Congratulations to 2025 New Zealand Women's Chess Champions!

A five way tie for the The Mabel Abbott Trophy at 2025 NZ Women's Championship held in Auckland, New Zealand.

- Winners WFM Nadia Braganza, WCM Emily Gan, WCM Sarah Sun, WCM Luna Xu, WCM Sophia Feng together with NZ Grandmaster Murray Chandler and Former NZCF President Nigel Metge

Grade Prize Winner Under 1700: Azra Sena Saglam;

Grade Prize Winner Under 1500: Sophia Zilan Lin

A big thank you to Jane Street our event sponsor and to all involved players, parents, volunteers, arbiters, NZ Chess Federation, Auckland Central Chess Club, Crowne Plaza Hotel staff, and all members for collaborating with Organiser Eva Lourenco.

Working with like-minded individuals to support Women's chess in New Zealand was a pleasure.

The NZ Women's Chess Championship format included 6 rounds of 90 minutes + 30 sec each game with a tight schedule from 10 - 12 October 2025, the first game commenced at 6.30pm on 10th October soon after the Opening Ceremony followed by 3 rounds the next day and 2 rounds on the last day.

Players and everyone involved had a demanding schedule, but the support and enthusiasm displayed by each individual on the day was remarkable. 

NZ Women's Championship is the only event for females of all ages. The championship featured a diverse range of talented players from various age groups including players from Sri Lanka, Phillipines, China - making it a unique and inclusive event. 

The organisers meticulously ensured a secure environment for the players by conducting thorough security checks, including random sweeps of the venue for fair play.

With a delayed broadcast of games, viewers could watch players battle on the chessboards. As the rounds neared the finale, top leaders caught up to even the score. New Zealand players remained as the top leaders for the 2025 Championship.

The event benefitted from the generous support from our sponsor Jane Street, a quantitative trader firm with offices worldwide. They provided merchandise including t-shirts, pens and fidgets, along with an incredible prize fund. The event was hosted at the prestigious Crowne Plaza Hotel. 

With an increase in female participants for the 2025 event, it was great to see women in chess in New Zealand. We anticipate this number will continue to grow for the next year's event.

Our thanks again to the sponsor "Jane Street" and to  players, parents, volunteers, Arbiters, New Zealand Chess Federation, Auckland Central Chess Club, Key Speakers and Guests - Grandmaster Murray Chandler, Former NZCF President Nigel Metge, NZCF Vice President Paul Spiller, President of ACCC Stuart Vogel, Secretary of ACCC Manoj Asrani, Treasurer ACCC Aron Gohr,  International Arbiter  Ying Wang and Deputy Arbiter Lahiru Weligamage, Crowne Plaza Hotel staff and to all respective members  and spectators- Together we created a successful event for women in chess in New Zealand.

Some pictures of the event and follow New Zealand Chess Federation facebook page to view recent pictures.