Poker players have embraced chess since the The Queen’s Gambit became a hit for Netflix. Big name players have worked on their best Garry Kasparov and Bobby Fischer moves – even streaming their action.
Partypoker is now getting in the act with the Battle of the Minds on Friday. The event features two teams battling it out on the chess board and at the online poker felt. The event promises a unique competition with viewers able to stream all the action.
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What can viewers expect from partypoker’s Battle of the Minds?
The event teams up a poker pro with a chess master, playing both games. The contest features three sets, each consisting of one heads-up sit and go and one chess game.
In the poker games, players will alternate play on every street. For example, one player will have the pre-flop action. A partner will then play the flop and they continue alternating from that point.
If the scores are tied after three sets, the tie-breaker is a hyper-turbo heads-up sit and go. If either team wins both of the first two sets, the third set will still be played. The two Team Partypoker members and their teammates are:
- Isaac Haxton and super grandmaster Alexander Grischuk
- Patrick Leonard and eight-time Russian chess champion Peter Svidler
The poker will be played on partypoker with the site teaming with chess24 to host the chess matches. The site is a complete chess news and information portal.
The action will be live-streamed by all four players and on chess24’s Twitch and YouTube channels.
♠♠♠ For more on poker players taking a seat at the chessboard, click here. ♠♠♠
More chess & poker action with Freeroll Series
Partypoker is promising even more poker and chess action. The site and chess24 are allowing others to get in the game as part of the event.
The Battle of the Minds Freeroll Series runs every Sunday throughout March and April. The festival offers players the chance to win tickets for partypoker tournaments and €50 in chess24 shop vouchers.
Those participating earn leaderboard points to qualify for the second stage of the series. Players in the top four positions at the end of April will play in a knockout heads-up tournament. All four earn prizes with the winner earning:
- €100 partypoker ticket
- €100 chess24 shop voucher
- one hour of private poker coaching session with a pro
- one hour of private chess coaching session with a pro
Chess grandmaster turns into poker champ
Numerous poker players have crossed over from the world of chess to try their luck at poker. The poker world saw another example emerge last week.
Estonian chess grandmaster Ottomar Ladva traded in rooks and pawns for full houses and flush draws. He took down the partypoker MILLIONS Online $25,500 Six-Max Super High Roller for $525,089.
That profit amounted to even more considering the 23-year-old qualified via a $530 satellite. That moved him into a $2,650 satellite, where he went on to qualify for the tournament.
After beating out 69 competitors, Ladva came out on top. The final table included poker heavyweights like Justin Bonomo and Jason Koon.
Ladva eventually faced Bonomo heads-up, certinly no easy task. He also had to fight back from a 6 to 1 chip deficit but completed that unlikely feat.
No stranger to poker success, Ladva now has more than $800,000 in poker winnings. The tournament paid out $1.75 million, well above the $1 million guarantee. Bonomo earned $327,468 as runner-up.
It’s been a big month of chess for partypoker. The strategy seems like a nice idea as more operators work to bring more players to the game.
Chess seems like a nice complement to poker with competitive, strategic players in both games.