16th AFRICAN YOUTH CHESS CHAMPIONSHIP 2025 UNDER 16 OPEN

Open SwissStandard

35 players participated in this 9-round tournament, held from 07 Dec 2025 to 13 Dec 2025 in Harare, Zimbabwe. 8 federations represented. Top 10 Elo average was 1809, and top seed was MUKOMBEDZA TAFADZWA (🇿🇼 ZIM, 1914).

Mbaabu Cyprian (🇰🇪 KEN, 1725) won with 7.5/9, ahead of Matyire Prosper (6.5) and Shoubhith Omprakash Kayyar (6.5). Cyprian took the lead from round 6.

The biggest upset came in round 4: Patil vijaykumar Shivasai (1578) beat MUKOMBEDZA TAFADZWA (1914), a +336-point gap.

Location

🇿🇼Harare, Zimbabwe

Dates

07 Dec 2025 → 13 Dec 2025

Time control

Standard: 90 minutes with 30 second increment from move 1

System

Swiss · 9 rounds

Top seed

🇿🇼MUKOMBEDZA TAFADZWA1914

Avg top 10

1,809

Participants

Federations · 8 represented

🇿🇼Zimbabwe×11

🇿🇦South Africa×4

🇰🇪Kenya×3

🇲🇿Mozambique×2

🇳🇦Namibia×1

🇩🇿Algeria×1

🇧🇼Botswana×1

🇺🇬Uganda×1

Top 3

🥇
Mbaabu Cyprian
🇰🇪KEN·1725
7.5pts·1982perf+65.5
🥈
Matyire Prosper
🇿🇼ZIM·1885
6.5pts·1908perf+10.4
🥉
Shoubhith Omprakash Kayyar
🇺🇬UGA·1814
6.5pts·1809perf+2.8

How it unfolded

Top 6 · 9 rounds

Mbaabu Cyprian led from R6; +1.0-point edge over the runner-up. Title race converged from 3 co-leaders at R4 to 1 by R6.

Co-leaders

Cyprian7.5Prosper6.5Kayyar6.5Li6Bulelani6Boddapati6

R6 · LEADER CHANGE11 Dec

Mbaabu Cyprian takes the sole lead (5.0/6).

R8 · HEAD-TO-HEAD · WINNER VS 2ND

Mbaabu Cyprian beat Matyire Prosper (Black).

WIN STREAKS · 3 top finishers

Mbaabu Cyprian 3+4 wins (R1–R3, R5–R8)Matyire Prosper 3 wins (R1–R3)Shoubhith Omprakash Kayyar 3 wins (R1–R3)

Key matchups · top 4

Head-to-head between the four finishers

Player	1	2	3	4
1Mbaabu Cyprian	*	1	½	0
2Matyire Prosper	0	*	½	0
3Shoubhith Omprakash Kayyar	½	½	*	0
4Zhengfei Li	1	1	1	*

