2025 South African Open Chess Championships (U16)

Open SwissStandard

42 players participated in this 5-round tournament, held from 28 Jun 2025 to 05 Jul 2025 in Johannesburg, South Africa. 2 federations represented. Top 10 Elo average was 1599, and top seed was Lesedi Molele (🇿🇦 RSA, 1674).

Zander Nicolaas Slabbert (🇿🇦 RSA, 1578) won with 4.5/5, ahead of Ofana Tema (4.5) and HJ de Villiers (4.0). Slabbert shared the lead from round 3, winning on tie-break.

The biggest upset came in round 3: Johannes Cornel Botha (1400) beat Prince Kwame Kusi (1512), a +112-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 · 5 rounds

Top seed

🇿🇦Lesedi Molele1674

Avg top 10

1,599

Participants

Federations · 2 represented

🇿🇦South Africa×24

🇳🇦Namibia×1

Top 3

🥇
Zander Nicolaas Slabbert
🇿🇦RSA·1578
4.5pts·1840perf+38.4
🥈
Ofana Tema
🇿🇦RSA·1653
4.5pts·1731perf+7.6
🥉
HJ de Villiers
🇿🇦RSA·1543
4.0pts·1706perf+26.0

How it unfolded

Top 6 · 5 rounds

Tight race until R5; 2 players tied at 4.5/5, decided on Buchholz. Title race narrowed from 2 co-leaders at R4 to 2 at the finish.

Co-leaders

Slabbert4.5Tema4.5Dikane4de Villiers4Oosthuizen4Du Toit4

R5 · TIEBREAK CLUSTER

2 players finish on 4.5/5. Slabbert takes the title on Buchholz Cut1 (15.5).

R5 · HEAD-TO-HEAD · WINNER VS 2ND

Zander Nicolaas Slabbert drew with Ofana Tema (Black).

WIN STREAKS · 3 top finishers

Zander Nicolaas Slabbert 4 wins (R1–R4)Ofana Tema 4 wins (R1–R4)Oageng Dikane 3 wins (R1–R3)

Key matchups · top 4

Head-to-head between the four finishers

Player	1	2	3	4
1Zander Nicolaas Slabbert	*	½	—	—
2Ofana Tema	½	*	—	—
3Oageng Dikane	—	—	*	½
4HJ de Villiers	—	—	½	*

