Biel Chess Festival 2025 - WT1
Open SwissStandard
55 players participated in this 5-round tournament, held from 21 Jul 2025 to 25 Jul 2025 in Biel, Switzerland. 8 federations represented. Top 10 Elo average was 1758, and top seed was Denis Lupei (🇩🇪 GER, 1784).
Johan Thorens (🇨🇭 SUI, 1657) won with 4.5/5, ahead of Oliver Thornley (4.0) and Arsenii Filimonov (4.0). Thorens clinched sole first place in the final round.
The biggest upset came in round 4: Archit Saigal (1494) beat Naim Belmadani (1750), a +256-point gap.
Location
🇨🇭Biel, Switzerland
Dates
21 Jul 2025 → 25 Jul 2025
Time control
Standard: 60 minutes with 30 seconds increment from move 1
System
Swiss · 5 rounds
Federations · 8 represented
🇨🇭Switzerland×35
🇩🇪Germany×4
🇮🇱Israel×3
🇮🇳India×2
🇺🇸United States of America×2
🇵🇱Poland×2
🇳🇱Netherlands×1
🇿🇦South Africa×1
Top 3
- 🥇
- 🥈
- 🥉
How it unfolded
Top 6 · 5 roundsJohan Thorens led from R5; +0.5-point edge over the runner-up.
Co-leaders
23
12
4
1
1
R5 · LEADER CHANGE25 Jul
Johan Thorens takes the sole lead (4.5/5).
WIN STREAKS · 3 top finishers
Johan Thorens 3 wins (R1–R3)Jason Weber 4 wins (R2–R5)Oliver Thornley 3 wins (R1–R3)
R4 · FORMER LEADER FALL
Simon Zumbrunn held the sole lead at R4 but finished #15.
Key matchups · top 4
Head-to-head between the four finishers| Player | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Johan Thorens | * | — | — | — |
| 2Jason Weber | — | * | — | — |
| 3Oliver Thornley | — | — | * | 0 |
| 4Arsenii Filimonov | — | — | 1 | * |
Grille américaine
| # | Player | Elo | Fed | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | R5 | Pts | Bu C1 | Bu | SB | Perf | Δ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Thorens, Johan | 1657 | SUI | +48B | +4N | +15B | =8N | +9B | 4.5 | 14.0 | 15.0 | 13.25 | 2043 | +70.0 |
| 2 | Thornley, Oliver | 1714 | ENG | +47B | +16N | +7B | −3N | +14B | 4.0 | 13.5 | 14.5 | 10.50 | 1857 | +17.0 |
| 3 | Filimonov, Arsenii | 1666 | SUI | +40N | +33B | F | +2B | +6N | 4.0 | 12.0 | 14.0 | 12.00 | 2428 | +54.4 |
| 4 | Dubel, Nathan | 1762 | SUI | +31N | −1B | +45N | +23B | +17N | 4.0 | 12.0 | 13.0 | 8.50 | 1861 | +20.0 |
| 5 | Weber, Jason | 1769 | SUI | −7B | +47N | +21B | +30N | +15B | 4.0 | 11.5 | 12.5 | 9.00 | 1865 | +21.6 |
| 6 | Zumbrunn, Simon | 1686 | SUI | +46B | +52N | +12B | +14N | −3B | 4.0 | 11.5 | 12.5 | 8.50 | 1865 | +37.2 |
| 7 | Ben-Avi, Dotan | 1615 | ISR | +5N | +18B | −2N | =11B | +23N | 3.5 | 14.5 | 17.0 | 11.25 | 1873 | +70.0 |
| 8 | Ganeshram, Niranjana | 1692 | NED | +35N | +24B | =13N | =1B | =12B | 3.5 | 14.0 | 16.0 | 10.25 | 1725 | +5.6 |
| 9 | Tellenbach, Benjamin | 1645 | SUI | =54B | +43N | +10N | +13B | −1N | 3.5 | 13.0 | 13.5 | 8.75 | 1917 | +57.2 |
| 10 | Lupei, Denis | 1784 | GER | =28B | +20N | −9B | +27N | +16B | 3.5 | 12.0 | 14.5 | 9.75 | 1714 | -14.8 |
