The 2024 Chess.com Bughouse Championship continued on Tuesday with the third and fourth qualifiers and IM Mark Plotkin, NM Jalen Wang, GM Guillermo Vasquez, and Grace “Helmsknight” Ferguson certified for the Knockout forward of 240 different groups.
For Vasquez and Helmsknight it was a case of “third time’s a attraction” as in qualifiers one and three the Twitch streamers completed simply shy of first place. Each groups can have the prospect to play for a share of the $7,500 prize fund on Friday.
Discover a companion and play in qualifier 5, which can happen on Wednesday, August 21, at 11.00 a.m. ET / 17:00 CEST / 8.30 p.m. IST adopted by the sixth qualifier at 5.00 p.m. ET / 23:00 CEST / 2.30 a.m. IST (August 21).
Qualifier 3 – Standings
| Rank | Fed | Title | Username | Title | Score | Rating |
| 1 | NM | Piggu | Jalen Wang | 1680 | 233 | |
| = | IM | littleplotkin | Mark Plotkin | 2778 | 233 | |
| 2 | GM | gena217 | Guillermo Vazquez | 2582 | 206 | |
| = | helmsknight | Grace Ferguson | 2397 | 206 | ||
| 3 | zdybu | Bartlomiej Zdybowicz | 2479 | 205 | ||
| = | FM | rezacz | Wojciech Reza | 2417 | 205 | |
| 4 | FM | GulamaliRises | Kazim Gulamali | 2602 | 177 | |
| = | FM | chickencrossroad | Daniel Yeager | 2503 | 177 | |
| 5 | GM | CaspiIsrael | Israel Caspi | 2448 | 174 | |
| = | FM | Crazy_Eight | Roee Aroesti | 2359 | 174 | |
| 6 | FM | MidnightFox | Linus Olsson | 2462 | 173 | |
| = | pknm | Patrik Nystrom | 2237 | 173 | ||
| 7 | Cleveeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeer | 2246 | 143 | |||
| = | lmagineLosingToACat | 1933 | 143 | |||
| 8 | FM | JunjiCol | Julian Colville | 1969 | 115 | |
| = | TheBigBananaStand | 2153 | 115 |
(Full ultimate standings right here)
Qualifier 4 – Standings
| Rank | Fed | Title | Username | Title | Score | Rating |
| 1 | GM | gena217 | Guillermo Vazquez | 2565 | 269 | |
| = | helmsknight | Grace Ferguson | 2380 | 269 | ||
| 2 | FM | Crazy_Eight | Roee Aroesti | 2352 | 223 | |
| = | FM | 1800_strength | Dachey Lin | 2619 | 223 | |
| 3 | GM | penguingm1 | Andrew Tang | 2537 | 199 | |
| = | Donerom | Daniil Gurwich | 2084 | 199 | ||
| 4 | SoccerBoy6 | 2356 | 173 | |||
| = | NM | ybothg | Tobias Rizzo | 2316 | 173 | |
| 5 | FM | Emeraldddd | Eilia Zomorrodian | 2214 | 144 | |
| = | WFM | ploddingpawn | Cindy Qiao | 2133 | 144 | |
| 6 | TerryficTutor | Joshua Terry | 2365 | 117 | ||
| = | GM | twojupiters | 2464 | 117 | ||
| 7 | pepe | Pepe Doval | 1956 | 116 | ||
| = | pkr5025 | 2039 | 116 | |||
| 8 | DanSmithHolla | Dan Smith | 2100 | 115 | ||
| = | CoachFishyFinn | Sean Finn | 1736 | 110 |
(Full ultimate standings right here)
Format
Qualifier 3 – Plotkin and Wang Win Third Qualifier
The third qualifier was a extremely aggressive affair with over 320 contributors however no workforce may sustain with the duo that includes Canada’s Plotkin, and the U.S.’s Wang.
We’ve the third workforce within the finals! Congrats to IM Mark Plotkin and NM Jalen Wang!