Grille américaine

#	Player	Elo	Fed	R1	R2	R3	R4	R5	Pts	Bu C1	Bu	SB	Perf	Δ
1	Slabbert, Zander Nicolaas	1578	RSA	+27N	+7B	+13N	+4B	=2N	4.5	15.5	17.5	15.25	1840	+38.4
2	Tema, Ofana	1653	RSA	+25B	+21N	+23B	+12N	=1B	4.5	13.0	15.5	13.25	1731	+7.6
3	de Villiers, HJ	1543	RSA	+38N	+18B	+6N	=5B	=11N	4.0	14.5	16.0	12.25	1706	+26.0
4	Du Toit, Dawid	1612	NAM	+14B	+22N	+26B	−1N	+21B	4.0	13.5	15.5	11.00	778	-22.0
5	Dikane, Oageng	1516	RSA	+32B	+24N	+15B	=3N	=10B	4.0	13.0	15.0	11.25	1695	+28.8
6	Oosthuizen, Ethan	1592	RSA	+34B	+39N	−3B	+17N	+15B	4.0	12.0	13.5	9.50	1537	-6.4
7	Changara, Adiel	1435	RSA	+42B	−1N	+25B	+29N	+12B	4.0	12.0	12.0	7.50	778	-12.4
8	Nakedi, Kutlwano	0	RSA	−9N	+30B	+31N	+?B	+13N	4.0	10.5	10.5	7.00	604	0.0
9	Botha, Johannes Cornel	1400	RSA	+8B	=10N	+28B	−20N	+23B	3.5	13.0	15.0	10.25	1673	+55.6
10	Bain, Michael	1636	RSA	+30N	=9B	=11N	+26B	=5N	3.5	13.0	15.0	9.50	1518	-18.0
11	Froom, Gabriel	1634	RSA	+33B	=28N	=10B	+24N	=3B	3.5	12.0	14.0	9.25	1562	-11.6
12	Van De Venter, Zandre	0	RSA	+?N	+19B	+16N	−2B	−7N	3.0	14.5	14.5	6.00	1417	0.0
13	Nengovhela, Manakela	0	RSA	+?B	+17N	−1B	+33N	−8B	3.0	13.5	13.5	5.00	778	0.0
14	Ramaboa, Thando	0	RSA	−4N	+?B	+18N	−16B	+31N	3.0	12.0	12.0	5.00	775	-26.8
15	Bloem, James	1530	RSA	+37N	+41B	−5N	+27B	−6N	3.0	12.0	12.0	4.00	754	-37.2
16	Nkabinde, Lwazi	1537	RSA	+36B	+29N	−12B	+14N	−20B	3.0	11.0	13.0	7.00	874	-12.8
17	FIDE 14395959	0	—	+?N	−13B	+35N	−6B	+27N	3.0	11.0	11.0	4.00	792	0.0
18	FIDE 14364760	0	—	+?B	−3N	−14B	+36N	+29B	3.0	11.0	11.0	4.00	744	0.0
19	Ramonyai, Maribe	0	RSA	+?B	−12N	+32B	=23N	=24B	3.0	10.0	10.0	4.50	1497	0.0
20	Molele, Lesedi	1674	RSA	+40N	F	F	+9B	+16N	3.0	9.0	9.0	7.00	2271	+19.6
21	Thomson-Selibowitz, Ryder	0	RSA	+?N	−2B	+?N	+?B	−4N	3.0	8.5	8.5	0.00	833	0.0
22	Masiu, Tshiu	0	RSA	+?N	−4B	−?N	+38B	+30N	3.0	7.5	7.5	3.50	812	0.0
23	Veldtman, Juan-Aiden	1499	RSA	+35N	+31B	−2N	=19B	−9N	2.5	13.0	15.0	5.50	729	-36.8
24	Akker, Dylan	0	RSA	+?N	−5B	+38N	−11B	=19N	2.5	12.0	12.0	3.00	775	0.0
25	FIDE 534013784	0	—	−2N	+?B	−7N	+?B	=?N	2.5	8.5	8.5	0.00	745	0.0
26	FIDE 14364778	0	—	+?B	F	−4N	−10N	+32B	2.0	12.5	12.5	2.00	824	0.0
27	FIDE 14394405	0	—	−1B	+42N	+39B	−15N	−17B	2.0	12.0	12.0	1.50	754	0.0
28	Kusi, Prince Kwame	1512	RSA	F	=11B	−9N	=39N	+34B	2.0	10.5	10.5	4.50	1326	-18.8
29	FIDE 534027548	0	—	+?N	−16B	+40N	−7B	−18N	2.0	10.5	10.5	0.50	687	0.0
30	FIDE 534027629	0	—	−10B	−8N	+?B	+?N	−22B	2.0	10.5	10.5	0.00	836	0.0
31	Mokalobe, Mosa	0	RSA	+?B	−23N	−8B	+?N	−14B	2.0	9.5	9.5	0.00	697	0.0
32	FIDE 14394596	0	—	−5N	+?B	−19N	+41B	−26N	2.0	9.0	9.0	0.00	716	0.0
33	FIDE 534027599	0	—	−11N	+37B	+41N	−13B	−?N	2.0	8.5	8.5	2.00	834	0.0
34	FIDE 534027637	0	—	−6N	+?B	−?N	+35B	−28N	2.0	8.0	8.0	2.00	749	0.0
35	FIDE 14394529	0	—	−23B	+?N	−17B	−34N	+?B	2.0	7.5	7.5	0.00	697	0.0
36	FIDE 534027610	0	—	−16N	−?B	+?N	−18B	+?N	2.0	6.0	6.0	0.00	738	0.0
37	FIDE 534027580	0	—	−15B	−33N	−?B	+40B	+41N	2.0	5.5	5.5	0.50	729	0.0
38	FIDE 534027653	0	—	−3B	+?N	−24B	−22N	=?B	1.5	9.5	9.5	0.00	744	0.0
39	Venter, Christiaan	0	RSA	+?N	−6B	−27N	=28B	−?N	1.5	8.0	8.0	1.00	1356	0.0
40	FIDE 534027688	0	—	−20B	=?N	−29B	−37N	F	0.5	7.0	7.0	0.00	874	0.0
41	FIDE 534027696	0	—	F	−15N	−33B	−32N	−37B	0.0	9.0	9.0	0.00	729	0.0
42	FIDE 534027564	0	—	−7N	−27B	−?N	−?B	F	0.0	6.5	6.5	0.00	636	0.0

Key insights

Biggest movers and upsets — the story behind the numbers.

Top rating gainers

1Botha, Johannes CornelRSA
+55.6
3.5 pts · #2
2Slabbert, Zander NicolaasRSA
+38.4
4.5 pts · #1
3Dikane, OagengRSA
+28.8
4.0 pts · #3

Top rating losers

1Bloem, JamesRSA
-37.2
3.0 pts · #16
2Veldtman, Juan-AidenRSA
-36.8
2.5 pts · #33
3Ramaboa, ThandoRSA
-26.8
3.0 pts · #42

Biggest upsets

R3+112 Elo gap
Botha, Johannes Cornel1400 beat Kusi, Prince Kwame1512