NMBCU Trials 1 2026 (U20)
Open SwissStandard
13 players participated in this 5-round tournament, held from 20 Feb 2026 to 21 Feb 2026 in Gqeberha, South Africa. Top 10 Elo average was 1414, and top seed was Neathan Peter (🇿🇦 RSA, CM, 1955).
Vianco Freeman (🇿🇦 RSA, 1706) won with 3.5/5, ahead of Usemhle Mtshekexe (3.5) and Lathitha Qukubana (3.0).
The biggest upset came in round 4: Keaton Pienaar (1478) beat Thomas Fogarty (1693), a +215-point gap.
Location
🇿🇦Gqeberha, South Africa
Dates
20 Feb 2026 → 21 Feb 2026
Time control
Standard: 60 minutes for game
System
Swiss · 5 rounds
Avg top 10
1,414
Participants
13
Federations · 1 represented
🇿🇦South Africa×13
Top 3
- 🥇
- 🥈
- 🥉
How it unfolded
Top 6 · 5 roundsTight race until R5; 2 players tied at 3.5/5, decided on Buchholz.
Co-leaders
6
3
1
1
1
R5 · TIEBREAK CLUSTER
2 players finish on 3.5/5. Freeman takes the title on Buchholz Cut1 (6.0).
R1–R5 · UNBEATEN
Vianco Freeman went unbeaten across 5 games (R1–R5).
Key matchups · top 4
Head-to-head between the four finishers| Player | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Vianco Freeman | * | — | — | ½ |
| 2Usemhle Mtshekexe | — | * | — | — |
| 3Lathitha Qukubana | — | — | * | — |
| 4Keaton Pienaar | ½ | — | — | * |
Grille américaine
| # | Player | Elo | Fed | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | R5 | Pts | Bu C1 | Bu | SB | Perf | Δ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Freeman, Vianco | 1706 | RSA | +11N | +4B | =?N | =?N | =5B | 3.5 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 4.75 | 1805 | +7.2 |
| 2 | Mtshekexe, Usemhle | 1647 | RSA | +12B | +10N | −?B | +9N | =8B | 3.5 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 4.00 | 1723 | +7.2 |
| 3 | Qukubana, Lathitha | 0 | RSA | −4N | +11B | −9N | +12B | +7N | 3.0 | 7.0 | 7.5 | 3.50 | 1589 | 0.0 |
| 4 | Fogarty, Thomas | 1693 | RSA | +3B | −1N | +10B | −5N | =9B | 2.5 | 10.5 | 11.5 | 4.75 | 784 | -50.8 |
| 5 | Pienaar, Keaton | 1478 | RSA | F | −?N | +6B | +4B | =1N | 2.5 | 8.5 | 8.5 | 6.75 | 1927 | +69.2 |
| 6 | Gcwabe, Othandwayo | 1567 | RSA | +13N | =?B | −5N | −7B | +10N | 2.5 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 1.50 | 701 | -23.4 |
| 7 | Swanepoel, Diego | 1542 | RSA | −?B | +12N | −11B | +6N | −3B | 2.0 | 7.0 | 7.0 | 3.00 | 1634 | +14.4 |
| 8 | Zungu, Simphiwe | 1538 | RSA | F | F | +13N | =?B | =2N | 2.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 2.25 | 1646 | +6.0 |
| 9 | Mangcotywa, Lihle | 0 | RSA | −?N | F | +3B | −2B | =4N | 1.5 | 9.5 | 9.5 | 4.25 | 1477 | 0.0 |
| 10 | Sondzaba, Unam | 0 | RSA | F | −2B | −4N | +11N | −6B | 1.0 | 10.5 | 11.5 | 1.00 | 1393 | 0.0 |
| 11 | Cerfonteyn, Zeenat | 1443 | RSA | −1B | −3N | +7N | −10B | F | 1.0 | 9.5 | 9.5 | 2.00 | 1623 | +18.4 |
| 12 | Bothma, Liandri | 1524 | RSA | −2N | −7B | F | −3N | =13B | 0.5 | 9.0 | 9.0 | 0.25 | 793 | -32.0 |
| 13 | Bowkers, Delcine | 0 | RSA | −6B | F | −8B | F | =12N | 0.5 | 6.5 | 6.5 | 0.25 | 1269 | 0.0 |
Key insights
Biggest movers and upsets — the story behind the numbers.
Top rating gainers
- 1Pienaar, KeatonRSA+69.22.5 pts · #2
- 2Cerfonteyn, ZeenatRSA+18.41.0 pts · #6
- 3Swanepoel, DiegoRSA+14.42.0 pts · #4
Top rating losers
- 1Fogarty, ThomasRSA-50.82.5 pts · #13
- 2Bothma, LiandriRSA-32.00.5 pts · #12
- 3Gcwabe, OthandwayoRSA-23.42.5 pts · #11
Biggest upsets
- R4+215 Elo gap