In what some people claimed would be the most intense and competitive Counter-Strike tournament in CPL history, the event certainly did not disappoint. Despite having a slow start on Thursday with many BYE's, the event really picked up on Friday with all the big name teams taking to the field. Upsets quickly grabbed the headlines when Team Rival fell to the hands of CPL Qualifier winner, #50|cal. Big match after big match would follow starting in round three of the Upper Bracket when SK Gaming took on their Swedish counterparts, Ninjas In Pyjamas. From this point on, it was a constant parade of great teams going toe to toe with one another for a shot at the CPL Winter Championship title.

Saturday was another day full of upsets and two heavy American favorites, compLexity and Team 3D, both fell in the fourth round of the Upper Bracket before losing their next respective matches. Complexity ran into a wall in the form of JaX Money Crew who stormed their way through the brackets before losing to Lunatic Hai in both the Upper Bracket Semi Finals and Consolation match. JMC would place third overall and would be the top North American finishers.

Today, the Swedish powerhouse, SK Gaming, will take on the Korean elite, Lunatic Hai. Lunatic has really shown great aim, poise and strategies throughout the tournament, with their only loss being at the hands of SK. Lunatic will get their shot at revenge as they will be given the tough task of winning two matches against the Swedes. SK, on the other hand, coming from the Upper Bracket will only need to defeat Lunatic once. Will Lunatic continue the recent trend of Lower Bracket winners (NoA at Winter 2004 and SK at Summer 2005)? Or will SK show a glimpse of themselves from 2003 where they swept both CPL titles? Stay tuned to GotFrag for your #1 source for all eSports coverage live from the CPL.

The Team Sportscast Network will be online proving Live video streaming coverage and shoutcasting of this great event. Also, be sure to check back to GotFrag after the Grand Finals match for exclusive POV demos from all players along with GotFrags Gamesense Statistics! You can also check the GotFrag scoreboards to look up scores you may have forgotten or missed.

View the full event bracket here.

CPL Winter 2005 Final Standings:

1. SK Gaming ($18,000)
2. Lunatic Hai ($12,600)
3. JaX Money Crew ($8,400)
4. Ninjas in Pyjamas ($5,400)
5. g3x.intel ($3,600)
6. Begrip Gaming ($3,000)
7. Catch Gamer ($1,800)
8. Four Kings ($1,200)

CPL Winter 2005 Grand Finals on Inferno


All matches from Saturday can be viewed on the next page.