Eight NFL stars will be joining this chess blitz series!
BlitzChamps returns for its third iteration, bringing together a lineup of football experts to test their skills in chess. This tournament will see eight National Football League (NFL) players compete for a slice of the $100,000 prize money - all of which will be donated to charities of their choice!
Summarized details of BlitzChamps III:
- Date: May 22
- Time: 3:00 PM ET / 9:00 PM CET
- Prize pool: $100K
- Time control: Blitz
- Format: Double-elimination
The NFL players that will participate in this fun friendly are a mix of young and experienced with some already retired from football. This fusion of football and chess is definitely exciting to watch, especially for passionate fans of both sports. Read below to know the complete list of all BlitzChamps III players.
BlitzChamps III player lineup
All NFL players joining BlitzChamps III:
- Chidobe Awuzie. A 28-year-old cornerback for the Tennessee Titans.
- Justin Reid. A 27-year-old football safety for the Kansas City Chiefs.
- Larry Fitzgerald Jr. A 40-year-old former football wide receiver who used to play with the Arizona Cardinals.
- Michael Vick. A 43-year-old former quarterback who last played for Atlanta Falcon.
- Drue Tranquill. A 28-year-old linebacker for the Kansas City Chiefs.
- Kyler Murray. A 26-year-old quarterback for the Arizona Cardinals.
- Mack Hollins. A 30-year-old wide receiver for the Buffalo Bills.
- Quenton Nelson. A 28-year-old guard for the Indianapolis Colts.
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BlitzChamps III format
BlitzChamps III will pit eight players in a double-elimination bracket. All matches will be a BO2 (best-of-two). While the Winners bracket will get a 5+0 time control, the Losers bracket will get a short 3+0 in time control. However, the Grand Finals will see a slightly different format with a 3+0 time control and a reset time control if necessary.
Tiebreakers will be done via sudden-death on a 3+0 game. The player with higher accuracy gets to start with the White pieces, players will then alternate colors each game.
A $100K prize pool to be distributed to charity
A total of $100,000 charitable prize pool are up for grabs. Chess.com will reward the champion of BlitzChamps III with $30,000. All participants will get a share of the prize pool which will be funded to their charities of choice. Here are the prize pool distribution for BlitzChamps III:
Place Prize | 1st $30,000 | 2nd $20,000 | 3rd $15,000 | 4th $10,000 | 5th (x2) $7,500 | 7th (x2) $5,000 |
Here are the players' charities of choice:
Player Charity | Chidobe Awuzie Awuzie Kickstep Foundation | Drue Tranquill Kids Alive International | Justin Reid JReid InDeed | Kyler Murray TBC | Larry Fitzgerald Jr. The Larry Fitzgerald Foundation | Mack Hollins Thumbs Up Mission | Michael Vick Achieving Vicktory Foundation | Quenton Nelson Shelice's Angels |
Anticipate this exciting tournament on May 22! You can watch the live broadcasts on Chess.com/TV, Chess.com's Twitch or YouTube.
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