Nuorten SM 2026 U18
7 players participated in this 7-round tournament, held from 03 Jan 2026 to 06 Jan 2026 in Jyvaskyla, Finland. 1 titled players. Top 10 Elo average was 1923, and top seed was Aku Salonen (🇫🇮 FIN, FM, 2243).
Aku Salonen (🇫🇮 FIN, FM, 2243) won with 5.5/7, ahead of Jami Valpas (4.5) and Herman Hietanen (3.5). Salonen led wire-to-wire.
The biggest upset came in round 6: Onni Ruusunen (2004) beat Herman Hietanen (2133), a +129-point gap.
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How it unfolded
Top 7 · 7 roundsFM Aku Salonen led from R1 onwards, the runner-up race stayed tight.
FM Aku Salonen never relinquished the lead after R1; final gap +1.0 over the runner-up.
FM Aku Salonen opens a +1.5-point gap over the chasing pack (closest: Jami Valpas); the title is out of reach before R7.
FM Aku Salonen drew with Jami Valpas (White).
Cross-table
| # | Player | Elo | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | Pts | SB | Bh | Δ Elo | Perf |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 🇫🇮FMSalonen, Aku | 2243 | * | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5.5 | 13.25 | 15.5 | +13.8 | 2384 |
| 2 | 🇫🇮Valpas, Jami | 2112 | ½ | * | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 4.5 | 10.75 | 16.5 | +20.8 | 2154 |
| 3 | 🇫🇮Hietanen, Herman | 2133 | 0 | ½ | * | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3.5 | 6.75 | 17.5 | -24.4 | 2022 |
| 4 | 🇫🇮Ruusunen, Onni | 2004 | 0 | 0 | 1 | * | ½ | ½ | 1 | 3.0 | 6.25 | 18.0 | -11.2 | 1943 |
| 5 | 🇫🇮Hakkinen, Aleksandr | 1964 | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | * | 1 | ½ | 2.5 | 5.25 | 18.5 | -20.8 | 1880 |
| 7 | 🇫🇮Paksai, Nikolett | 1449 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | * | ½ | 1.0 | 2.00 | 20.0 | +9.6 | 1527 |
| 6 | 🇫🇮Zhivotova, Aleksandra | 1554 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | * | 1.0 | 1.75 | 20.0 | -1.6 | 1597 |
Key insights
Biggest movers and upsets — the story behind the numbers.
- 1Valpas, JamiFIN+20.84.5 pts · #2
- 2Salonen, AkuFMFIN+13.85.5 pts · #1
- 3Paksai, NikolettFIN+9.61.0 pts · #7
- 1Hietanen, HermanFIN-24.43.5 pts · #3
- 2Hakkinen, AleksandrFIN-20.82.5 pts · #5
- 3Ruusunen, OnniFIN-11.23.0 pts · #4
- R6+129 Elo gap