2026 South African Junior Closed (U14 Girls)

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39 players participated in this 9-round tournament, held from 28 Mar 2026 to 02 Apr 2026 in Rustenburg, South Africa. Top 10 Elo average was 1556, and top seed was Sienna Brewis (🇿🇦 RSA, 1644).

Amy Liu (🇿🇦 RSA, 1529) won with 8.5/9, ahead of Tayla Van Dyk (7.0) and Chelsea Jane NELL (6.5). Liu won solo starting round 4.

The biggest upset came in round 3: Diteboho Monamatha (1427) beat Sienna Brewis (1644), a +217-point gap.

Location

🇿🇦Rustenburg, South Africa

Dates

28 Mar 2026 → 02 Apr 2026

Time control

Standard: 90 minutes with 30 second increment from move 1

System

Swiss · 9 rounds

Top seed

🇿🇦Sienna Brewis1644

Avg top 10

1,556

Participants

Federations · 1 represented

🇿🇦South Africa×30

Top 3

🥇
Amy Liu
🇿🇦RSA·1529
8.5pts·1963perf+124.0
🥈
Tayla Van Dyk
🇿🇦RSA·1515
7.0pts·1759perf+102.8
🥉
Chelsea Jane NELL
🇿🇦RSA·1486
6.5pts·1598perf+23.6

How it unfolded

Top 6 · 9 rounds

Amy Liu led from R4; +1.5-point edge over the runner-up.

Co-leaders

Liu8.5Van Dyk7NELL6.5Zulu6.5Westermann6Jansen6

R4–R9 · LEAD HELD

Amy Liu never relinquished the lead after R4; final gap +1.5 over the runner-up.

R6 · HEAD-TO-HEAD · WINNER VS 2ND

Amy Liu beat Tayla Van Dyk (Black).

WIN STREAKS · 3 top finishers

Amy Liu 7 wins (R1–R7)Tayla Van Dyk 3 wins (R1–R3)Chelsea Jane NELL 4 wins (R4–R7)

Key matchups · top 4

Head-to-head between the four finishers

Player	1	2	3	4
1Amy Liu	*	1	½	—
2Tayla Van Dyk	0	*	—	—
3Chelsea Jane NELL	½	—	*	—
4Thandoluhle Zulu	—	—	—	*

