Mark your calendars for August 27-28 at 2 p.m. PT/23:00 CEST: PogChamps star Ludwig will be hosting the “dumbest” chess tournament yet. Yes, you read that right—Ludwig’s Dumb Chess Tournament is coming this weekend! It is a collaboration between Chess.com and Ludwig’s team, Mogul Moves.

I INVENTED A NEW WAY TO PLAY CHESS

SEE YOU TOMORROW FOR THE FIRST EVER CHESS 2.0 TOURNAMENT pic.twitter.com/6yf1mPxLvJ

— ludwig (@LudwigAhgren) August 27, 2022

Arguably no streamer who entered the wonderful world of chess as an outsider has done more than Ludwig to popularize the game (apologies to xQc). From streaming with Hikaru, Magnus, and the Botez sisters Alexandra and Andrea, to playing in three of the four PogChamps tournaments to date, Ludwig has been a devoted fan and player of the game for years now.

Now, he’s back in the community to host a unique new format. The tournament still includes a group stage on Saturday and a Championship and Consolation Bracket on Sunday, but players will have an extra piece of valuable information during their games: The evaluation bar will be active for them to see.

Joining Ludwig will be GM Robert Hess, who can explain what is actually going on when the situation warrants it. Ludwig and Hess together won Twitch Rivals last August and will join forces yet again, this time in the commentary booth.

Among the confirmed players is “god gamer” Sykkuno. Despite his not-so-impressive 165 rapid rating, the streamer managed to win the Botez sisters’ BlockBattles event in 2021. Now, he’s coming back on a quest to win yet another chess event.

Another streamer joining the field is DisguisedToast, who is no stranger to chess either. After losing a game to Ludwig and yet another one to Chess.com’s level 10 computer, DisguisedToast is ready to try his luck and see if the eval bar can help him to win his first chess tournament.

Two PogChamps veterans are making a return to chess competitions: Erobb and Myth. Erobb won his match against PogChampion Voyboy before getting eliminated in the group stage. Myth, on the other hand, went 0/3 in PogChamps 3 and is yet to claim his first chess victory. Aided by the eval bar, however, there’s no telling how far they can go.

The streamer giant and 100 Thieves co-owner Valkyrae, along with Ludwig’s “bro” and variety streamer Stanz, will also be in the field. They will be joined by four other Pog-caliber entertainers who will be competing for their share of the $10,000 prize fund. The tournament champion will earn $3,000 and a stylish custom chess set from the House of Staunton.

To earn it, players will have to survive the additional stress of immediately knowing when they have a forced win and when they’ve blundered. Will the evaluation bar actually provide valuable information, or will it only cause even more chaos to reign? There’s only one way to find out. 

Be sure to tune in on August 13 and 14 at YouTube.com/LudwigAhgren for Ludwig’s Dumb Chess Tournament!