46 players gathered on a bright spring day at the ETH Alumni Pavilion to participate in the thrilling annual ETH Chess Championship. With multiple reoccurring competitors rated 2000+ on the start list, as well as newcomers waiting for the opportunity to prove themselves, the field was both deep and fiercely competitive. Over nine rounds of tense, sharply fought games, the new ETH Chess King and ETH Chess Queen were crowned.
From the outset, the top seeds set the pace. Theo Stijve (2320) stormed through his first five opponents, winning every game with precision. Fellow 2200‑rated Vincent Lou and Joly Julien (2160) could not stop Theo when playing against him but were otherwise infallible in their other rounds.
A handful of other rising stars also appeared in the early order:
- Tamerlan Begdullayev, our Best Non‑ETH Player, scored solid wins to stay in the chasing pack.
- Sinan Deveci clinched several important victories to lead the U2000 section.
- Tim Vaughan‑Whitehead and Zoran Dragnic each put in standout performances in their rating bands.
- Ana Marija also confidently converted most of her games and gained an early lead amongst the women competitors
While the top boards drew attention, every game was a hard-fought contest and the good vibes and sportsmanship made the event all the more memorable
Mid‑tournament brought head‑to‑head clashes among the leaders. In Round 6, Theo outplayed Olivier Tschopp on Board 1, then followed up in Round 7 by edging Tamerlan Begdullayev in a sharp, tense struggle. With 7 / 7, he looked nearly unstoppable—while Anton Hul, Vincent Lou, Joly Julien and Yven Kius trailing just behind.
Round 8 delivered the day’s biggest surprise when Anton Hul unleashed a powerful attacking game on Board 1 to hand Theo his first loss. Suddenly the standings were wide open—Hul on 6.5 / 8, Theo and Julien on 7 / 8, and three players (Vincent, Olivier and Anton) still in the mix trying to snatch first place or secure the podium.
In the finale, Theo held his nerve in a tense endgame against Eroglu Menderes to finish 8 / 9 and claim the title of ETH Chess King 2025. Behind him, a three‑way tie at 7 / 9 between Vincent, Julien, and Olivier was decided on tie‑breaks: Silver went to Joly Julien, Bronze to Vincent Lou, and Olivier Tschopp narrowly missed the podium. Ana Marija also cemented her ETH Chess Queen Title with a convincing last round victory.
🎖 Special Prize Winners
- Best Non‑ETH Player: Tamerlan Begdullayev
- Best U2000: Sinan Deveci
- Best U1750: Tim Vaughan‑Whitehead
- Best U1500: Zoran Dragnic
- Beater‑of‑Odds: Oliver Rutkowski (beat an opponent 500 rating points higher!)
- Underdog Award: Neryvaldo Galvao (outperformed his own rating by 200 points!)
Special mentions must go to Thomas Allard for bringing delicious snacks, Ana Marija for carrying the trophies and Lorenzo Vettor for carrying the drinks and running the event.
More importantly, congratulations to all participants for the energy and vibes they brought and for creating an unforgettable day of chess. We look forward to seeing you back at ETH next year!
Below, the full standing and the pictures taken during the event. Also do not forget the checkout your new Polyrating!