| 11 | Yehuda, Beeri | 1666 | ISR | +19B | −14N | +46B | =7N | +24B | 3.5 | 12.0 | 13.0 | 8.25 | 1628 | -5.6 |
| 12 | Delaquis, Gianluca | 1746 | SUI | +38N | +34B | −6N | +31B | =8N | 3.5 | 11.5 | 13.5 | 7.75 | 1783 | +8.8 |
| 13 | Buntschu, Kurt | 1762 | SUI | +55B | +30N | =8B | −9N | +26B | 3.5 | 11.5 | 11.5 | 6.25 | 1793 | +8.0 |
| 14 | Bachmann, Daniel | 1766 | SUI | +49N | +11B | +17N | −6B | −2N | 3.0 | 14.5 | 15.5 | 7.50 | 1746 | -2.4 |
| 15 | Dzakula, Igor | 1728 | SUI | +25N | +32B | −1N | +40B | −5N | 3.0 | 13.0 | 15.0 | 6.50 | 1701 | -5.6 |
| 16 | Archit Saigal | 1494 | IND | +36N | −2B | +34N | +18B | −10N | 3.0 | 12.5 | 14.5 | 7.00 | 1783 | +37.6 |
| 17 | Trzcinska, Weronika | 1712 | POL | +42N | +45B | −14B | +19N | −4B | 3.0 | 12.0 | 13.0 | 6.00 | 1565 | -19.4 |
| 18 | Belmadani, Naim | 1750 | SUI | +21B | −7N | +37B | −16N | +38B | 3.0 | 11.5 | 13.5 | 7.00 | 1626 | -30.4 |
| 19 | Althaus, Peter | 0 | SUI | −11N | +49B | +32N | −17B | +34N | 3.0 | 10.5 | 11.5 | 5.00 | 1673 | 0.0 |
| 20 | Vassiliev, Jacob Brandon | 1558 | USA | =23N | −10B | +43B | =39N | +30B | 3.0 | 10.0 | 11.5 | 5.75 | 1807 | +52.8 |
| 21 | Martin, Philippe | 1584 | SUI | −18N | +53B | −5N | +50B | +36N | 3.0 | 10.0 | 11.0 | 4.00 | 1606 | +3.2 |
| 22 | Boesch, Roman | 1780 | SUI | −32N | +44B | −25N | +45B | +31N | 3.0 | 8.0 | 9.0 | 4.50 | 1479 | -23.6 |
| 23 | Ragheb, Kaemel | 1723 | SUI | =20B | +54N | +27B | −4N | −7B | 2.5 | 13.0 | 13.5 | 4.50 | 1521 | -22.2 |
| 24 | Beitz, Toralf | 0 | GER | +51B | −8N | =26B | +28N | −11N | 2.5 | 12.0 | 13.0 | 4.75 | 1658 | 0.0 |
| 25 | Cloete, Willem Francois | 1567 | RSA | −15B | +29N | +22B | −26N | =39B | 2.5 | 11.0 | 13.0 | 6.50 | 1716 | +15.8 |
| 26 | Ben Avi, Adam | 1643 | ISR | −33N | +35B | =24N | +25B | −13N | 2.5 | 10.5 | 12.5 | 5.75 | 1664 | +2.0 |
| 27 | Pan, Haoquan | 1496 | ESP | =43B | +28N | −23N | −10B | +51B | 2.5 | 10.0 | 11.0 | 4.25 | 1697 | +50.8 |
| 28 | Bachvarov, Viktor | 1631 | SUI | =10N | −27B | +54N | −24B | +43B | 2.5 | 10.0 | 10.5 | 3.75 | 1656 | +4.0 |
| 29 | Niederberger, Lenny | 1714 | SUI | −45N | −25B | =44N | +54B | +35N | 2.5 | 7.0 | 7.5 | 3.25 | 765 | -27.6 |
| 30 | Guidi, Elia | 1653 | SUI | +53N | −13B | +33N | −5B | −20N | 2.0 | 12.5 | 13.5 | 3.00 | 896 | -52.8 |
| 31 | Martin, Benoit | 1585 | SUI | −4B | +48N | +52B | −12N | −22B | 2.0 | 11.5 | 12.5 | 2.00 | 965 | -32.0 |
| 32 | Ammeter, Nicolas | 1621 | SUI | +22B | −15N | −19B | +53N | −33B | 2.0 | 11.0 | 12.0 | 4.00 | 1755 | +10.0 |
| 33 | Hank, Ulrich | 0 | GER | +26B | −3N | −30B | F | +32N | 2.0 | 10.5 | 11.5 | 4.50 | 1657 | 0.0 |
| 34 | Schlegel, Thomas | 1632 | SUI | +50B | −12N | −16B | +46N | −19B | 2.0 | 10.5 | 11.5 | 2.00 | 1458 | -14.0 |