Registrations are open for Qualifier #4 💪 Observe the hyperlink beneath and battle for a chunk of this month’s elevated $7,500 prize fund – in addition to the title of Bughouse Champion!
— Chess.com Neighborhood (@GreenPawns) August 20, 2024
A 28-game successful streak gave the 26-year-olds a wholesome lead over their rivals and to sweeten issues, six of those wins had been secured in lower than 15 strikes.
Their first losses within the area got here consecutively and the duo did not waste any time on these video games, permitting them to finish in 10 and 12 strikes, respectively. Within the very subsequent sport, the pair had been as soon as once more looking their opponents’ kings. Within the sport beneath, White drops a pawn on f7, taking the initiative and drawing Black’s king out of hiding.
By this level, Plotkin had already instigated a queen commerce on the opposite board, and with a queen in his pocket, Wang commences a checkmate mixture. If Black returns to e8 within the following place then 8.Q@f7++ is feasible.
Wang then continues to attract Black’s king out, completely disregarding materials…
and delivers checkmate on the tenth transfer!
Whereas Plotkin and Wang’s efficiency was not as dominant as that of GMs Awonder Liang and Jeffery Xiong in qualifier two, they confirmed that they’re able to knocking over any duo who slips up and can simply should show they will do it constantly in a match-based format on Friday.
Qualifier 4 – Vasquez and Helmsknight Qualify On Third Try
One of many favorites to take out the Chess.com Bughouse Championship lastly booked their spot within the knockout after clinching first on their third try. After coming second in qualifiers two and three, Vasquez and Helmsknight locked in and scored 73/80 regardless of coping with distractions whereas streaming.
The winners’ qualification path wasn’t straightforward although as Chess.com hyperbullet champion GM Andrew Tang and his companion Daniil Gurwich took an early lead within the area and threatened to consign Vasquez and Helmsknight to a different second-placed end. Nonetheless, the tide started to show when the groups got here face-to-face on the midway mark.
Within the place above, Tang (Black) appeared to have issues beneath management apart from the additional queen that Vasquez (White) had in his pocket able to drop. Vasquez then stalled for a second and willed a knight from his teammate earlier than he uncorked a deadly mixture.
And now for the cherry on prime… 21.Q@g8+! and after 21…Kxg8 White will smother checkmate Black with 22.Nxf7++.
This sport was the primary of six clashes between the 2 groups and, in the long run, they cut up the factors 3-3. The second-placed finishers, FMs Roee Aroesti and Dachey Lin additionally proved to be worthy rivals however may solely get by way of 65 video games (15 lower than the winners) within the two-hour area.
In one in every of their encounters, Aroesti’s king was chased to f6 earlier than being checkmated by Helmsknight.
The catalyst for Vasquez and Helmsknight’s victory although was their teamwork and opening data that allowed them to construct an indomitable rating. Take a look at one in every of their traditional traps beneath.
The primary signal of hazard seems as White performs 3.Ng5, threatening to sacrifice on f7 and Helmsknight would have been happy to see Black reply with 3…f6?? weakening their king.
Vasquez manages to commerce a set of minor items simply in time and Helmsknight drops her bishop on f7, forcing Black’s king ahead. The hunt is on!
One transfer later Black’s king is again on the f7-square and with one well timed pawn drop on f7, checkmate is achieved.
On your likelihood to qualify for the 2024 Chess.com Bughouse Championship knockout finals be sure you observe the hyperlink beneath to hitch Wednesday’s qualifiers. There are nonetheless 4 qualifiers to go!
The 2024 Chess.com Bughouse Championship is the most recent occasion within the Chess.com Neighborhood Championship collection and anybody can battle for a chunk of this month’s elevated $7,500 prize fund. The match shall be determined with an eight-team double-elimination bracket. Every workforce should qualify by way of one in every of eight, two-hour arenas with a 3+0 time management.
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