Helsingin Mestaruus 2026 A-ryhma
8 players participated in this 7-round tournament, held from 27 Dec 2025 to 02 Jan 2026 in Helsinki, Finland. Top 10 Elo average was 1542, and top seed was Niko Malaska (🇫🇮 FIN, 1830).
Niko Malaska (🇫🇮 FIN, 1830) won with 5.5/7, ahead of Antti Lehtela (4.5) and Aleksandr Kanevskiy (3.5). Malaska won solo starting round 2.
The biggest upset came in round 4: Aarni Kesavaara (1602) beat Neo Toppinen (1788), a +186-point gap.
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How it unfolded
Top 8 · 7 roundsNiko Malaska led from R2 onwards, the runner-up race stayed tight.
Niko Malaska never relinquished the lead after R2; final gap +1.0 over the runner-up.
Niko Malaska opens a +2.0-point gap over the chasing pack (closest: Antti Lehtela); the title is out of reach before R7.
Niko Malaska beat Antti Lehtela (Black).
Cross-table
| # | Player | Elo | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | Pts | SB | Bh | Δ Elo | Perf |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 🇫🇮Malaska, Niko | 1830 | * | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 5.5 | 18.25 | 22.5 | +55.2 | 2024 |
| 2 | 🇫🇮Lehtela, Antti | 1805 | 0 | * | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | 4.5 | 13.25 | 23.5 | +2.0 | 1812 |
| 3 | 🇫🇮Kanevskiy, Aleksandr | 1801 | ½ | 0 | * | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | 3.5 | 11.25 | 24.5 | -14.0 | 1756 |
| 4 | 🇫🇮Smeds, Tom | 1786 | 0 | ½ | ½ | * | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | 3.5 | 10.75 | 24.5 | -14.2 | 1701 |
| 6 | 🇫🇮Toppinen, Neo | 1788 | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | * | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3.5 | 10.75 | 24.5 | -29.2 | 1701 |
| 7 | 🇫🇮Kesavaara, Aarni | 1602 | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | 1 | * | 0 | ½ | 2.5 | 9.25 | 25.5 | +38.4 | 1732 |
| 5 | 🇫🇮Haikarainen, Ville | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | 1 | * | ½ | 2.5 | 8.25 | 25.5 | -77.6 | 1660 |
| 8 | 🇫🇮Koivumaki, Marko | 1724 | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | * | 2.5 | 8.25 | 25.5 | -13.0 | 1643 |
Key insights
Biggest movers and upsets — the story behind the numbers.
- 1Malaska, NikoFIN+55.25.5 pts · #1
- 2Kesavaara, AarniFIN+38.42.5 pts · #7
- 3Lehtela, AnttiFIN+2.04.5 pts · #2
- 1Haikarainen, VilleFIN-77.62.5 pts · #5
- 2Toppinen, NeoFIN-29.23.5 pts · #6
- 3Smeds, TomFIN-14.23.5 pts · #4
- R4+186 Elo gap