| Rank | Name | Rating | Score | BH | BH-C1 | Performance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Theo Stijve | 2422 | 8.0 | 54.5 | 49.5 | 2435 |
| 2 | Joly Julien | 2338 | 7.0 | 54.0 | 49.5 | 2303 |
| 3 | Vincent Lou | 2274 | 7.0 | 53.0 | 49.0 | 2303 |
| 4 | Olivier Tschopp | 2318 | 7.0 | 49.5 | 46.5 | 2221 |
| 5 | Anton Hul | 2240 | 6.5 | 54.5 | 50.0 | 2244 |
| 6 | Tamerlan Begdullayev | 2075 | 6.0 | 49.5 | 46.0 | 2075 |
| 7 | Michael Bühler | 2067 | 6.0 | 46.0 | 44.0 | 2067 |
| 8 | Yun Pan | 2036 | 6.0 | 44.0 | 41.0 | 1990 |
| 9 | Jonas Menzi | 2008 | 6.0 | 43.5 | 41.5 | 2008 |
| 10 | Sinan Deveci | 1991 | 6.0 | 43.0 | 40.5 | 1999 |
| 11 | Tim Vaughan-Whitehead | 1721 | 5.5 | 41.5 | 38.5 | 1856 |
| 12 | Menderes Eroglu | 1944 | 5.0 | 49.5 | 46.5 | 1945 |
| 13 | Gleb Krivovyaz | 1989 | 5.0 | 48.0 | 45.5 | 1989 |
| 14 | Evan Quistad | 1895 | 5.0 | 46.5 | 43.5 | 1895 |
| 15 | Nils Koltzenburg | 1849 | 5.0 | 43.0 | 40.0 | 1849 |
| 16 | Max Newsome | 1979 | 5.0 | 42.0 | 39.0 | 1734 |
| 17 | Yven Kius | 1931 | 5.0 | 40.5 | 35.5 | 1826 |
| 18 | Gary Hoppeler | 1780 | 5.0 | 39.0 | 36.0 | 1685 |
| 19 | Federico Guglielmotti | 1672 | 5.0 | 38.5 | 36.0 | 1656 |
| 20 | Alexander Gibbert | 1577 | 5.0 | 34.5 | 31.5 | 1577 |
| 21 | Philip Christoph | 1914 | 5.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1914 |
| 22 | Mark Shen | 1693 | 4.5 | 42.5 | 39.5 | 1689 |
| 23 | Chaojie Li | 1854 | 4.5 | 39.5 | 38.5 | 1720 |
| 24 | Anton De Ruig | 1665 | 4.5 | 37.0 | 34.5 | 1617 |
| 25 | Ana Marija Vego | 1633 | 4.5 | 35.5 | 33.0 | 1594 |
| 26 | Joly Fabrice | 1640 | 4.0 | 41.0 | 38.0 | 1640 |
| 27 | Oliver Rutkowski | 1532 | 4.0 | 39.0 | 36.0 | 1624 |
| 28 | Giulio Tamburi | 1545 | 4.0 | 38.5 | 37.5 | 1545 |
| 29 | Zoran Dragnic | 1500 | 4.0 | 37.5 | 35.5 | 1495 |
| 30 | Alexandre Terrail | 1630 | 4.0 | 37.5 | 34.5 | 1527 |
| 31 | Emilio Grandinetti | 1540 | 4.0 | 37.5 | 34.5 | 1520 |
| 32 | Popovici Liviu Daniel | 1478 | 4.0 | 33.5 | 31.5 | 1478 |
| 33 | Lawrence Scafuri | 1507 | 4.0 | 32.0 | 31.0 | 1507 |
| 34 | Max Baharev | 1746 | 3.5 | 42.0 | 38.5 | 1605 |
| 35 | Yann Spillmann | 1378 | 3.5 | 33.0 | 32.0 | 1390 |
| 36 | Raffaele Lanini | 1389 | 3.5 | 31.0 | 30.0 | 1450 |
| 37 | Younes Mouhib | 1448 | 3.0 | 44.0 | 41.0 | 1553 |
| 38 | Neryvaldo Galvao | 1435 | 3.0 | 41.0 | 37.0 | 1539 |
| 39 | Roy Liu | 1470 | 3.0 | 40.0 | 37.0 | 1470 |
| 40 | Karina Begdullayeva | 1286 | 3.0 | 31.5 | 30.5 | 1286 |
| 41 | Leopold Reigl | 1299 | 3.0 | 31.5 | 30.5 | 1275 |
| 42 | Gabriela Maciak | 1322 | 3.0 | 30.5 | 29.5 | 1322 |
| 43 | Huaiqian Liu | 1352 | 2.5 | 37.0 | 35.0 | 1352 |
| 44 | Diana Begdullayeva | 1277 | 2.0 | 37.0 | 34.5 | 1277 |
| 45 | Onno Riedel | 1559 | 2.0 | 32.0 | 30.0 | 1570 |
| 46 | Laura Alilovic | 1232 | 1.0 | 29.5 | 28.5 | 885 |
