It happened fast. One minute, Benjamin "DrLupo" Lupo—a guy known more for his Escape from Tarkov raids and massive St. Jude charity marathons than his endgame theory—was just another participant in Chess.com’s PogChamps 6. The next, he was at the center of the biggest cheating scandal in the tournament's history.
Honestly, it was weird.
If you follow the streaming world, you know Lupo. He’s usually the guy calling out "trash" cheaters in shooters. So, when the news broke that he was disqualified for a "fair play violation" in a $100,000 chess tournament, people were floored. But the evidence wasn't just a hunch; it was a total breakdown of logic that played out live on stream.
The Match That Broke the Internet
On April 30, 2025, DrLupo sat down to play against Wolfe "WolfeyVGC" Glick. Wolfey is a world-class Pokémon player and, more importantly for this context, a much better chess player. He was rated over 1300. Lupo? He was sitting around 650.
For those who don't play, that’s a massive gap.
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Early in the game, Lupo blundered his queen. In the world of beginner chess, losing your queen is usually the end. You tilt. You panic. You lose in five moves. But Lupo didn't. Instead, he suddenly started playing like a Grandmaster. He began finding moves that even high-rated players wouldn't see instantly.
Why the Chess Community Knew Immediately
Chess is a game of patterns. Beginners make beginner mistakes. They miss "hanging" pieces and they don't understand complex positional sacrifices.
Lupo started making moves that were "anti-human."
For example, at one point, his opponent’s queen was hanging—he could have just taken it. Instead, he made a series of knight and rook checks that led to a forced mate. Why? Because the engine (Stockfish) saw a mate in four that was technically "better" than just winning a queen. A 600-rated player takes the queen 100% of the time. They don't ignore it to play a "bishop rerouting" maneuver that traps a king three moves later.
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How Did DrLupo Cheat in Chess? The Breakdown
So, how did it actually happen? It wasn't some high-tech invisible earpiece. It was much simpler and, frankly, much more obvious.
- The Second Monitor Glance: During the most critical moments, viewers noticed Lupo repeatedly looking off to his side. He wasn't looking at his game board. He was looking at something else.
- The "Fragility" Admission: After a few days of "trickle-truthing," Lupo finally came clean. He admitted to using a chess engine to "fix his own fragility." Basically, his ego couldn't handle getting crushed on a massive stage.
- The Engine Moves: Experts analyzed the match and found that Lupo played over 20 consecutive "top engine moves." In some stretches, he was playing with 99% accuracy. For context, the best players in the world struggle to maintain that level of perfection over a whole game.
The Stages of the Confession
It wasn't a straight path to the truth. First, he said he was just "lucky." Then, he claimed he accidentally saw the moves in the tournament's own broadcast chat because he had the stream open. He even hopped on a call with Wolfey to try and convince him everything was legit.
"I pulled moves from chat. I couldn't stop looking. I should've known better," he originally claimed.
But the chess community did the math. No chat is that fast or that accurate for 26 moves in a row. Eventually, the pressure got too high. He finally admitted he had an engine open and was simply inputting the moves to see what the computer told him to do.
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Why This Matters for Streamer Culture
The fallout was brutal. Chess.com didn't just kick him out; they closed his account. This is a big deal because PogChamps is supposed to be a fun, entry-level event. But when there is $100,000 on the line, "fun" stops being an excuse for breaking the rules.
The irony wasn't lost on anyone. Lupo has spent years being the "integrity guy" in the FPS community. To see him use the very tools he usually condemns was a hard pill for fans to swallow. It sparked a massive debate about the pressure streamers feel to appear "smart" or "naturally talented" at everything they touch.
What Happens Now?
Lupo has since apologized and even vowed to fund the prize pool for a future PogChamps event as a way of making amends. It's a start, but the "cheater" label is hard to wash off in the gaming world.
If you're looking to avoid the same pitfalls in your own games—chess or otherwise—here are a few things to keep in mind:
- Turn off all distractions: If you're in a competitive match, close your browser tabs. Even "accidentally" seeing a move suggestion is a violation.
- Embrace the blunder: Everyone loses. Losing a queen at 600 Elo is a rite of passage, not a reason to open Stockfish.
- Understand the "Engine Footprint": You can't hide engine use from modern anti-cheat. They don't just look for software; they look at "move time consistency" and "top-choice correlation." If you play like a robot, they'll know.
The best way to move forward is to watch the VODs of the game yourself. Look at the moment he ignores the hanging queen. It’s a fascinating, if painful, look at how a single moment of panic can upend a decade of reputation.
Check out the official Chess.com fair play guidelines if you're ever unsure about what constitutes "help" in a tournament setting.