NMBCU Trials 5 2026 (U18)
18 players participated in this 6-round tournament, held from 08 May 2026 to 09 May 2026 in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. Top 10 Elo average was 1592, and top seed was Ababalwe Mathebe (🇿🇦 RSA, 1766).
Ababalwe Mathebe (🇿🇦 RSA, 1766) won with 6.0/6, ahead of Levi Blandy (5.0) and Nicole FREEMAN (4.5). Mathebe won solo starting round 3.
The biggest upset came in round 5: Nicole FREEMAN (1469) beat Linoyolo Jakavula (1622), a +153-point gap.
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How it unfolded
Top 6 · 6 roundsAbabalwe Mathebe led from R3; +1.0-point edge over the runner-up.
Ababalwe Mathebe never relinquished the lead after R3; final gap +1.0 over the runner-up.
Ababalwe Mathebe beat Levi Blandy (White).
Ababalwe Mathebe 6 wins (R1–R6)Levi Blandy 3 wins (R4–R6)
Key matchups · top 4
Head-to-head between the four finishers| Player | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Ababalwe Mathebe | * | 1 | — | 1 |
| 2Levi Blandy | 0 | * | 1 | — |
| 3Nicole FREEMAN | — | 0 | * | 1 |
| 4Linoyolo Jakavula | 0 | — | 0 | * |
Grille américaine
| # | Player | Elo | Fed | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | R5 | R6 | Pts | Bu C1 | Bu | SB | Perf | Δ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mathebe, Ababalwe | 1766 | RSA | +6B | +5N | +2B | +10N | +11B | +4N | 6.0 | 17.5 | 20.0 | 20.00 | 2324 | +51.6 |
| 2 | Blandy, Levi | 1701 | RSA | +7N | +3B | −1N | +4B | +9N | +8B | 5.0 | 20.0 | 22.5 | 16.50 | 1869 | +48.0 |
| 3 | FREEMAN, Nicole | 1469 | RSA | +18B | −2N | +16B | =9N | +5B | +7N | 4.5 | 15.0 | 16.0 | 9.75 | 1704 | +48.4 |
| 4 | Ndayi, Siyolise | 1544 | RSA | +13B | +16N | =9B | −2N | +10B | −1B | 3.5 | 18.0 | 19.0 | 6.75 | 1558 | +0.8 |
| 5 | Jakavula, Linoyolo | 1622 | RSA | +17N | −1B | =15N | +12B | −3N | +11B | 3.5 | 17.0 | 18.0 | 6.75 | 1556 | -13.6 |
| 6 | Cona, Shaunwin | 1411 | RSA | −1N | −10B | −8N | +17N | +16B | +13B | 3.0 | 14.5 | 15.5 | 4.00 | 833 | -29.2 |
| 7 | Hall, Joshua | 1443 | RSA | −2B | −13N | +17B | +16N | +14B | −3B | 3.0 | 14.5 | 15.5 | 4.00 | 785 | -25.6 |
| 8 | Dzunzi, Carlson M | 1688 | RSA | −16N | −9N | +6B | +18B | +13N | −2N | 3.0 | 13.5 | 14.5 | 6.00 | 1468 | -33.6 |
| 9 | Ackerdien, Saud | 1668 | RSA | =10N | +8B | =4N | =3B | −2B | F | 2.5 | 18.5 | 21.0 | 8.25 | 1569 | -25.2 |
| 10 | Sonti, Kamvalethu | 1445 | RSA | =9B | +6N | +12N | −1B | −4N | F | 2.5 | 17.5 | 17.5 | 6.75 | 1592 | +36.4 |
| 11 | Gie, Luca | 1420 | RSA | −12N | +17B | =13N | +15B | −1N | −5N | 2.5 | 15.5 | 16.5 | 3.50 | 853 | -26.0 |
| 12 | Moller, Sarah | 1570 | RSA | +11B | =14N | −10B | −5N | +15N | F | 2.5 | 13.0 | 14.5 | 5.00 | 1371 | -32.0 |
| 13 | Gwanzura, Gillespie | 0 | RSA | −4N | +7B | =11B | =14N | −8B | −6N | 2.0 | 15.0 | 17.0 | 5.25 | 1352 | 0.0 |
| 14 | Van Wyk, Keagen | 0 | RSA | F | =12B | +18N | =13B | −7N | −15B | 2.0 | 10.0 | 10.0 | 3.25 | 1314 | 0.0 |
| 15 | Tobias, Chad | 0 | RSA | F | −18N | =5B | −11N | −12B | +14N | 1.5 | 11.5 | 11.5 | 3.75 | 1264 | 0.0 |
| 16 | FIDE 14370220 | 0 | — | +8B | −4B | −3N | −7B | −6N | F | 1.0 | 17.0 | 17.0 | 3.00 | 1271 | 0.0 |
| 17 | FIDE 534043160 | 0 | — | −5B | −11N | −7N | −6B | +18N | F | 1.0 | 13.0 | 13.0 | 1.00 | 674 | 0.0 |
| 18 | FIDE 14347695 | 0 | — | −3N | +15B | −14B | −8N | −17B | F | 1.0 | 12.0 | 12.0 | 1.50 | 779 | 0.0 |
Key insights
Biggest movers and upsets — the story behind the numbers.
- 1Mathebe, AbabalweRSA+51.66.0 pts · #1
- 2FREEMAN, NicoleRSA+48.44.5 pts · #3
- 3Blandy, LeviRSA+48.05.0 pts · #2
- 1Dzunzi, Carlson MRSA-33.63.0 pts · #9
- 2Moller, SarahRSA-32.02.5 pts · #11
- 3Cona, ShaunwinRSA-29.23.0 pts · #16
- R5+153 Elo gap
- R3+125 Elo gap