the Super PogChamps final in 2025. Voyboy, the first champion, came back for Super PogChamps and won its consolation bracket. MrBeast played PogChamps 3 and 4 and won the consolation bracket of PogChamps 4.
At PogChamps 6, the footballer Ebere Eze beat Sapnap 2-0 in the final. The Spanish edition, PogChamps en Español, ran in February and March 2025 with eight creators, and Jelty beat Roberto 3-0 in its final. Chess.com dates the start of PogChamps 5 to 26 July 2023, while Liquipedia gives 25 July.
PogChamps FAQ
What is PogChamps?
PogChamps is a series of chess tournaments that Chess.com started in 2020 for amateur players: streamers, content creators, celebrities and, in 2025, professional athletes. Nine events have been played under the name, and Jynxzi won the latest one, PogChamps 6 7, in April 2026.
Who won PogChamps 6 7?
Jynxzi won PogChamps 6 7, the 2026 edition. He beat ohnePixel 2-0 in the final and took $30,000 of the $100,000 prize fund. Eight creators played, and Chess.com described them as players with three-digit ratings.
Who won Super PogChamps?
Samay Raina, the Indian comedian, won Super PogChamps on 5 December 2025. He beat Andrea Botez in the semifinal and Sardoche, the PogChamps 3 champion, 2-0 in the final. He won $10,000 and gave all of it to the HelpChess fund.
When is the next PogChamps?
Chess.com had not announced a new edition by 25 September 2026. It announced PogChamps 6 on 26 March 2025 and PogChamps 6 7 on 6 April 2026, and it first named Super PogChamps in September 2025 for December. This page will add the next dates when Chess.com announces them.
Is there a PogChamps 7?
The 2026 edition is called PogChamps 6 7, and people also search for it as PogChamps 7 and PogChamps 67. It came after PogChamps 6 of 2025. Chess.com's announcement does not explain the name, and no later edition had been announced by 25 September 2026.
What does PogChamps mean?
PogChamps is the name of the Chess.com tournament. It shares its name with PogChamp, a Twitch emote that viewers post when something exciting happens on a stream; it became a Twitch global emote in 2012. The first PogChamps field was 16 Twitch streamers.
How do players get into PogChamps?
Chess.com picks the players and announces the field. The first edition had 16 invited Twitch streamers, and we found no Chess.com page that describes an application form or a qualifier. SonicFox, whom Chess.com judged too strong for PogChamps 5, played Super PogChamps in 2025.
Which famous people have played PogChamps?
MrBeast, Pokimane, xQc, Rainn Wilson, Logic, Daniel Negreanu and Tyler1 have all played. PogChamps 6 added athletes, such as the footballer Ebere Eze, who won it, and the Olympic gymnast Stephen Nedoroscik. Super PogChamps had the actor Masi Oka.
Is GothamChess part of PogChamps?
Yes, but not as a player. IM Levy Rozman, known as GothamChess, trained QTCinderella for PogChamps 5 and joined the commentary team of that edition. In 2026 he trained Jynxzi, who went on to win PogChamps 6 7.
How much prize money does PogChamps have?
PogChamps 6 7 had a $100,000 prize fund in 2026, and Jynxzi won $30,000. The fund was $50,000 in both 2020 editions and $100,000 in every standard edition since PogChamps 3. Super PogChamps 2025 had $50,000, with $10,000 for the winner.
Who has won PogChamps?
Voyboy won the first PogChamps in 2020. Hafu, Sardoche, Fundy, CDawgVA, Ebere Eze and Jynxzi won the numbered editions after him. Jelty won PogChamps en Español in 2025, Samay Raina won Super PogChamps, and no player has won twice.
Where can I watch PogChamps?
Chess.com streams PogChamps live on its Twitch and YouTube channels, and PogChamps 6 7 was also on Chess.com TV. In the first edition, viewers also followed the games on the players' own streams, and the audience peaked above 120,000 on day two.
PogChamps players are amateurs. If you are new to chess too, start with our guide on how to play chess for beginners. For Chess.com's one-minute event, see the Bullet Chess Championship, and for the FIDE events, dates and venues, see the chess events calendar.
Facts on this page were checked on 25 September 2026 against Chess.com's PogChamps series page, its announcements and daily reports from 2020 to 2026, the Liquipedia pages of each edition, which give the final scores of PogChamps 1, 2, 5 and 6 7, the PogChamps 6 7 and Super PogChamps formats and prize tables, and reports by Telegraph India and the Times of India. The meaning of the PogChamp emote is from EsportsTalk.
