Since the tournament changed location – first to Marienlyst Strandhotel and now to Comwell Borupgaard in Snekkersten – Kronborg Chess Open has taken on a distinctly more international character. This has been especially evident in the top spot, which for several years has been dominated by foreign players. That’s why it was particularly noteworthy that GM Sune Berg Hansen this year became the first Danish winner since 2018.
But it’s not only in the Grandmaster group that international players make their mark. Every year, they are strongly represented among the prize winners, and 2025 was no exception. With participants from 19 different nations and a record number of female players, the tournament showcased great diversity – united by a shared passion and joy for the game.
This year also saw debut appearances from countries such as Portugal, Moldova, and Belgium, while players from England returned after several years of absence. Sweden fielded an impressive 18 players, making it the second-largest nation represented, followed by Iceland (9), Norway (8), Germany (5), and the Faroe Islands (5).
With 166 participants, the tournament set a new attendance record, which also led to a record prize pool of DKK 60,000 – distributed across many well-deserved achievements.
Denmark emerged as the most successful nation with 15 prizes, but Norway also performed strongly with 4 first places and 2 second places. The Faroe Islands stood out as one of the most successful nations relative to the number of participants, with one first place and two second places.
After a few years of lower participation, Sweden made a strong comeback, securing four top finishes and a third place – a clear sign that the close chess ties between neighbors remain strong.
Below, you can see the results for all 20 groups and photos of the 2025 winners. Thank you for this year – see you again in 2026!
GRANDMASTER
GM Sune Berg Hansen went undefeated throughout the tournament and claimed victory at the Kronborg Chess Open for the first time.
Five players finished with 5 points, but it was Nikolaos Galopoulos from Greece who achieved the best tiebreak score, securing a top placement. At the same time, Nikolaos earned his third and final IM norm – a major milestone in his chess career.
The Grandmaster group was the strongest in the tournament’s history, featuring players from seven different countries, making it the most international edition to date. The results speak for themselves and reflect the close and intense battles fought across all nine rounds.
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MASTER 1
FM Nicolai Maxime Østensen from Norway won the Master 1 group ahead of FM Mikkel Vinh Løftgaard, based on the rule of most games won.
Their individual encounter ended in a draw. Both players improved their standings compared to last year: Nicolai moved up from third place, while Mikkel climbed from fifth to second – and this year without losing a single game.
MASTER 2
Master 2 was won by Isak Vinh Brattgjerd from Norway.
For a long time, it looked like Emil Zander would take first place, but in the final two rounds, the top spot slipped out of his hands.
MASTER 3
Four players finished with 4½ points in a tightly contested group, where the rating difference between the highest and lowest rated participant was just 28 points.
Adam Omarsson from Iceland secured first place, while WFM Valentina Verbin from Moldova and Paul Townsend from England shared second place.
MASTER 4
The tournament’s “dynamite group” featured extremely close competition – with just 16 rating points separating the eight participants.
The results clearly show that every player had a real chance of winning in this evenly matched group. Three players finished with 4 points, and there was only a single point between first and eighth place!
The winner was CM Bjorn Holm Birkisson from Iceland, closely followed by Noah Krug Wahlgreen.
MASTER 5
Another tightly contested group, with only 27 rating points separating the eight players from six different nations.
It was the Swedish player Mikael Aroven who secured first place with 5 points and no losses, ahead of Manuel Ramirez Garrastacho from Spain.
MASTER 6
The always calm Rune Andersen from Bornholm claimed an impressive first place, tied on points with runner-up WFM Sandra de Blecourt Dalsberg.
It was only small margins that separated the two players, who both finished one point ahead of last year’s group winner, Victor Lilliehöök from Sweden.
MASTER 7
Den altid rolige Rune Andersen fra Bornholm opnåede en flot 1. plads á point med nr. 2 WFM Sandra de Blecourt Dalsberg. Det var maginaler der skilte de to spillere kom ét point foran sidste års gruppevinder Victor Lilliehöök fra Sverige.
MASTER 8
The first group to show a wide variation in points.
Håkan Lungsjö from Sweden proved to be the strongest player in the field, scoring 6 out of a possible 7 points. Rafe Rehman from Norway secured a solid second place with 5 points
MASTER 9
It was the young 11-year-old tournament player Samuel Bro Jacobsen who secured first place with a final-round victory.
This win placed him ahead of Steen Hulthin Rasmussen, with both players finishing on 4½ points. However, Samuel edged out the win based on the rule of most games won.
MASTER 10
Hallvard Foss Bjørnstad from Norway secured a group victory for the second year in a row.
This time, he scored half a point less than last year – but it was still enough to take the overall win. Second place went to Heiðrikur Tindskarð Jacobsen from the Faroe Islands
MASTER 11
WCM Sarah Sima Derlich continues her dominance in the tournament by winning a group for the second year in a row – and this time, her first Master group!
Second place went to Oliver Kaehne Snedker, who scored 4½ points – just half a point behind Sarah
BASIC 1
Tim Westlund from Sweden won the group based on the head-to-head rule, having defeated the runner-up, Brandur Højgaard from the Faroe Islands.
BASIC 2
Alec Bernhoftsen-Banks from Norway was one of the tournament’s absolute top scorers, finishing with an impressive 6½ points out of 7 possible.
He ended a full two points ahead of Peter Sørensen, who took second place.
BASIC 3
Ukrainian player David Perkovsky won the Basic 3 group with 6 out of 7 points – the same score as runner-up August Minh Brattgjerd from Norway.
David won their head-to-head match, which secured him the overall group victory. At the same time, he reached a major milestone by crossing the 1900 rating mark, officially becoming a titled Master player.
BASIC 4
Eskil Rosenlund Ahl from BMS Skak was the highest-scoring player in the tournament, finishing with a perfect 7/7.
He ended 1½ points ahead of runner-up Anker Müller, securing a dominant group victory.
BASIC 5
Two players stood out clearly in this group, scoring nearly twice as many points as the third-place finisher.
The strongest performance came from Icelandic player Larus H. Bjarnason, who impressed with 6½ points.
In second place was Tristan Lund Elnegaard, who scored 6 points and went undefeated throughout the tournament – a performance that certainly makes him a strong candidate for the Master group, perhaps as early as next year.
BASIC 6
There was a tie in points between the top two players, but it was Håkan Lönsjö from Sweden who came out on top after winning their head-to-head game.
This meant that Gonçalo Francisco from Portugal had to settle for second place, ahead of Romeo Nehme from the USA.
Incidentally, this was the first time Portugal was represented in the tournament.
BASIC 7
Zaid Al-Jay became the third prize winner from the Faroe Islands this year, scoring 6½ points – a full 1½ points ahead of his closest competitor.
Hendrik Ondrouschek from Switzerland was the runner-up with 5 points.
BASIC 8
Basic 8 was the only group played as a Monrad group with 12 participants, which meant prizes were awarded to the top three players.
It was the Ukrainian player Artem Vorobets – and also the only official participant from Helsingør Chess Club – who secured a prize placement in this year’s edition of the Kronborg Chess Open. He finished with 5 points, just ahead of Rafal Czapp, whom he defeated in their head-to-head match. Third place went to Alex Henriksen from Sweden.
