2025 Norths Winter Classic Minor Rounds 1-4
Open SwissStandard
44 players participated in this 4-round tournament, held from 03 Jun 2025 to 24 Jun 2025 in Sydney, Australia. 5 federations represented. Top 10 Elo average was 1649, and top seed was Yadav Annan (🇮🇳 IND, 1728).
Ray Sheng (🇦🇺 AUS, 1665) won with 4.0/4, ahead of Srikaanth Srinivasan (3.0) and Xibing Liang (3.0). Sheng broke clear in the final round.
The biggest upset came in round 4: Christopher James (1509) beat Daniel Goldstein (1678), a +169-point gap.
Location
🇦🇺Sydney, Australia
Dates
03 Jun 2025 → 24 Jun 2025
Time control
Standard: 60 minutes with 30 seconds increment from move 1
System
Swiss · 4 rounds
Federations · 5 represented
🇦🇺Australia×38
🇮🇳India×2
🇳🇵Nepal×1
🇲🇳Mongolia×1
🇳🇿New Zealand×1
Top 3
- 🥇
- 🥈
- 🥉
How it unfolded
Top 6 · 4 roundsRay Sheng led from R4; +1.0-point edge over the runner-up.
Co-leaders
14
7
2
1
R4–R4 · LEAD HELD
Ray Sheng never relinquished the lead after R4; final gap +1.0 over the runner-up.
R3 · HEAD-TO-HEAD · WINNER VS 2ND
Ray Sheng beat Xibing Liang (White).
WIN STREAKS · 2 top finishers
Ray Sheng 4 wins (R1–R4)Sunay Burman Ray 3 wins (R1–R4)
Key matchups · top 4
Head-to-head between the four finishers| Player | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Ray Sheng | * | 1 | — | — |
| 2Xibing Liang | 0 | * | — | — |
| 3Sunay Burman Ray | — | — | * | — |
| 4Daryl Fong | — | — | — | * |
Grille américaine
| # | Player | Elo | Fed | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | Pts | Bu C1 | Bu | SB | Perf | Δ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sheng, Ray | 1665 | AUS | +14B | +40N | +3B | +2N | 4.0 | 8.0 | 8.0 | 8.00 | 2341 | +53.6 |
| 2 | Srikaanth Srinivasan | 1505 | IND | +25N | +7B | +4N | −1B | 3.0 | 10.0 | 11.5 | 7.50 | 1700 | +30.8 |
| 3 | Liang, Xibing | 1616 | NZL | +15N | +27B | −1N | +10B | 3.0 | 8.5 | 10.0 | 6.00 | 1838 | +23.0 |
| 4 | Pavlidis, Alexi | 1607 | AUS | +30B | +31N | −2B | +16N | 3.0 | 6.0 | 7.0 | 4.00 | 1658 | +7.2 |
| 5 | Sunay Burman Ray | 0 | AUS | +32N | +17B | F | +11N | 3.0 | 5.5 | 5.5 | 5.50 | 2363 | +48.4 |
| 6 | Ni, Marcus | 1615 | AUS | F | +24B | +23N | +9B | 3.0 | 5.5 | 5.5 | 5.50 | 2359 | +33.6 |
| 7 | Fong, Daryl | 0 | AUS | +39B | −2N | +31B | +34N | 3.0 | 5.0 | 5.5 | 2.50 | 1588 | 0.0 |
| 8 | McCarthy, Jasper | 0 | AUS | F | +30N | +33B | +17B | 3.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.00 | 1619 | 0.0 |
| 9 | Zhang, Oliver | 1564 | AUS | +12B | +33N | =11B | −6N | 2.5 | 8.0 | 9.0 | 4.75 | 1580 | +2.0 |
| 10 | Lade, Ian | 1547 | AUS | =26B | +36N | +13B | −3N | 2.5 | 7.0 | 8.0 | 4.25 | 1552 | +0.4 |
| 11 | Xie, Leo | 1580 | AUS | +41B | +34N | =9N | −5B | 2.5 | 6.5 | 6.5 | 2.25 | 1619 | +6.0 |
| 12 | Lowe, Adrian | 1540 | AUS | −9N | +35B | =27N | +23B | 2.5 | 5.5 | 6.5 | 3.25 | 1615 | +11.6 |
| 13 | Yip, Brendan | 0 | AUS | +?N | =23B | −10N | +25B | 2.5 | 5.5 | 5.5 | 2.25 | 1523 | 0.0 |
| 14 | Harrigan, Nicholas | 1445 | AUS | −1N | −18B | +35N | +41B | 2.0 | 7.0 | 7.0 | 1.00 | 876 | -17.2 |
| 15 | Maleki, Michael | 1638 | AUS | −3B | +38N | +24B | −20N | 2.0 | 6.5 | 7.0 | 2.00 | 851 | -38.4 |
| 16 | Ventura, Paul | 1536 | AUS | −24N | +19B | +41N | −4B | 2.0 | 6.5 | 6.5 | 2.00 | 811 | -8.0 |
| 17 | Hughes, Hugo | 1602 | AUS | +42B | −5N | +40B | −8N | 2.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 0.00 | 1613 | +0.8 |
