My Journey

      My chess (playing) Achievements

• • • 2013: I became Under 7 Dutch champion when at the age of 5.

    • 2014: I won the Dutch Championship Under 7 once again.

    • 2015: I won the Dutch championship Under 8.

    • 2016: I became Dutch Champion under 10 at the age of 8 and qualified to the World Youth Chess Championship in Georgia.

    • 2016: I finished the third in Dutch Championship Under 12 at the age of 8.

    • 2016: I played my first international competition, The European Youth Chess Championship under 10 in Prague, at the age of 8, placing 67th.

    • 2016: I won Dutch championship Under 9, becoming the only ever Dutch player to win the Pupillendag championships four times (http://www.eindhovenseschaakvereniging.nl/?p=8697#more-8697).

    • 2017: Once again I won the under 10 Dutch championships, making it my 8th National title.

    • 2017: I won my first British chess championship Under 11 with a 100% score at the age of 9.

    • 2017: I placed fourth in the British Under 18 UKCC Terafinals. I won the under 11 and under 9 sections, earning £500.

    • 2017: I participate in the European Under 10 championships in Mamaia, Romania, finishing 18th.

    • 2017: On my 10th birthday, I drew with my first GM at the British Rapid play Championships.

    • 2018:  I won the British Chess Championship Under 11 with a 100% score.

    • 2018:  I won the British Chess Championship Under 12.

    • 2018: I won the world's biggest youth event (40,000 players participated) winning £750

    • 2018: I won my first ever Open tournament, the Huddersfield Congress. https://www.examinerlive.co.uk/news/west-yorkshire-news/10-year-old-chinese-chess-14725645

    • 2018: I beat my first GM in a classical game at the age of 10 and surpassed 2000 FIDE for the first time.

    • 2018: I participated in the World Cadets under 12 scoring 7.5/10 in Santiago de Compestela, Spain. I beat 2 2300+ and a 2400+ while finishing 15th a year younger. In the penultimate round, I played FIDE World Champion Gukesh D on board 1.

    • 2019: I obtained my first title of Candidate Master and crossed 2200 in the Irish International Open in Dublin.

    • 2019: I came 19th in the European Youth Championships Under 12 in Bratislava, Slovakia.

    • 2019: Once again, I won the Under 12 Terafinals at the age of 11.

    • 2019: I was invited by Judit Polgar to attend the Future Champions of Europe event in Budapest.

    • 2020: Became FM at the age of 12 years and 2 months at the 4NCL Congress in Harrogate.

    • 2020: Won the Northumbria Zollner County Championships (Division 1), becoming the youngest ever to win the trophy.

    • 2020: Represented 1st board for the Netherlands in the U16 FIDE Candidates Youth Tournament.

    • 2020: Came 3rd in the British Caplin Rapidplay Online Championships.

    • 2021: Came 1st in the U18 British Online Chess Championships 2021 with 6.5/7.

    • 2021: Won the Witney Congress with 5/5.

    • 2022: Won St.Albans and Hammersmith congresses.

    • 2022: Earned my first IM norm at International Tournament Paracin with 6/9 and 2460 performance rating, ranking 13th.

    • 2022:  Won my first International Open: the Vojvodina International in Serbia with 7/9. A tournament featuring 4 GMs 11 IMs and players from 14 different countries and crossed 2400 for the first time.

    • 2022: Earned my second IM norm at the RUDAR IM Tournament in Serbia where I scored 7/9.

    • 2023: Won the Hastings International Blitz Tournament with 8.5/9 score

    • 2023: Became Oxford County Champion.

    • 2023: Participated in my first European Individual Championships in Vrnjacka Banja, Serbia where I drew with 3 GMs while beating another.

    • 2023: Achieved my final IM norm at the Southend GM Norm tournament in the UK, scoring 4.5/9 and remaining undefeated against GM opponents.

    • 2023: Came shared 3rd at the British Chess Championships in Leicester where I drew with Former World Championship Candidate and British No1 GM Michael Adams, picking up £2100.

    • 2023: Represented Board 1 for the Netherlands at the World Youth Olympiad in my hometown, Eindhoven.

    • 2023: Won the Warwick and Witney congresses.

    • 2024: Placed 3rd at the British Rapidplay Championships with 8.5/11

    • 2024: Tied for 6th at the British Championships in Hull, once again holding GM Michael Adams to a draw.

    • 2024: Won the XTX Markets London Chess Classic Rapid tournaments with 6/7.

    • 2025: Came shared 3rd at the British Rapidplay Championships with 8.5/11

My other Achievements

• • • 2018: I was invited to give a simultaneous exhibition in Wrexham, where I won 11 out of the 17 games.

    • 2019: TV Program Inside Out filmed a documentary for me which featured on BBC One.

    • 2020: Started coaching my first students during the COVID Pandemic, with the student reaching 2000+ ECF.

    • 2021: Won the Headmaster's Prize at Royal Grammar School Newcastle

    • 2021: Started attending Magdalen College School in Oxford.

    • 2022: Invited to attend the Oxford University Chess Club

    • 2024: Won the Queen's College Oxfordshire prize for Anthea Bell Translation in German

    • 2024: Sat my GCSE Exams where I achieved A* in all my 11 subjects.

    • 2024: This led to me obtaining an Academic Scholarship going into Sixth Form.

    • 2024: Scored 200/200 in the Maths IGCSE Exam.

    • 2024: Captained my school (Magdalen College School) to the first National School Title in the history of the school.

    • 2024: Invited by Oxford City Chess Club to do the annual simultaneous exhibition.

There are simply not enough people to thank as so many people played a huge role in my chess career. I would like to thank first of all my parents for supporting me from such a young age. Many thanks also go to Boris Friesen, Arjan Smit, Ger Dekker, Frits Schalij, GM Peng Zhaoqin, GM Sipke Ernst, FM Tim Wall, The Dutch Chess Federation for helping me reach the point I am at today, I will keep on trying to improve :)