NMB Closed 2025 (U16)
29 players participated in this 6-round tournament, held from 13 Jun 2025 to 14 Jun 2025 in Gqeberha, South Africa. Top 10 Elo average was 1596, and top seed was Spiro Clainos (🇿🇦 RSA, 1671).
Benjamin Banda (🇿🇦 RSA, 1657) won with 5.0/6, ahead of Jared CHIPUNZA (4.5) and Spiro Clainos (4.5). Banda broke clear in the final round.
The biggest upset came in round 4: Nathan Norris (1423) beat Garen TWIGG (1546), a +123-point gap.
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How it unfolded
Top 6 · 6 roundsBenjamin Banda led from R6; +0.5-point edge over the runner-up. Title race converged from 2 co-leaders at R4 to 1 by R6.
Benjamin Banda held the sole lead from R6 through R6 without losing it.
Benjamin Banda drew with Jared CHIPUNZA (White).
Benjamin Banda 3 wins (R1–R3)Jared CHIPUNZA 3 wins (R1–R3)
Key matchups · top 4
Head-to-head between the four finishers| Player | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Benjamin Banda | * | ½ | ½ | — |
| 2Jared CHIPUNZA | ½ | * | — | ½ |
| 3Deacon Dugmore | ½ | — | * | ½ |
| 4Spiro Clainos | — | ½ | ½ | * |
Grille américaine
| # | Player | Elo | Fed | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | R5 | R6 | Pts | Bu C1 | Bu | SB | Perf | Δ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Banda, Benjamin | 1657 | RSA | +22B | +13N | +6B | =2B | =4N | +7N | 5.0 | 19.5 | 21.5 | 17.00 | 1851 | +53.6 |
| 2 | CHIPUNZA, Jared | 1633 | RSA | +16B | +19N | +7B | =1N | =3B | =5N | 4.5 | 20.0 | 23.0 | 16.25 | 1786 | +47.2 |
| 3 | Clainos, Spiro | 1671 | RSA | +26N | =4B | +9N | =5B | =2N | +8B | 4.5 | 20.0 | 21.5 | 15.00 | 1684 | +4.8 |
| 4 | Dugmore, Deacon | 1566 | RSA | +23B | =3N | +19B | =7N | =1B | +14N | 4.5 | 19.0 | 21.0 | 14.50 | 1770 | +63.6 |
| 5 | Ranjith, Aishwarya | 1551 | RSA | +25B | −7N | +20B | =3N | +13B | =2B | 4.0 | 18.0 | 19.5 | 11.50 | 1670 | +32.4 |
| 6 | Mangala, Sibonelo | 1632 | RSA | +24B | +29N | −1N | =11B | =8N | +23B | 4.0 | 16.0 | 16.0 | 7.50 | 1569 | -15.6 |
| 7 | Moller, Sarah | 1649 | RSA | +27N | +5B | −2N | =4B | +15N | −1B | 3.5 | 21.0 | 22.0 | 10.25 | 1626 | -5.6 |
| 8 | Blandy, Levi | 1486 | RSA | =20B | =21N | +18B | +10N | =6B | −3N | 3.5 | 17.5 | 19.5 | 10.75 | 1548 | +12.8 |
| 9 | De Jager, Jaeden | 0 | RSA | +12B | =14N | −3B | −13N | +20B | +25N | 3.5 | 16.5 | 18.0 | 9.00 | 1537 | 0.0 |
| 10 | Brown, Nathan | 1466 | RSA | =15N | =17B | +25N | −8B | +18N | =11B | 3.5 | 16.0 | 17.5 | 9.25 | 1481 | +4.4 |