Grille américaine

#	Player	Elo	Fed	R1	R2	R3	R4	R5	R6	R7	R8	R9	Pts	Bu C1	Bu	SB	Perf	Δ
1	Mbaabu Cyprian	1725	KEN	+31B	+18N	+21N	−4B	+11N	+8B	+7B	+2N	=3B	7.5	43.5	45.5	36.25	1982	+65.5
2	Matyire Prosper	1885	ZIM	+28N	+17B	+12N	=3N	+7B	−4B	+13N	−1B	+9N	6.5	45.5	48.0	31.25	1908	+10.4
3	Shoubhith Omprakash Kayyar	1814	UGA	+34B	+5N	+11N	=2B	−4N	=20B	+8N	+24B	=1N	6.5	44.0	44.0	29.00	1809	+2.8
4	Li, Zhengfei	1837	RSA	+26N	F	=7B	+1N	+3B	+2N	=10B	=9N	=5N	6.0	46.5	46.5	35.25	1947	+42.0
5	Amith Boddapati	1676	ZIM	+27N	−3B	+19N	+21B	−8N	+17B	+11N	=10N	=4B	6.0	41.5	45.0	27.25	1738	+20.8
6	Bulelani, Stephen	1890	RSA	F	F	+15N	+33B	+28N	−7N	+31B	+20B	+10N	6.0	31.5	33.0	20.00	1823	-7.2
7	Chaili, Yasser Idris	1710	ALG	+29N	+25B	=4N	+13B	−2N	+6B	−1N	=8B	=16N	5.5	44.5	47.0	25.00	1808	+30.0
8	MAHATA DUNCAN	1732	ZIM	+35N	−20B	+24B	+22N	+5B	−1N	−3B	=7N	+14B	5.5	42.0	42.0	21.25	1648	-30.4
9	MUKOMBEDZA TAFADZWA	1914	ZIM	+15N	−12B	+26N	−11B	+17N	+16B	+20N	=4B	−2B	5.5	40.0	43.5	24.00	1670	-78.4
10	Naidoo, Kirthan	1803	RSA	+30N	−11B	+18N	+28B	=20N	+12B	=4N	=5B	−6B	5.5	39.0	41.5	22.50	1699	-36.4
11	Patil vijaykumar Shivasai	1578	MAW	F	+10N	−3B	+9N	−1B	+31N	−5B	+28B	+12N	5.0	40.5	40.5	20.50	1770	+56.8
12	Chiutsi Dardley	1692	ZIM	+16B	+9N	−2B	=20N	+25B	−10N	=14B	+21N	−11B	5.0	40.0	43.5	22.00	1580	-36.4
13	Bartlett Ezra	1780	BOT	+33B	+22N	=20B	−7N	=16N	+21B	−2B	−14N	+31B	5.0	35.5	37.0	15.75	1493	-74.4
14	Chibvuri, John Jnr	1531	ZIM	−21B	+31N	+29B	−25N	=24B	+15N	=12N	+13B	−8N	5.0	33.5	35.5	18.25	1763	+47.6
15	Osundwa Ihabi	1469	KEN	−9B	=16N	−6B	F	+19N	−14B	+23N	+17B	+24N	4.5	37.5	37.5	18.75	1540	+5.6
16	Mudzengerere Tanaka Philemon	0	ZIM	−12N	=15B	F	+30N	=13B	−9N	+18B	+25N	=7B	4.5	36.0	36.0	18.00	1654	0.0
17	Errol Muhoro	1664	KEN	+32B	−2N	=30B	+23N	−9B	−5N	+27B	−15N	+29B	4.5	35.0	37.0	13.25	936	-66.0
18	Fernandes, Miguel Eduardo Taibo	0	MOZ	+24N	−1B	−10B	+32N	−31B	+33N	−16N	+29B	=28N	4.5	30.0	31.5	10.75	963	-33.2
19	FIDE 11035218	0	—	−22B	+33N	−5B	+34N	−15B	+32N	−28N	=30B	+26B	4.5	26.5	26.5	8.25	770	0.0
20	Shekupe Fidel	1521	NAM	+23B	+8N	=13N	=12B	=10B	=3N	−9B	−6N	−21B	4.0	43.0	47.0	20.50	1753	+73.2
21	PWITITI PETER	0	ZIM	+14N	F	−1B	−5N	+22B	−13N	+26B	−12B	+20N	4.0	42.5	46.0	16.50	1590	0.0
22	Ethan Hinds	1567	ZIM	+19N	−13B	+27N	−8B	−21N	−28B	+32B	−31N	+34N	4.0	29.0	29.0	10.00	956	-20.4
23	FIDE 11034521	0	—	−20N	+35B	=25N	−17B	−29B	+34N	−15B	=27N	+32B	4.0	24.5	24.5	5.50	750	0.0
24	Gerald Brian	0	ZIM	−18B	F	−8N	+27B	=14N	+26B	+29N	−3N	−15B	3.5	35.5	35.5	12.00	1284	0.0
25	Casseeram, Ishar	0	RSA	F	−7N	=23B	+14B	−12N	−29N	+33B	−16B	+30N	3.5	35.0	36.5	11.00	1519	0.0
26	FIDE 11035234	0	—	−4B	+32N	−9B	=29N	+30B	−24N	−21N	+35B	−19N	3.5	30.5	30.5	5.75	1076	0.0
27	FIDE 11034220	0	—	−5B	+34N	−22B	−24N	+35B	=30N	−17N	=23B	=33N	3.5	26.0	26.0	4.00	835	0.0
28	Jazire, Delroy Anesu	0	MOZ	−2B	F	F	−10N	−6B	+22N	+19B	−11N	=18B	2.5	36.0	36.0	10.75	1545	0.0
29	FIDE 11034947	0	—	−7B	F	−14N	=26B	+23N	+25B	−24B	−18N	−17N	2.5	34.0	34.0	9.25	852	0.0
30	FIDE 11034629	0	—	−10B	F	=17N	−16B	−26N	=27B	+35N	=19N	−25B	2.5	29.5	29.5	6.25	1541	0.0
31	MAKORE TAPIWANASHE KEVIN	0	ZIM	−1N	−14B	F	F	+18N	−11B	−6N	+22B	−13N	2.0	37.0	37.0	8.50	1524	0.0
32	FIDE 554010543	0	—	−17N	−26B	+35N	−18B	F	−19B	−22N	+34B	−23N	2.0	25.0	25.0	0.00	845	0.0
33	FIDE 11035200	0	—	−13N	−19B	F	−6N	+34B	−18B	−25N	F	=27B	1.5	27.0	27.0	1.75	991	0.0
34	FIDE 11034599	0	—	−3N	−27B	F	−19B	−33N	−23B	F	−32N	−22B	0.0	26.0	26.0	0.00	891	0.0
35	FIDE 11033363	0	—	−8B	−23N	−32B	F	−27N	F	−30B	−26N	F	0.0	21.0	21.0	0.00	932	0.0

Key insights

Biggest movers and upsets — the story behind the numbers.

Top rating gainers

1Shekupe FidelNAM
+73.2
4.0 pts · #9
2Mbaabu CyprianKEN
+65.5
7.5 pts · #2
3Patil vijaykumar ShivasaiMAW
+56.8
5.0 pts · #13

Top rating losers

1MUKOMBEDZA TAFADZWAZIM
-78.4
5.5 pts · #6
2Bartlett EzraBOT
-74.4
5.0 pts · #19
3Errol MuhoroKEN
-66.0
4.5 pts · #26

Biggest upsets

R4+336 Elo gap
Patil vijaykumar Shivasai1578 beat MUKOMBEDZA TAFADZWA1914
R8+249 Elo gap
Chibvuri, John Jnr1531 beat Bartlett Ezra1780
R2+225 Elo gap
Patil vijaykumar Shivasai1578 beat Naidoo, Kirthan1803