2025 South African Open Chess Championships (Championship)

SwissStandard

46 players participated in this 11-round tournament, held from 28 Jun 2025 to 05 Jul 2025 in Johannesburg, South Africa. 18 titled players from 5 federations. Top 10 Elo average was 2204, and top seed was Daniel Cawdery (🇿🇦 RSA, IM, 2350).

James Dinham (🇿🇦 RSA, 1975) won with 8.5/11, ahead of Banele Mhango (8.0) and Michael Simpson (8.0). Dinham clinched sole first place in the final round.

The biggest upset came in round 9: Juan-Louis Combrink (1775) beat Claus Pitschka (FM, 2138), a +363-point gap.

Location

🇿🇦Johannesburg, South Africa

Dates

28 Jun 2025 → 05 Jul 2025

Time control

Standard: 90 minutes with 30 second increment from move 1

System

Swiss · 11 rounds

Top seed

🇿🇦IMDaniel Cawdery2350

Avg top 10

2,204

Participants

Titled players · 18

IM×4

FM×5

CM×8

WCM×1

Federations · 5 represented

🇿🇦South Africa×42

🇿🇲Zambia×1

🇧🇼Botswana×1

🇳🇦Namibia×1

🇩🇪Germany×1

Top 3

🥇
James Dinham
🇿🇦RSA·1975
8.5pts·2286perf+87.0
🥈
FMBanele Mhango
🇿🇦RSA·2236
8.0pts·2321perf+22.2
🥉
IMMichael Simpson
🇿🇦RSA·2204
8.0pts·2239perf+24.8

How it unfolded

Top 6 · 11 rounds

James Dinham led from R11; +0.5-point edge over the runner-up. Title race converged from 2 co-leaders at R4 to 1 by R11.

Co-leaders

Dinham8.5Simpson8Mhango8Beukes7.5Du Plessis7.5Oatlhotse7

R7 · LEADER CHANGE02 Jul

FM Banele Mhango takes the sole lead (6.0/7).

R4 · HEAD-TO-HEAD · WINNER VS 2ND

James Dinham drew with IM Michael Simpson (Black).

WIN STREAKS · 2 top finishers

James Dinham 3 wins (R9–R11)FM Banele Mhango 3 wins (R5–R7)

Key matchups · top 4

Head-to-head between the four finishers

Player	1	2	3	4
1James Dinham	*	½	½	½
2IMMichael Simpson	½	*	½	½
3FMBanele Mhango	½	½	*	1
4IMDante M Beukes	½	½	0	*

