Pro Chess League player falls asleep live on Twitch
Pro Chess LeagueDuring a recent Pro Chess League match streamed live on Twitch, one player just couldn’t seem to stay awake for the action.
Chess is one of the most popular non-video games on Twitch, with thousands of viewers tuning in to watch events like the Pro Chess League streamed in real time.
The Pro Chess League is an international online rapid chess league featuring 32 teams from around the world competing for $50,000 in prize money. Rapid chess allows players less time than the regular 60 minutes during a match for each move.
During matches on March 6, pro player Brian Escalante, a member of the Webster Windmills Pro Chess League team, was caught napping at his computer during the live stream.
The board in the clip doesn’t have Escalante on it, so there’s a good chance he wasn’t actually playing during his nap. Still, there are better places to catch some z’s than on a live stream in front of thousands of people.
“We have Pro Chess League history here,” commentator Danny Rensch said while stifling laughter. “I’m going to venture a guess that this young man is going to hear from his manager about this afterwards.”
“Could we maybe keep him on camera at all times?” Rensch asked. “Maybe we can have like a sleep watch, I don’t know.”
Escalante is currently ranked as an International Master (IM) in chess by the World Chess Federation (FIDE), which is one step below Grand Master rank.
The Webster Windmills would end up tying the Pittsburg Pawngrabbers 8-8 in the March 6 match, so hopefully Escalante’s nap didn’t end up costing his team the win.