Middle Game Chess Foundation Challengers 2026
10 players participated in this 9-round tournament, held from 15 Jan 2026 to 21 Jan 2026 in Auckland, New Zealand. 4 titled players from 3 federations. Top 10 Elo average was 1993, and top seed was Aleksandr Domalchuk-Jonasson (🇮🇸 ISL, IM, 2360).
Aleksandr Domalchuk-Jonasson (🇮🇸 ISL, IM, 2360) won with 8.0/9, ahead of Daqi Mao (7.5) and Zi Yao (kelvin) Wang (5.0). Domalchuk-Jonasson took the lead from round 6.
The biggest upset came in round 6: Luna Yuexiu Xu (WCM, 1880) beat Daqi Mao (FM, 2222), a +342-point gap.
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How it unfolded
Top 10 · 9 roundsIM Aleksandr Domalchuk-Jonasson led from R6 onwards, the runner-up race stayed tight.
IM Aleksandr Domalchuk-Jonasson takes the sole lead (5.0/6).
IM Aleksandr Domalchuk-Jonasson drew with FM Daqi Mao (Black).
IM Aleksandr Domalchuk-Jonasson 4 wins (R6–R9)FM Daqi Mao 4+3 wins (R1–R4, R7–R9)
Cross-table
| # | Player | Elo | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | Pts | SB | Bh | Δ Elo | Perf |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 🇮🇸IMDomalchuk-Jonasson, Aleksandr | 2360 | * | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 8.0 | 29.75 | 36.0 | +1.4 | 2373 |
| 2 | 🇳🇿FMMao, Daqi | 2222 | ½ | * | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 7.5 | 29.50 | 36.5 | +22.0 | 2253 |
| 3 | 🇳🇿Wang, Zi Yao (kelvin) | 1893 | ½ | 0 | * | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | 5.0 | 19.25 | 39.0 | +61.6 | 2039 |
| 4 | 🇳🇿Wiratunga, Jenith | 2044 | 0 | 0 | ½ | * | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4.5 | 14.50 | 39.5 | -13.4 | 1986 |
| 5 | 🇨🇳Zhang, Ruijia | 2052 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | * | — | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 4.0 | 12.00 | 40.0 | -15.8 | 1974 |
| 6 | 🇳🇿CMYu, Zachary | 2081 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | — | * | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4.0 | 12.00 | 40.0 | -20.6 | 1974 |
| 7 | 🇳🇿Tao, Junqing Jerome | 1874 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | 1 | * | 1 | ½ | ½ | 3.5 | 11.75 | 40.5 | +11.2 | 1916 |
| 8 | 🇳🇿WCMXu, Luna Yuexiu | 1880 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | * | ½ | 1 | 3.0 | 12.50 | 41.0 | -12.0 | 1871 |
| 9 | 🇳🇿Jiang, Patrick Di | 1761 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 1 | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | * | ½ | 3.0 | 11.00 | 41.0 | +35.6 | 1864 |
| 10 | 🇳🇿Xu, Jeremy Xi | 1761 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | * | 1.5 | 5.75 | 42.5 | -24.4 | 1716 |
Key insights
Biggest movers and upsets — the story behind the numbers.
- 1Wang, Zi Yao (kelvin)NZL+61.65.0 pts · #3
- 2Jiang, Patrick DiNZL+35.63.0 pts · #9
- 3Mao, DaqiFMNZL+22.07.5 pts · #2
- 1Xu, Jeremy XiNZL-24.41.5 pts · #10
- 2Yu, ZacharyCMNZL-20.64.0 pts · #6
- 3Zhang, RuijiaCHN-15.84.0 pts · #5
- R6+342 Elo gap
- R8+283 Elo gap
- R5+207 Elo gap