| 18 | Goldstein, Daniel | 1678 | AUS | F | +14N | +32B | −21N | 2.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 3.00 | 1612 | -10.4 |
| 19 | Lymbers, Matthew | 0 | AUS | F | −16N | +30B | +32N | 2.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 2.00 | 1552 | 0.0 |
| 20 | Shi, Lucas | 1685 | AUS | F | F | +29N | +15B | 2.0 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 3.50 | 2393 | +30.0 |
| 21 | James, Christopher | 1509 | AUS | F | +26N | F | +18B | 2.0 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 3.50 | 2484 | +29.2 |
| 22 | Tuvshintugs Khishigbaatar | 0 | MGL | F | F | +42B | +40N | 2.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.00 | 2391 | +21.6 |
| 23 | Baker, Thomas | 1550 | AUS | +43B | =13N | −6B | −12N | 1.5 | 8.0 | 8.0 | 1.25 | 778 | -36.8 |
| 24 | Xi, Cheng | 0 | AUS | +16B | −6N | −15N | =29B | 1.5 | 7.0 | 8.5 | 2.75 | 1498 | 0.0 |
| 25 | Garner, Christopher | 1446 | AUS | −2B | =28N | +36B | −13N | 1.5 | 7.0 | 8.0 | 1.75 | 1552 | +16.8 |
| 26 | Kulkarni, Mahesh | 0 | AUS | =10N | −21B | +28B | −31N | 1.5 | 6.0 | 7.0 | 2.75 | 1573 | 0.0 |
| 27 | Yadav Annan | 1728 | IND | +38B | −3N | =12B | F | 1.5 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 1.75 | 1385 | -35.6 |
| 28 | Boccalatte, Mark | 0 | AUS | F | =25B | −26N | +38B | 1.5 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 1.25 | 1446 | -11.2 |
| 29 | Agare, Jean-Yves | 1549 | AUS | F | +42N | −20B | =24N | 1.5 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 0.75 | 885 | -6.4 |
| 30 | Chan, Daniel | 1548 | AUS | −4N | −8B | −19N | +44B | 1.0 | 8.0 | 8.0 | 0.00 | 1651 | +10.4 |
| 31 | Chang, Ike | 0 | AUS | F | −4B | −7N | +26B | 1.0 | 7.5 | 8.5 | 1.50 | 811 | 0.0 |
| 32 | Xiong, Albert | 1502 | AUS | −5B | +43N | −18N | −19B | 1.0 | 7.0 | 7.0 | 0.00 | 859 | -23.2 |
| 33 | Shrestha, Sagun Pratap | 0 | NEP | +35N | −9B | −8N | F | 1.0 | 6.5 | 7.5 | 1.00 | 768 | 0.0 |
| 34 | Huang, Thomas | 1654 | AUS | F | −11B | +37N | −7B | 1.0 | 6.5 | 6.5 | 1.00 | 1537 | -12.8 |
| 35 | Wang, Jennifer (yuxian) | 0 | AUS | −33B | −12N | −14B | +42N | 1.0 | 5.5 | 5.5 | 0.00 | 695 | 0.0 |
| 36 | Jurd, Charles | 1487 | AUS | F | −10B | −25N | +39N | 1.0 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 0.50 | 1388 | -16.0 |
| 37 | Goldstein, Clio | 1489 | AUS | F | +39N | −34B | F | 1.0 | 3.0 | 3.5 | 0.50 | 1600 | +12.0 |
| 38 | Varthakavi, Isobel | 0 | AUS | −27N | −15B | =39B | −28N | 0.5 | 5.0 | 5.5 | 0.25 | 1321 | 0.0 |
| 39 | Sandhu, Leo | 1545 | AUS | −7N | −37B | =38N | −36B | 0.5 | 5.0 | 5.5 | 0.25 | 688 | -46.4 |
| 40 | Lowe, Daniel | 1590 | AUS | F | −1B | −17N | −22B | 0.0 | 8.0 | 10.0 | 0.00 | 811 | -56.8 |
| 41 | Zeng, Jacob | 0 | AUS | −11N | F | −16B | −14N | 0.0 | 6.5 | 6.5 | 0.00 | 725 | 0.0 |
| 42 | FIDE 3292622 | 0 | — | −17N | −29B | −22N | −35B | 0.0 | 5.5 | 6.5 | 0.00 | 771 | 0.0 |
| 43 | Wang, Rhyk | 0 | AUS | −23N | −32B | F | F | 0.0 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 0.00 | 726 | 0.0 |
| 44 | Martin, Chad | 0 | AUS | F | F | F | −30N | 0.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 0.00 | 755 | -27.2 |
Key insights
Biggest movers and upsets — the story behind the numbers.
Top rating gainers
- 1Sheng, RayAUS+53.64.0 pts · #1
- 2Sunay Burman RayAUS+48.43.0 pts · #3
- 3Ni, MarcusAUS+33.63.0 pts · #8
Top rating losers
- 1Lowe, DanielAUS-56.80.0 pts · #31
- 2Sandhu, LeoAUS-46.40.5 pts · #35
- 3Maleki, MichaelAUS-38.42.0 pts · #40
Biggest upsets
- R4+169 Elo gap
- R2+112 Elo gap
- R3+102 Elo gap