2026 South African Junior Closed (U16 Girls)

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38 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 1619, and top seed was Dhiya Naidoo (🇿🇦 RSA, 1770).

Dhiya Naidoo (🇿🇦 RSA, 1770) won with 8.5/9, ahead of Helen Christine Rautenbach (7.0) and Nonhlanhla Ngwangwa (6.5). Naidoo won solo starting round 5.

The biggest upset came in round 1: Tlhogi Dikolomela (1476) beat Helen Christine Rautenbach (1701), a +225-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

🇿🇦Dhiya Naidoo1770

Avg top 10

1,619

Participants

Federations · 1 represented

🇿🇦South Africa×33

Top 3

🥇
Dhiya Naidoo
🇿🇦RSA·1770
8.5pts·1968perf+45.2
🥈
Helen Christine Rautenbach
🇿🇦RSA·1701
7.0pts·1740perf+17.6
🥉
Nonhlanhla Ngwangwa
🇿🇦RSA
6.5pts·1650perf0.0

How it unfolded

Top 6 · 9 rounds

Dhiya Naidoo led from R5; +1.5-point edge over the runner-up. Title race converged from 2 co-leaders at R4 to 1 by R5.

Co-leaders

Naidoo8.5Rautenbach7Ngwangwa6.5Naidoo6Nieuwoudt6Dikolomela5.5

R5–R9 · LEAD HELD

Dhiya Naidoo never relinquished the lead after R5; final gap +1.5 over the runner-up.

R7 · HEAD-TO-HEAD · WINNER VS 2ND

Dhiya Naidoo drew with Helen Christine Rautenbach (Black).

WIN STREAKS · 3 top finishers

Dhiya Naidoo 6 wins (R1–R6)Helen Christine Rautenbach 5 wins (R2–R6)Nonhlanhla Ngwangwa 4 wins (R1–R4)

Key matchups · top 4

Head-to-head between the four finishers

Player	1	2	3	4
1Dhiya Naidoo	*	½	1	1
2Helen Christine Rautenbach	½	*	1	—
3Nonhlanhla Ngwangwa	0	0	*	1
4Kajol Naidoo	0	—	0	*

