The wait is nearly over—PogChamps 5 is about to kick off, and now Chess.com can reveal its sparkling line-up for the most exciting amateur event in chess. The two-week tournament starting on July 26 at 4 p.m. ET/21:00 CEST, will feature 16 huge internet personalities going head-to-head for the title of PogChampion and $100,000 in prizes. Thanks to a partnership between Chess.com, Mogul Moves, and Offbrand, the event will also feature live in-person finals for the first time ever. Fans will be able to cheer for their favorite creators as they come together to play chess in the same place. 

Nothing is quite like PogChamps, the streaming world’s own chess tournament where insane blunders and on-screen agony are part of the fun. Fans will be able to watch the action on Chess.com and also in branches of the Dave & Buster’s restaurant and family entertainment chain. 

Felix “xQc” Lengyel, one of the most prominent live streamers on the internet, heads the line-up. Boasting 12 million followers across his channels, xQc is a former Overwatch World Cup participant whose chess has improved massively since the first PogChamps event in 2020. Can he go all the way this time?

Another name to look out for is QTCinderella, who is best known as a variety streamer and the mastermind behind hugely successful events like the Streamers Award. QT is another PogChamps veteran who participated in PogChamps 2 and 4. A Stonewall devotee, QTCinderella has been trained by IM Levy Rozman, aka GothamChess, and will be ready to blame him for everything that goes wrong.

Making his PogChamps debut will be Daily Dose of Internet, one of the most popular YouTubers on the planet. Real name Jason Gryniewicz, Daily Dose has amassed a fanbase of more than 16 million subscribers.

Another creator making his debut is the YouTuber and former software developer Sykkuno. The American is normally seen playing Minecraft, Valorant, or GTA, but has also participated in the Botez sisters’ BlockBattles and Ludwig’s Dumb Chess. How good will his chess be for the PogChamps challenge?

The complete line-up is as follows:

• CDawgVA | Variety, YouTube
• Daily Dose of Internet | YouTube
• Distortion2 | Speedrunner, Twitch
• Franks-is-heres | Variety, TikTok
• Fuslie | Variety, YouTube
• Ghastly | Musician
• I did a thing | DIY inventions, YouTube
• Jarvis | Variety, YouTube
• Jinnytty | Variety, Twitch
• Papaplatte | Variety, Twitch
• QTCinderella | Variety, Twitch
• Squeex | Speedrunner, Twitch
• Sykkuno | Variety, YouTube
• Tyler1 | League of Legends, Twitch
• Wirtual | Trackmania, YouTube
• xQc | Variety, Twitch

The 16 invited players will be competing in a format based on the FIFA World Cup for their share of a $100,000 prize fund through a group stage and championship playoff.

PogChamps 5 will also feature a star-studded commentary team, with co-host and PogChamps veteran Ludwig, GMs Hikaru Nakamura, Robert Hess, Daniel Naroditsky, Aman Hambleton, plus WIM Alexandra Botez and Andrea Botez, IMs Danny Rensch, Levy Rozman, Anna Rudolf, and FM James Canty III.

PogChamps 5 kicks off on July 26 at 4 p.m. ET/21:00 CEST and runs until the live finals event in Los Angeles on August 18, hosted and produced by Offbrand and Mogul Moves. Ludwig will be hosting watch parties throughout the event on his YouTube channel, and you can also catch the action in branches of Dave & Buster’s restaurant and family entertainment chain.