2026 South African Closed Chess Championships (Woman)
12 players participated in this 11-round tournament, held from 21 Feb 2026 to 01 Mar 2026 in Johannesburg, South Africa. 4 titled players. Top 10 Elo average was 1832, and top seed was Chloe Badenhorst (🇿🇦 RSA, WFM, 2042).
Anzel Laubscher (🇿🇦 RSA, WIM, 1827) won with 8.0/11, ahead of Chloe Badenhorst (8.0) and Hayley Nel (7.5). Laubscher shared the lead from round 10, winning on tie-break.
The biggest upset came in round 1: Mari Greeff (1413) beat Sizakele Masango (1885), a +472-point gap.
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How it unfolded
Top 12 · 11 roundsWCM Hayley Nel takes the sole lead (4.0/5).
WFM Chloe Badenhorst drew with WIM Anzel Laubscher (Black).
WFM Chloe Badenhorst 3 wins (R5–R7)WIM Anzel Laubscher 3 wins (R1–R3)Robyn Julian Klaasen 3+3 wins (R3–R5, R7–R9)
Cross-table
| # | Player | Elo | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | Pts | SB | Bh | Δ Elo | Perf |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 🇿🇦WIMLaubscher, Anzel | 1827 | * | ½ | 1 | ½ | 0 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 8.0 | 39.25 | 58.0 | +36.2 | 1962 |
| 1 | 🇿🇦WFMBadenhorst, Chloe | 2042 | ½ | * | 0 | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 8.0 | 38.75 | 58.0 | -20.8 | 1940 |
| 4 | 🇿🇦WCMNel, Hayley | 1834 | 0 | 1 | * | ½ | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7.5 | 36.25 | 58.5 | +27.0 | 1923 |
| 3 | 🇿🇦Klaasen, Robyn Julian | 1807 | ½ | 0 | ½ | * | 1 | 0 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7.5 | 34.25 | 58.5 | +31.6 | 1924 |
| 5 | 🇿🇦Masango, Sizakele | 1885 | 1 | ½ | 0 | 0 | * | 1 | 1 | 0 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6.0 | 32.75 | 60.0 | -1.4 | 1879 |
| 6 | 🇿🇦WFMBoshoma, Chisomo | 1873 | ½ | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | * | ½ | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6.0 | 27.75 | 60.0 | -17.6 | 1808 |
| 7 | 🇿🇦Naidoo, Dhiya | 1770 | 0 | ½ | 1 | 0 | 0 | ½ | * | ½ | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5.5 | 26.50 | 60.5 | +0.4 | 1781 |
| 8 | 🇿🇦Joya, Imkhita | 1736 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 0 | ½ | * | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5.0 | 25.00 | 61.0 | +4.4 | 1750 |
| 9 | 🇿🇦Amrouni, Alexia | 1792 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | 1 | * | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4.5 | 16.00 | 61.5 | -17.4 | 1708 |
| 10 | 🇿🇦Naidoo, Kajol | 1582 | ½ | ½ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | * | 1 | 1 | 4.0 | 18.00 | 62.0 | +6.8 | 1680 |
| 11 | 🇿🇦Grobbelaar, Jacqui | 1755 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | * | 1 | 3.0 | 11.50 | 63.0 | -43.4 | 1580 |
| 12 | 🇿🇦Greeff, Mari | 1413 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | * | 1.0 | 6.00 | 65.0 | 0.0 | 1431 |
Key insights
Biggest movers and upsets — the story behind the numbers.
- 1Laubscher, AnzelWIMRSA+36.28.0 pts · #2
- 2Klaasen, Robyn JulianRSA+31.67.5 pts · #3
- 3Nel, HayleyWCMRSA+27.07.5 pts · #4
- 1Grobbelaar, JacquiRSA-43.43.0 pts · #11
- 2Badenhorst, ChloeWFMRSA-20.88.0 pts · #1
- 3Boshoma, ChisomoWFMRSA-17.66.0 pts · #6
- R1+472 Elo gap
- R1+291 Elo gap
- R1+208 Elo gap