Indian Comedian Samay Raina wins Chess Super Pogchamps; Donates prize money to promote the sport

Samay Raina has played 20,961 games on Chess.com since starting his chess journey in 2017.

Comedian Samay Raina secured a victory over Andrea Botez and Sardoche in the Championship Bracket to win the Chess Super Pogchamps on Friday, December 5.

Super Pogchamps is an online amateur chess tournament hosted by Chess.com, which has the presence of many internet personalities. With a total prize fund of $50,000, 12 participants were divided equally into two groups each.

The top three players from each group advanced to the Championship Bracket of the knockout stage. Meanwhile, the bottom three took part in the Consolation Bracket of the knockout stage.

After an impressive 10-0 run in the group stage, Raina received a bye in the quarterfinals. He then beat Botez 2-1 in the semifinal and continued his momentum to prevail 2-0 over Sardoche in the final. Notably, Sardoche was the highest-rated player on the field.

Raina won $10,000 for becoming the champion, and he donated the entire money to the HelpChess foundation, which will be used to support chess players.

“I’m feeling so, so good. I cannot believe what has happened,” Samay said in the post-game interview.

When asked whether he would continue practicing chess, Samay said:

“Look, I don’t want to be greedy. I’m happy, and now I want to keep this feeling for a another couple of months. I’m not going to play chess for the next three months, I just want to be a winner for some time.”

Also Read: Top five all-time youngest Indian chess players to achieve FIDE rating

Samay Raina Chess stats

As per Chess.com profile, Samay Raina started his chess journey in April 2017 and has been part of 20,961 games. His current rapid rating is 1,765, and recorded his peak of 1,942 in August 2023. Meanwhile, he holds a blitz rating of 1,454, while achieving his best rating of 1,629 in 2024.

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A post shared by Samay Raina (@maisamayhoon)

Raina isn’t listed on the FIDE platform, signifying he doesn’t participate in the tournaments organized by the organization. He primarily takes part in the streamer/influencer-related events.

Samay Raina has used his reach well as an influencer/comedian to popularize chess among young/casual players. His live-streams have attracted many of his fans to take an active interest in chess and help in growing the sport.

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