Grille américaine

#	Player	Elo	Fed	R1	R2	R3	R4	R5	R6	R7	R8	R9	Pts	Bu C1	Bu	SB	Perf	Δ
1	Liu, Amy	1529	RSA	+26B	+9N	+13B	+12N	+18B	+2N	+11B	=3N	+5B	8.5	44.5	48.5	45.25	1963	+124.0
2	Van Dyk, Tayla	1515	RSA	+35B	+24N	+19B	=11N	+12B	−1B	=5N	+13N	+8B	7.0	43.5	46.0	32.00	1759	+102.8
3	NELL, Chelsea Jane	1486	RSA	+20N	−15B	−29N	+37B	+21N	+16B	+17N	=1B	+18N	6.5	40.5	42.5	29.75	1598	+23.6
4	Zulu, Thandoluhle	1547	RSA	+34N	−18B	−31N	+39B	=20N	+15B	+28N	+17B	+9N	6.5	33.5	34.0	24.25	2308	+35.2
5	Westermann, Liezl	1484	RSA	+22B	+6N	−12B	=27N	+24B	+10N	=2B	+9B	−1N	6.0	46.0	49.5	30.75	1591	+33.6
6	Jansen, Alexia	1475	RSA	+28N	−5B	=16N	−10N	+30B	+20B	=19N	+32B	+13N	6.0	37.5	40.5	24.25	1558	+22.4
7	Maharaj, Aditi	1416	RSA	+36N	−11B	+34N	−28B	−8N	+31B	+30N	+14B	+12B	6.0	33.0	35.0	21.00	1337	-14.8
8	Sun, Haojia	1571	RSA	−14B	−22N	+32B	+25N	+7B	=13N	+27B	+11N	−2N	5.5	40.0	43.0	24.00	1712	+42.8
9	Van Der Westhuizen, Mika	0	RSA	+37N	−1B	+36N	+31B	+19B	=11N	+18B	−5N	−4B	5.5	40.0	42.0	18.50	1373	0.0
10	Jacobs, Lillith	1611	RSA	=27N	−16B	+35N	+6B	+15N	−5B	+29N	−18B	+19N	5.5	38.0	40.5	23.25	1640	+6.8
11	Hagen, Gina Sophia	1523	RSA	+33B	+7N	=18N	=2B	+14N	=9B	−1N	−8B	=16N	5.0	47.0	50.0	25.00	1420	-23.2
12	Papanicolaou, Mila	1559	RSA	+29N	+17B	+5N	−1B	−2N	−14B	+21N	+28B	−7N	5.0	45.5	49.0	22.50	1585	+12.0
13	Swanepoel, Leja	1507	RSA	+32B	+25N	−1N	+21B	=28N	=8B	+14N	−2B	−6B	5.0	44.0	47.0	21.00	1449	-90.4
14	Truscott, Ane	0	RSA	+8N	−27B	+23B	+17N	−11B	+12N	−13B	−7N	+24B	5.0	40.0	43.5	24.00	1551	0.0
15	Van Greunen, Melaney	0	RSA	+23B	+3N	=27B	−18N	−10B	−4N	+22B	+29B	=21N	5.0	40.0	43.5	23.00	1508	0.0
16	Cilliers, Dene	0	RSA	−25B	+10N	=6B	=30N	=27B	−3N	+23B	+20N	=11B	5.0	39.5	43.0	23.50	1453	0.0
17	Mulholland, Emmy Rida	1544	RSA	+38B	−12N	+37B	−14B	+31N	+19N	−3B	−4N	+32N	5.0	35.5	37.0	14.00	1330	-44.4
18	Bisram, Neha	0	RSA	F	+4N	=11B	+15B	−1N	+28B	−9N	+10N	−3B	4.5	46.0	46.0	23.00	1549	0.0
19	ADAMS, Ciara	1509	RSA	+31N	+21B	−2N	+29B	−9N	−17B	=6B	+27N	−10B	4.5	40.5	43.5	17.50	1507	+0.8
20	Emanuel, Caitlin	0	RSA	−3B	−23N	+26B	+22N	=4B	−6N	+38B	−16B	+30N	4.5	40.5	42.0	16.75	1417	0.0
21	Monamatha, Diteboho	1427	RSA	+39B	−19N	+24B	−13N	−3B	+33N	−12B	+26N	=15B	4.5	37.0	37.5	14.00	1440	+2.0
22	FIDE 534024280	0	—	−5N	+8B	−30N	−20B	=36N	+37B	−15N	+31B	+29N	4.5	33.0	35.0	15.00	1549	0.0
23	FIDE 534038957	0	—	−15N	+20B	−14N	+36B	−29N	=30B	−16N	+35B	+27N	4.5	32.5	34.5	14.25	1487	0.0
24	Brewis, Sienna	1644	RSA	+30N	−2B	−21N	+34B	−5N	+25B	−32N	+33B	−14N	4.0	36.0	38.5	13.00	1295	-73.2
25	Arbi, Imaan	1505	RSA	+16N	−13B	−28N	−8B	+34N	−24N	−33B	+39N	+37B	4.0	30.5	31.0	10.00	796	-60.4
26	Murray, Chloe	1512	RSA	−1N	−34B	−20N	+38B	+37N	−32B	+36N	−21B	+33N	4.0	30.0	31.5	8.50	680	-43.2
27	Swartz, Jane	1464	RSA	=10B	+14N	=15N	=5B	=16N	=29B	−8N	−19B	−23B	3.5	41.0	44.5	17.50	1392	-18.8
28	Stevens, Danielle-Ann	1473	RSA	−6B	+32N	+25B	+7N	=13B	−18N	−4B	−12N	F	3.5	40.0	40.0	15.50	1474	-1.6
29	Pfukwa, Palesa	1509	RSA	−12B	+38N	+3B	−19N	+23B	=27N	−10B	−15N	−22B	3.5	39.0	40.5	14.25	1375	-36.0
30	FIDE 534008110	0	—	−24B	=35N	+22B	=16B	−6N	=23N	−7B	+34N	−20B	3.5	37.0	39.5	13.00	710	0.0
31	Gouws, Karah	0	RSA	−19B	+39N	+4B	−9N	−17B	−7N	=34B	−22N	=36B	3.0	36.5	37.0	9.25	1310	0.0
32	Naidoo, Viya	0	RSA	−13N	−28B	−8N	F	+35B	+26N	+24B	−6N	−17B	3.0	35.5	35.5	10.50	1400	0.0
33	FIDE 14360837	0	—	−11N	−36B	=38N	=35B	+39N	−21B	+25N	−24N	−26B	3.0	27.5	28.0	6.50	1282	0.0
34	De Villiers, Lene	0	RSA	−4B	+26N	−7B	−24N	−25B	F	=31N	−30B	+39N	2.5	31.5	31.5	6.00	1284	0.0
35	FIDE 14379520	0	—	−2N	=30B	−10B	=33N	−32N	=39B	F	−23N	+38B	2.5	28.5	28.5	5.00	763	0.0
36	FIDE 534029273	0	—	−7B	+33N	−9B	−23N	=22B	−38N	−26B	F	=31N	2.0	32.0	32.0	6.75	662	0.0
37	FIDE 14397161	0	—	−9B	F	−17N	−3N	−26B	−22N	+39B	+38N	−25N	2.0	31.5	31.5	2.00	711	0.0
38	FIDE 534039023	0	—	−17N	−29B	=33B	−26N	F	+36B	−20N	−37B	−35N	1.5	26.5	26.5	3.50	721	0.0
39	FIDE 534039988	0	—	−21N	−31B	F	−4N	−33B	=35N	−37N	−25B	−34B	0.5	28.0	28.0	1.25	694	0.0

Key insights

Biggest movers and upsets — the story behind the numbers.

Top rating gainers

1Liu, AmyRSA
+124.0
8.5 pts · #1
2Van Dyk, TaylaRSA
+102.8
7.0 pts · #2
3Sun, HaojiaRSA
+42.8
5.5 pts · #4

Top rating losers

1Swanepoel, LejaRSA
-90.4
5.0 pts · #10
2Brewis, SiennaRSA
-73.2
4.0 pts · #27
3Arbi, ImaanRSA
-60.4
4.0 pts · #39

Biggest upsets

R3+217 Elo gap
Monamatha, Diteboho1427 beat Brewis, Sienna1644
R5+160 Elo gap
Westermann, Liezl1484 beat Brewis, Sienna1644
R9+143 Elo gap
Maharaj, Aditi1416 beat Papanicolaou, Mila1559