First 888poker ChampionChip Games Winners Crowned; Two Titles for Ukraine and Brazil

This weekend saw the first winners crowned in the 888poker ChampionChip Games series.

There were two titles each for Ukraine and Brazil, with Ukraine's 'dkfdyulr' taking down Event #01: $33 Opening Ceremony for $4,235 after a three-way deal with Finland's 'absinttivaa' and fellow Ukrainian player 'WestHamUn'

The festival continues all this week with 18 more affordable microstakes events, including the $200,000 GTD ChampionChip Games Main Event. Players can already register for Day 1s in the client, with Day 2 taking place on Monday, September 5.

Event #01 - Opening Ceremony ChampionChip Games

The ChampionChip Games kicked off on Sunday with the $33 buy-in Opening Ceremony. Unbelievably, this was the third-biggest buy-in of the festival behind Event #7: $55 Weightlifting and of course the $60 buy-in Main Event.

The Opening Ceremony surpassed its $30,000 guarantee attracting a field of 912 players. Eventually it would be Ukraine's 'dkfdyulr' who secured victory and a $4,235 payout after a three-handed deal.

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Event #02 - Sailing ChampionChip Games

Brazil is usually strongly represented in major online poker festivals such as the ChampionChip Games, and it didn't take long for them to get off the mark as 'pereko' triumphed in Event #2, defeating compatriot 'coldzebra' heads-up to secure $1,257. They defeated a field of 638 players.

There were also final-table finishes for two other Brazilians — definitely a country to watch over the rest of the festival.

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Event #03 - High Jump R&A ChampionChip Games

There was victory for the United Kingdom and 'mixerAA' in the smallest buy-in event of the ChampionChip Games. They turned $1 into $346 after defeating a field of 534 players.

There were podium finishes for Denmark's 'bagedag' and Belarus' 'gergeev' who also turned a single dollar into three-figure payouts.

Event #04 - Boxing (PKO 6-Max) ChampionChip Games

The second-biggest first prize of the opening weekend came in Event #4 as Mexico's 'Zaika_A' ran away with victory, defeating 627 players and taking home $2,299 in prize money that included $954 in bounty prizes. It pays to be aggressive in PKO tournaments and the Mexican took that to heart, defeating Brazil's 'ClaytonPaz' heads-up.

Event #05 - Karate (PKO 6-Max) ChampionChip Games

Event #5 saw another victory for Brazil, with 'Neto_Peruzzo' taking down the title after defeating a field of 523 players in this $5.50 buy-in event. Again, it was a dominant performance for the eventual winner who won more in bounty prizes than the rest of the final table did combined, winning a total of $680.

Event #06 - Judo (PKO 6-Max) ChampionChip Games

There was a second title for Ukraine in Event #6: $3.30 Judo (PKO 6-Max) as 'pravedn1k' defeated 'Alexhest383' heads-up to win $515.

Remarkably, no Brazilians made the final table that featured eight different nationalities spread across four countries — a truly international final table!

ChampionChip Games Medal Table

With two victories apiece, Brazil and Ukraine are tied at the top of the medal table, with Brazil slightly ahead due to their two runner-up spots compared to Ukraine's two.