Grille américaine

#	Player	Elo	Fed	R1	R2	R3	R4	R5	R6	R7	R8	R9	Pts	Bu C1	Bu	SB	Perf	Δ
1	Naidoo, Dhiya	1770	RSA	+5B	+18N	+23B	+6N	+3B	+8N	=2N	+4B	+7N	8.5	46.5	50.5	47.00	1968	+45.2
2	Rautenbach, Helen Christine	1701	RSA	−6N	+17B	+15N	+16B	+7N	+3N	=1B	=5N	+9B	7.0	47.5	52.0	39.25	1740	+17.6
3	Ngwangwa, Nonhlanhla	0	RSA	+4N	+11B	+29B	+13N	−1N	−2B	=6N	+17B	+5B	6.5	48.0	51.5	33.25	1650	0.0
4	Naidoo, Kajol	1582	RSA	−3B	+30N	+18B	+23N	−6B	+7B	+13N	−1N	+14B	6.0	44.5	48.0	27.50	1727	+59.2
5	Nieuwoudt, Noreht	1518	RSA	−1N	+34B	+14N	+24N	+27B	+6B	=17N	=2B	−3N	6.0	44.5	47.5	26.75	1711	+60.4
6	Dikolomela, Tlhogi	1476	RSA	+2B	+8N	+21B	−1B	+4N	−5N	=3B	−14N	+17B	5.5	49.0	53.5	30.75	1680	+84.4
7	Williams, Anika	1515	RSA	+26B	+12N	=13B	+21N	−2B	−4N	+24B	+8N	−1B	5.5	46.0	50.0	26.00	1591	+27.2
8	Strauss, Lune	1471	RSA	+36N	−6B	+10N	+28N	+22B	−1B	=18N	−7B	+20N	5.5	42.0	44.5	22.75	1549	+27.6
9	Bothma, Jaculene	1583	RSA	−28N	+36B	=25N	−17B	+31N	+10B	+20N	+18B	−2N	5.5	37.0	39.5	22.50	1591	+4.4
10	Beecum, Viha	1630	RSA	+27B	−23N	−8B	=20N	+25B	−9N	+30B	+24N	+15B	5.5	36.0	39.5	22.25	1555	-30.4
11	Van Niekerk, Nina	1516	RSA	+30B	−3N	=27B	=19N	+28B	−13N	=22B	+25N	+18B	5.5	36.0	39.5	21.75	1599	+26.8
12	Snyman, Mila Marie	1538	RSA	+25N	−7B	−16N	+35B	=15N	−20B	+28N	+27B	+13N	5.5	36.0	39.0	21.50	1545	+4.8
13	Maharaj, Arya	1493	RSA	+14N	+15B	=7N	−3B	=17N	+11B	−4B	+19N	−12B	5.0	43.5	48.0	25.00	1591	+38.4
14	Moller, Sarah	1596	RSA	−13B	+33N	−5B	+26N	+23B	−18B	+16N	+6B	−4N	5.0	40.0	43.5	22.00	1446	-58.0
15	Coetzee, Kara	1579	RSA	+33B	−13N	−2B	+34N	=12B	+27N	=19B	+23B	−10N	5.0	38.5	41.5	19.00	1504	-26.0
16	Deysel, Hannah	1472	RSA	+31B	−21N	+12B	−2N	+29B	−24N	−14B	+30N	+23B	5.0	37.0	40.5	20.00	1624	+58.4
17	De Waal, Nadine	1466	RSA	=19B	−2N	+37B	+9N	=13B	+22N	=5B	−3N	−6N	4.5	44.5	46.5	19.75	1541	+24.4
18	Karsten, Chay	1445	RSA	+34N	−1B	−4N	+32B	+21B	+14N	=8B	−9N	−11N	4.5	44.0	47.0	18.75	1531	+34.4
19	Smith, Shiloh	0	RSA	=17N	−22B	+35N	=11B	=24B	+29N	=15N	−13B	=21B	4.5	36.5	39.5	18.25	1526	0.0
20	Thorpe, Claire	1535	RSA	+37B	−29N	−24B	=10B	+36N	+12N	−9B	+22N	−8B	4.5	36.5	38.5	17.25	1496	-14.0
21	Ranjith, Aishwarya	1588	RSA	+35N	+16B	−6N	−7B	−18N	+32B	−23N	+28B	=19N	4.5	36.0	39.0	17.25	1430	-61.6
22	Adamson, Amani	1481	RSA	=24B	+19N	=28B	+29N	−8N	−17B	=11N	−20B	+27N	4.5	35.5	39.0	18.00	1463	-6.4
23	Ramonyai, Motshabo	1475	RSA	+38N	+10B	−1N	−4B	−14N	+34B	+21B	−15N	−16N	4.0	42.5	43.0	13.50	1444	-20.8
24	Nel, Kayla	0	RSA	=22N	=28B	+20N	−5B	=19N	+16B	−7N	−10B	=25N	4.0	39.5	43.0	17.75	1462	0.0
25	Maziena, Lavanya	1433	RSA	−12B	+26N	=9B	−27N	−10N	+31B	+32N	−11B	=24B	4.0	37.0	40.5	15.75	1352	-24.4
26	Netshimbupfe, Yoanda	0	RSA	−7N	−25B	+38N	−14B	−32N	=33N	=37B	+36B	+35N	4.0	29.0	29.5	8.75	1261	0.0
27	Steyn, Anneke	1515	RSA	−10N	+38B	=11N	+25B	−5N	−15B	+35N	−12N	−22B	3.5	39.0	39.5	10.25	1380	-57.2
28	Mokalobe, Mosa	0	RSA	+9B	=24N	=22N	−8B	−11N	=35B	−12B	−21N	+37B	3.5	38.0	40.0	13.25	1363	0.0
29	Moraba, Reabetswe	1621	RSA	+32N	+20B	−3N	−22B	−16N	−19B	=34N	=35B	=33N	3.5	35.0	38.0	12.75	1489	-35.6
30	Koen, Kaylee-Jane	1486	RSA	−11N	−4B	=32N	−31B	+38N	+36B	−10N	−16B	+34N	3.5	34.5	35.0	7.75	1171	-66.4
31	FIDE 14394588	0	—	−16N	−35B	=36N	+30N	−9B	−25N	+38B	=34B	=32N	3.5	30.0	30.5	8.50	1296	0.0
32	Le Kay, Yshah	1487	RSA	−29B	=37N	=30B	−18N	+26B	−21N	−25B	+38N	=31B	3.5	29.5	30.0	9.00	1148	-72.8
33	Monare, Oratilwe	0	RSA	−15N	−14B	−34N	+38B	−35N	=26B	+36N	=37N	=29B	3.5	28.0	28.5	7.75	1245	0.0
34	FIDE 534008381	0	—	−18B	−5N	+33B	−15B	+37N	−23N	=29B	=31N	−30B	3.0	33.5	35.5	9.00	1122	0.0
35	Campher, Hannah	1476	RSA	−21B	+31N	−19B	−12N	+33B	=28N	−27B	=29N	−26B	3.0	32.5	36.0	10.50	1243	-39.6
36	FIDE 14377020	0	—	−8B	−9N	=31B	+37N	−20B	−30N	−33B	−26N	+38B	2.5	32.0	32.5	4.25	718	0.0
37	FIDE 14390655	0	—	−20N	=32B	−17N	−36B	−34B	=38N	=26N	=33B	−28N	2.0	29.0	29.5	5.75	1222	0.0
38	FIDE 534034579	0	—	−23B	−27N	−26B	−33N	−30B	=37B	−31N	−32B	−36N	0.5	28.0	30.0	1.00	695	0.0

Key insights

Biggest movers and upsets — the story behind the numbers.

Top rating gainers

1Dikolomela, TlhogiRSA
+84.4
5.5 pts · #5
2Nieuwoudt, NorehtRSA
+60.4
6.0 pts · #11
3Naidoo, KajolRSA
+59.2
6.0 pts · #4

Top rating losers

1Le Kay, YshahRSA
-72.8
3.5 pts · #33
2Koen, Kaylee-JaneRSA
-66.4
3.5 pts · #32
3Ranjith, AishwaryaRSA
-61.6
4.5 pts · #20

Biggest upsets

R1+225 Elo gap
Dikolomela, Tlhogi1476 beat Rautenbach, Helen Christine1701
R3+159 Elo gap
Strauss, Lune1471 beat Beecum, Viha1630
R2+155 Elo gap
Ramonyai, Motshabo1475 beat Beecum, Viha1630