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As soon as once more, the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs secured a victory over the Cincinnati Bengals. This time, the win was on the chessboard, not the sphere. In a dramatic closing, between Bengal’s cornerback Chidobe Awuzie and Chiefs linebacker Drue Tranquill, the latter gained the match 1.5-0.5. Tranquill grew to become the BlitzChamps II champion, dethroning Awuzie, who gained the inaugural BlitzChamps occasion final yr.
Chess and soccer followers needn’t wait for much longer for an additional BlitzChamps—BlitzChamps: Michigan goes down on Wednesday, June 28, at 3:00 p.m. ET / 19:00 CEST.
See what occurred:
The NFL gamers who competed immediately are not any strangers to blitz.
A blitz is a sort of play in American soccer the place the protection sends extra attackers to hurry the quarterback than the offense has blockers, giving the quarterback an opportunity to throw an extended go if he can survive the assault. Just like a gambit, a blitz is a high-risk resolution that may simply backfire, or lead a crew to victory. At this time, the gamers had to make use of related decision-making abilities to beat a special sort of blitz, and combat to win $25,000 for his or her charity.
Quarterfinals: Awuzie-Murray 2-1
After a brutal first-round loss (Urschel referred to Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyle Murray’s place as “Swiss cheese,” resulting from all of the holes), Murray was hungry for revenge towards BlitzChamps 2022 winner and Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Chidobe Awuzie.
Regardless of a powerful second recreation, Awuzie mated Murray with two queens, sending the Cardinals quarterback to the comfort bracket.
Comfort Bracket
Maybe the largest shock of the day is the ferocity and power with which Murray fought on the board. An underdog within the competitors, Murray sought to redeem himself within the Comfort Bracket.
Spherical 1: Murray-Armstead 2-0
Murray defeated Armstead in each matches. His teaching with GM Eric Hansen of the favored Twitch channel Chessbrah paid off as he made it to the finals of the Comfort Bracket.
Can you discover the mate in 2 to complete the sport? White to maneuver and win.
Nevertheless, Murray met his match, dropping each video games (and consequentially the match) to Jets guard Wes Schweitzer. Schweitzer might not have gained the Championship Bracket, however his victory secured him $10k for his charity.
Championship Bracket
Semifinal 1: Awuzie-Fitzgerald Jr. 2-0
Awuzie was decided to defend his Blitzchamps title, however first he must defeat legendary soccer star Larry Fitzgerald Jr.
The primary recreation ended abruptly after Fitzgerald blundered a rook. Within the second recreation, Awuzie managed to attain a victory in a posh place stuffed with techniques.
Semifinal 2: Surratt-Tranquill 0.5-1.5
The linebackers went face to face within the Semifinals. Jets linebacker Chazz Surratt was saved from an impending checkmate after Tranquill blundered a stalemate up a queen.
Tranquill took the second recreation, securing his spot within the Remaining. Though Surratt wasn’t in a position to get better on this match, he later defeated Fitzgerald of their match for third place.
Remaining: Tranquill-Awuzie 1.5-0.5
The ultimate was anybody’s recreation. On paper, Tranquill was the favourite, with a ranking 100 factors larger than his opponent. That being mentioned, Awuzie had the expertise and the motivation to retain his title, and he was additionally enjoying nice chess.
In a dramatic first recreation, Tranquill sacrificed his queen for a again rank mate, which he thought of to be “the transfer of the day” within the post-match interview.
Awuzie wanted a win within the second recreation to even the rating. With below a minute on the clock, Tranquill managed to safe a draw, claiming each the match and the title of NFL’s finest chess participant.
After the match, Tranquill mentioned: “I am so excited simply to be part of this. I’ve by no means actually performed in a chess event in any respect. I’ve simply loved enjoying chess all through my time on the NFL… so this was so cool to get out right here and lift some cash for charity.”
Standings, Outcomes, and Prizes
BlitzChamps II (BC2) brings collectively eight NFL stars to compete in a collection of fast chess video games. The occasion is a single-elimination bracket that includes a $100,000 charitable prize fund.
Earlier protection
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