| 35 | Sadeh, David | 0 | SUI | −8B | −26N | +55B | +51N | −29B | 2.0 | 9.5 | 9.5 | 1.00 | 1586 | 0.0 |
| 36 | Saxer, Bruno | 1674 | SUI | −16B | −46N | +47B | +37N | −21B | 2.0 | 9.0 | 10.0 | 3.00 | 1453 | -29.8 |
| 37 | Nuh Nizar Hilmi | 1521 | IND | +39N | −41B | −18N | −36B | +50N | 2.0 | 9.0 | 10.0 | 3.00 | 919 | -26.8 |
| 38 | Zarri, Philippe | 1576 | SUI | −12B | −50N | +48B | +52N | −18N | 2.0 | 8.5 | 9.5 | 2.00 | 951 | -10.8 |
| 39 | Bartlome, Dimitri | 0 | SUI | −37B | F | +50N | =20B | =25N | 2.0 | 8.5 | 8.5 | 3.75 | 1416 | 0.0 |
| 40 | Briechle, Dennnis | 1485 | SUI | −3B | +55N | +51B | −15N | F | 2.0 | 8.0 | 8.0 | 1.00 | 1660 | +36.4 |
| 41 | Ulmann, Olivier | 1733 | SUI | +44B | +37N | F | F | F | 2.0 | 7.5 | 7.5 | 3.50 | 2299 | +4.2 |
| 42 | Morgan, Jesus Alberto | 1542 | SUI | −17B | −51N | −49N | +55B | +48N | 2.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 1.00 | 1445 | -9.6 |
| 43 | Khusainau, Dzmitry | 1682 | SUI | =27N | −9B | −20N | +44B | −28N | 1.5 | 11.5 | 13.0 | 2.75 | 1261 | -82.8 |
| 44 | Trzcinska, Wiktoria | 1568 | POL | −41N | −22N | =29B | −43N | +54B | 1.5 | 9.0 | 9.5 | 1.75 | 1405 | 0.0 |
| 45 | Studer, Jonas | 0 | SUI | +29B | −17N | −4B | −22N | −53B | 1.0 | 12.5 | 13.5 | 2.50 | 1545 | 0.0 |
| 46 | Shahmammadli, Ramiz | 1503 | SUI | −6N | +36B | −11N | −34B | −52B | 1.0 | 11.5 | 12.5 | 2.00 | 1471 | -6.4 |
| 47 | Robert-Grandpierre, Christian | 1543 | SUI | −2N | −5B | −36N | −48B | +55N | 1.0 | 11.0 | 11.0 | 0.00 | 1493 | -9.6 |
| 48 | FIDE 1369270 | 0 | — | −1N | −31B | −38N | +47N | −42B | 1.0 | 10.5 | 11.5 | 1.00 | 1341 | 0.0 |
| 49 | Ademi, Rexhe | 1605 | SUI | −14B | −19N | +42B | F | F | 1.0 | 10.0 | 10.0 | 2.00 | 1654 | +2.4 |
| 50 | Turtschi, Dominik | 0 | SUI | −34N | +38B | −39B | −21N | −37B | 1.0 | 9.0 | 11.0 | 2.00 | 1380 | 0.0 |
| 51 | Kretschmer, Thomas | 1659 | GER | −24N | +42B | −40N | −35B | −27N | 1.0 | 9.0 | 11.0 | 2.00 | 1383 | -44.0 |
| 52 | Vassiliev, Anton | 0 | USA | F | −6B | −31N | −38B | +46N | 1.0 | 9.0 | 9.0 | 1.00 | 1395 | 0.0 |
| 53 | FIDE 343466044 | 0 | — | −30B | −21N | F | −32B | +45N | 1.0 | 8.0 | 8.0 | 1.00 | 834 | 0.0 |
| 54 | Germann, Elias Markus | 0 | FID | =9N | −23B | −28B | −29N | −44N | 0.5 | 11.0 | 12.5 | 1.75 | 1355 | 0.0 |
| 55 | Zhang, Zichen | 1587 | SUI | −13N | −40B | −35N | −42N | −47B | 0.0 | 9.5 | 10.5 | 0.00 | 783 | -81.2 |
Key insights
Biggest movers and upsets — the story behind the numbers.
Top rating gainers
- 1Thorens, JohanSUI+70.04.5 pts · #6
- 2Ben-Avi, DotanISR+70.03.5 pts · #7
- 3Tellenbach, BenjaminSUI+57.23.5 pts · #13
Top rating losers
- 1Khusainau, DzmitrySUI-82.81.5 pts · #46
- 2Zhang, ZichenSUI-81.20.0 pts · #53
- 3Guidi, EliaSUI-52.82.0 pts · #55
Biggest upsets
- R4+256 Elo gap
- R3+213 Elo gap
- R1+180 Elo gap