Grille américaine

#	Player	Elo	Fed	R1	R2	R3	R4	R5	R6	R7	R8	R9	R10	R11	Pts	Bu C1	Bu	SB	Perf	Δ
1	Dinham, James	1975	RSA	+34N	+42B	=2B	=3N	+10B	−6N	+5B	=4N	+16B	+9N	+15B	8.5	67.0	69.5	50.75	2286	+87.0
2	Mhango, BaneleFM	2236	RSA	+36N	+40B	=1N	=7B	+4N	+15B	+6B	=3N	=9N	+5B	F	8.0	67.5	70.5	49.25	2321	+22.2
3	Simpson, MichaelIM	2204	RSA	+26N	+18B	=7N	=1B	=15N	+19B	=4N	=2B	+20N	+8B	=6N	8.0	66.5	71.5	49.75	2239	+24.8
4	Beukes, Dante MIM	2246	NAM	+12B	+9N	+5B	=6N	−2B	+13N	=3B	=1B	=8N	+15N	=7B	7.5	71.5	77.5	51.25	2207	-6.0
5	Du Plessis, Heinco	2043	RSA	+31N	+30B	−4N	=18B	+17N	+39B	−1N	+10B	+6B	−2N	+9B	7.5	63.5	67.0	40.25	2154	+33.8
6	Oatlhotse, ProvidenceIM	2241	BOT	+8N	+39B	+25N	=4B	+7N	+1B	−2N	−9B	−5N	+10B	=3B	7.0	70.5	74.0	44.25	2190	-11.4
7	Van Zyl-Rudd, JackFM	2228	RSA	+20B	+27N	=3B	=2N	−6B	=10N	−8B	=19B	+24N	+18B	=4N	6.5	65.0	70.0	38.75	2121	-25.0
8	Jacobs, Calvin Nicholas	1905	RSA	−6B	+44N	+27B	−15N	+11N	=14B	+7N	+23B	=4B	−3N	=16B	6.5	64.5	65.5	34.50	2162	+139.6
9	Egeonu, Chigozie	1952	RSA	+43N	−4B	+42N	+25B	−19N	+29B	+14N	+6N	=2B	−1B	−5N	6.5	62.5	64.0	31.00	2120	+94.8
10	Ristovich, Dmitar S.	2012	RSA	=33N	+16B	+11N	=41B	−1N	=7B	+25N	−5N	+21B	−6N	+23B	6.5	62.0	65.0	35.25	2163	+43.2
11	Felix, RaphaelFM	2227	RSA	+21B	=28N	−10B	=20N	−8B	+31N	+26B	−15N	+27B	+16N	=14B	6.5	57.5	61.5	34.00	2015	-102.8
12	Mnyasta, Tezihano	1955	RSA	−4N	=24B	−37N	+21B	+33B	−16N	+35B	+36N	+13N	+19B	F	6.5	55.0	58.5	31.00	2089	+35.0
13	Mlahleki, Vusimuzi	2062	RSA	+24N	=41N	=28B	=17B	+18N	−4B	+39N	−16N	−12B	+31B	+19N	6.5	54.5	57.5	30.50	2093	+9.0
14	Palmer, ReeganCM	2058	RSA	−32B	=22N	+21B	=35N	+42B	=8N	−9B	=29N	+33B	+20B	=11N	6.5	52.0	54.5	30.75	1976	-42.8
15	Mahlangu, SelloCM	2015	RSA	−30N	+34B	+36N	+8B	=3B	−2N	=24N	+11B	+18N	−4B	−1N	6.0	63.5	67.0	32.50	2073	+15.8
16	Hercules, Benjamin VincentCM	2084	RSA	=29B	−10N	+30N	=26B	=24N	+12B	+17N	+13B	−1N	−11B	=8N	6.0	61.5	65.5	33.50	1995	-25.6
17	Soojay, JorahFM	1903	RSA	−41B	+38N	+43B	=13N	−5B	+35N	−16B	+25B	−19N	+29N	=18B	6.0	50.5	52.0	24.00	2048	+74.9
18	Samuels, Ethan	2012	RSA	+44B	−3N	+32B	=5N	−13B	=26N	+22B	+28N	−15B	−7N	=17N	5.5	60.0	61.0	24.75	1975	-11.0
19	Mgobhozi, Bhekinkosi	2057	RSA	=35N	+33B	=41B	=28N	+9B	−3N	=20B	=7N	+17B	−12N	−13B	5.5	58.0	61.0	28.25	2013	-13.2
20	Nevin, TylerCM	1883	RSA	−7N	+31B	=35N	=11B	+37N	=25B	=19N	+24B	−3B	−14N	=27B	5.5	55.5	59.0	25.25	2028	+37.4
21	Yan, WeilunCM	1906	RSA	−11N	=37B	−14N	−12N	+34B	+38B	=32N	+26B	−10N	+24B	=22N	5.5	53.0	56.5	24.00	1936	+14.8
22	Potgieter, Edward	1880	RSA	−25N	=14B	=24N	=37B	=40N	+30B	−18N	+34B	F	+33N	=21B	5.5	46.0	46.0	23.75	1963	+44.0
23	Peter, NeathanCM	2072	RSA	−42B	−26N	+45B	+32N	=35B	=28N	+36B	−8N	=29B	+30N	−10N	5.5	45.0	45.5	18.50	1890	-83.5
24	Mungal, Ethan	1907	RSA	−13B	=12N	=22B	+44N	=16B	+27N	=15B	−20N	−7B	−21N	+36B	5.0	56.5	57.5	21.50	1938	+16.8
25	Pitschka, ClausFM	2138	GER	+22B	+32N	−6B	−9N	+31B	=20N	−10B	−17N	−30B	+45N	=28B	5.0	54.0	54.5	19.25	1875	-69.4
