Maltese Youth Deliver Standout Results at European Chess Championships all caps

Seven young Maltese chess players represented Malta at the 2025 European Youth Chess Championships in Budva, Montenegro, delivering commendable results across nine challenging rounds. The delegation competed in categories ranging from U8 to U16, showcasing the depth of Malta’s emerging chess talent.

In the Open U16, Leonardo Zangrilli impressed with two wins and two draws against higher-rated opponents. Seeded 104th, he rose to 97th place on 3 points, highlighted by a notable victory over a 2055-rated player. In the Open U14, Matthew Portelli continued his remarkable season, finishing 34th with four wins and two draws. His performance included a career-best win against a 2313-rated FIDE Master from Sweden. As Malta’s Junior Champion, he now prepares for his National Team debut at the upcoming ESNA event.

In the Women’s U14, both Yunlong Wang and Hayley Thornton secured 3 points apiece, each earning solid results against strong opponents before drawing against one another in the final round—an all-Maltese pairing last seen in 2018.

Further strong showings came from John Refalo in the Open U12, who scored 3.5 points, and Keshav Reyansh in the Open U10, who finished with 3 points. Debutant Nikol Borg excelled in the Open U8, scoring 5 points and placing 40th.

The Malta Chess Federation thanks Head of Delegation Nina Thornton, as well as the Maltese Olympic Committee and SportMalta, for their support.

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