27th Zeeland Open kicks off in Vlissingen

Last Saturday, August 2, 2025, this year’s Zeeland Open began in the sunny seaside town of Vlissingen, Netherlands. Officially named after its main sponsor and venue, the tournament is known as the “HZ University of Applied Sciences Vlissingen – International Chess Tournament.”

As has been the case since the tournament’s inception nearly 30 years ago, the number of participants is limited to 250. As usual, the field includes a handful of grandmasters and several other titled players. With its nine-round format played over eight days, the event once again offers opportunities for players chasing title norms.

Top seed this year is Ukrainian former world-class player Pavel Eljanov, followed by Erwin L’Ami, a regular in Vlissingen who is still looking for his first title at the event.

Erwin l'Ami and Pavel Eljanov 

Next in the starting rankings are several younger Dutch grandmasters, as well as GM Vyacheslav Ikonnikov, who has become something of a tournament mascot or ambassador. He is the only grandmaster to have played in the Zeeland Open every year for many years.

From Germany, GM Daniel Hausrath is once again competing. He has been a regular at the Zeeland Open in recent years. He is followed by FM Marian Can Nothnagel and IM Georg Seul as the strongest German players in the field. With 44 participants, the German delegation is the largest, ahead of the host country, the Netherlands.

Standings

Five rounds have now been played—essentially the halfway point. The first two rounds at the top DGT boards saw no major surprises. In round 3, GM Daniel Hausrath dropped his first half-point with a draw against Sebastian Bleeke.

Daniel Hausrath (on the right, with Black)

In round 4, GM Erwin L’Ami was under pressure for a long time against Joel Van Der Werf and conceded his first draw.

Erwin l'Ami

IM Georg Seul, after being down a pawn at one point, managed to hold a long and interesting endgame against GM Vyacheslav Ikonnikov.

Vyacheslav Ikonnikov

In round 5, the top two boards drew their games. At the halfway mark, young Indian GM Vuppala Praneeth took the lead on tiebreak, ahead of six other players with the same score, including the German players FM Tim Ronge and GM Daniel Hausrath.

As for the tiebreak system, early draws aren't too costly in Vlissingen. The first two tiebreak criteria are the direct result and the number of wins. This means that fighting chess is rewarded, and with four rounds still to play before Saturday, there are plenty of chances to move up the standings.

Standings after 5 rounds

...243 players

Games

Tournament page...