26	Goosen, AntonCM	1912	RSA	−3B	+23B	=40N	=16N	=27B	=18B	−11N	−21N	+37B	=32N	=30B	5.0	53.5	56.5	22.75	1939	+6.4
27	Smit, Devon	1915	RSA	+37N	−7B	−8N	+30B	=26N	−24B	=29N	+32B	−11N	=28B	=20N	5.0	52.5	56.0	21.50	1898	-6.4
28	Mamonyane, Thabang	1910	RSA	+46N	=11B	=13N	=19B	−39N	=23B	+40N	−18B	−31B	=27N	=25N	5.0	50.0	50.0	20.00	1996	+24.6
29	Bezuidenhout, Lian	1913	RSA	=16N	=35B	=39N	+40B	=41N	−9N	=27B	=14B	=23N	−17B	F	4.5	48.5	48.5	19.50	1976	+14.0
30	Combrink, Juan-Louis	1775	RSA	+15B	−5N	−16B	−27N	+44B	−22N	=31B	F	+25N	−23B	=26N	4.0	52.0	53.0	16.50	1897	+54.4
31	Hempe, Lilitha	1851	RSA	−5B	−20N	F	+43B	−25N	−11B	=30N	+35B	+28N	−13N	=38B	4.0	48.5	48.5	13.75	1884	+5.0
32	Li, Zhengfei	1786	RSA	+14N	−25B	−18N	−23B	+45N	=33B	=21B	−27N	F	=26B	=34N	4.0	47.5	48.0	16.25	1885	+44.8
33	Nel, HayleyWCM	1814	RSA	=10B	−19N	+38B	−39B	−12N	=32N	F	+40B	−14N	−22B	+45N	4.0	45.0	45.0	12.25	1860	+10.4
34	Chettiar, Evasan	1919	RSA	−1B	−15N	−44B	+38N	−21N	F	=43B	−22N	+45B	+36N	=32B	4.0	39.5	39.5	10.25	1808	-30.4
35	Meise, Keagen	1886	RSA	=19B	=29N	=20B	=14B	=23N	−17B	−12N	−31N	F	=38B	=37N	3.5	51.0	51.0	17.25	1823	-17.4
36	Fwati, Chipepo Kunda	1998	ZAM	−2B	+45N	−15B	−42N	+43N	+37B	−23N	−12B	=38N	−34B	−24N	3.5	46.0	46.5	7.25	1800	-118.8
37	Deysel, Kaleb	1833	RSA	−27B	=21N	+12B	=22N	−20B	−36N	=42B	=45N	−26N	F	=35B	3.5	43.0	43.0	15.25	1793	-21.6
38	Tak, Rannveer	1809	RSA	−40N	−17B	−33N	−34B	F	−21N	+45B	+43N	=36B	=35N	=31N	3.5	35.5	35.5	7.50	1774	-18.4
39	Selepe, Lwazi	2029	RSA	+45B	−6N	=29B	+33N	+28B	−5N	−13B	F	F	F	F	3.5	35.0	35.0	11.75	1972	-10.4
40	Mlambo, Ishmael	1909	RSA	+38B	−2N	=26B	−29N	=22B	+42N	−28B	−33N	F	F	F	3.0	38.0	38.0	11.25	1831	-39.2
41	Cawdery, DanielIM	2350	RSA	+17N	=13B	=19N	=10N	=29B	F	F	F	F	F	F	3.0	29.0	29.0	17.50	2078	-14.1
42	Sarakusebwa, Shepard	1870	RSA	+23N	−1N	−9B	+36B	−14N	−40B	=37N	F	F	F	F	2.5	41.0	41.0	10.75	1869	-1.6
43	Matsaung, Thapelo Isack	1827	RSA	−9B	F	−17N	−31N	−36B	+45B	=34N	−38B	F	F	F	1.5	32.0	32.0	2.50	1664	-27.4
44	Buba, Vukile	1783	RSA	−18N	−8B	+34N	−24B	−30N	F	F	F	F	F	F	1.0	25.0	25.0	4.00	1664	-14.0
45	Nkosi, Dumisa Jacob	1825	RSA	−39N	−36B	−23N	F	−32B	−43N	−38N	=37B	−34N	−25B	−33B	0.5	38.0	38.0	1.75	1452	-65.8
46	Mazibuko, KhanyaCM	2081	RSA	−28B	F	F	F	F	F	F	F	F	F	F	0.0	5.0	5.0	0.00	1110	-14.6

Key insights

Biggest movers and upsets — the story behind the numbers.

Top rating gainers

1Jacobs, Calvin NicholasRSA
+139.6
6.5 pts · #9
2Egeonu, ChigozieRSA
+94.8
6.5 pts · #8
3Dinham, JamesRSA
+87.0
8.5 pts · #1

Top rating losers

1Fwati, Chipepo KundaZAM
-118.8
3.5 pts · #35
2Felix, RaphaelFMRSA
-102.8
6.5 pts · #10
3Peter, NeathanCMRSA
-83.5
5.5 pts · #23

Biggest upsets

R9+363 Elo gap
Combrink, Juan-Louis1775 beat FMPitschka, Claus2138
R7+323 Elo gap
Jacobs, Calvin Nicholas1905 beat FMVan Zyl-Rudd, Jack2228
R5+322 Elo gap
Jacobs, Calvin Nicholas1905 beat FMFelix, Raphael2227