| 11 | Ackerdien, Saud | 1477 | RSA | =21B | =20N | +29B | =6N | =14B | =10N | 3.5 | 15.0 | 15.0 | 7.50 | 1509 | +6.4 |
| 12 | Coetzee, Schalk | 1461 | RSA | −9N | =15B | =16N | =25B | +26N | +17B | 3.5 | 14.0 | 15.5 | 8.25 | 1622 | +43.6 |
| 13 | Murray, Jaydon | 1535 | RSA | +28N | −1B | =17N | +9B | −5N | =15B | 3.0 | 18.5 | 19.5 | 7.50 | 1441 | -26.4 |
| 14 | Coetzee, Samual | 1515 | RSA | =17N | =9B | +27N | =15B | =11N | −4B | 3.0 | 17.5 | 18.5 | 7.50 | 1501 | -3.6 |
| 15 | Magwa, Sanele | 1481 | RSA | =10B | =12N | +22B | =14N | −7B | =13N | 3.0 | 16.5 | 18.5 | 8.50 | 1512 | +10.0 |
| 16 | Barry, Tyler | 1483 | RSA | −2N | −18B | =12B | =20N | +28B | +21N | 3.0 | 15.5 | 16.5 | 6.00 | 1576 | +19.2 |
| 17 | Sonti, Kamvalethu | 1461 | RSA | =14B | =10N | =13B | =21N | +24B | −12N | 3.0 | 15.0 | 17.0 | 7.75 | 1473 | +3.6 |
| 18 | Hall, Joshua | 0 | RSA | −19B | +16N | −8N | +27B | −10B | +22N | 3.0 | 15.0 | 16.0 | 6.00 | 1492 | 0.0 |
| 19 | TWIGG, Garen | 1546 | RSA | +18N | −2B | −4N | −23B | +29N | +27B | 3.0 | 15.0 | 15.0 | 4.00 | 1343 | -42.4 |
| 20 | Heneke, Ruan | 0 | RSA | =8N | =11B | −5N | =16B | −9N | +24N | 2.5 | 17.5 | 19.5 | 7.00 | 1487 | 0.0 |
| 21 | Surmon, Ethan | 1420 | RSA | =11N | =8B | =26N | =17B | −25N | −16B | 2.0 | 14.5 | 16.0 | 5.75 | 1349 | -22.0 |
| 22 | Botlhole, Erato | 1448 | RSA | −1N | +28B | −15N | +26B | −23N | −18B | 2.0 | 14.5 | 15.5 | 2.50 | 1410 | -11.2 |
| 23 | Norris, Nathan | 1423 | RSA | −4N | −27B | F | +19N | +22B | −6N | 2.0 | 14.5 | 14.5 | 5.00 | 1471 | +11.6 |
| 24 | Prins, Joshua | 1439 | RSA | −6N | −26B | +28N | +29B | −17N | −20B | 2.0 | 12.0 | 12.0 | 1.00 | 1293 | -30.4 |
| 25 | Gie, Mckenzie | 1501 | RSA | −5N | F | −10B | =12N | +21B | −9B | 1.5 | 16.5 | 16.5 | 3.75 | 1388 | -26.0 |
| 26 | Bothma, Jaculene | 1437 | RSA | −3B | +24N | =21B | −22N | −12B | F | 1.5 | 14.0 | 14.0 | 3.00 | 1339 | -27.2 |
| 27 | Cona, Shaunwin | 1520 | RSA | −7B | +23N | −14B | −18N | F | −19N | 1.0 | 14.5 | 14.5 | 2.00 | 1340 | -37.2 |
| 28 | Koutsouvelis, Joshua | 1412 | RSA | −13B | −22N | −24B | F | −16N | +29B | 1.0 | 10.0 | 10.0 | 0.00 | 676 | -65.6 |
| 29 | FIDE 14390655 | 0 | — | F | −6B | −11N | −24N | −19B | −28N | 0.0 | 13.5 | 13.5 | 0.00 | 701 | 0.0 |
Key insights
Biggest movers and upsets — the story behind the numbers.
- 1Dugmore, DeaconRSA+63.64.5 pts · #3
- 2Banda, BenjaminRSA+53.65.0 pts · #1
- 3CHIPUNZA, JaredRSA+47.24.5 pts · #2
- 1Koutsouvelis, JoshuaRSA-65.61.0 pts · #29
- 2TWIGG, GarenRSA-42.43.0 pts · #27
- 3Cona, ShaunwinRSA-37.21.0 pts · #26
- R4+123 Elo gap