Sergei Tiviakov Wins the Dutch Chess Championship 2026

Sergei Tiviakov beat Liam Vrolijk in the final of the Dutch Championship 2026 in Amsterdam, drawing both classical games and winning both tiebreak games.

The Dutch Chess Championship 2026 has a new champion. Grandmaster Sergei Tiviakov won the title in Amsterdam after beating GM Liam Vrolijk in the final.

This year's championship was a 16-player knockout. Each match had two classical games, and if the score was level, the players went to tiebreak games to decide who went through.

Tiviakov reached the final by beating GM Erwin L'Ami in a tiebreak in round two and then GM Erik van den Doel in the semifinal, where he drew the first game and won the second.

Vrolijk had a much longer road. He needed tiebreaks to beat GM Sipke Ernst in round two, and in the semifinal he lost the first game against GM Max Warmerdam before winning the second. He then won the tiebreak 3-1 to reach the final.

The final itself was very tight. Both classical games ended in draws, so the title was decided in the tiebreaks. Tiviakov won the first tiebreak game with White and then the second with Black to take the championship.

Knockout events are tense because one bad game can send you home. Players have to stay calm, take their chances and keep fighting even after a loss, as Vrolijk showed in his semifinal.

There is a useful lesson here for young players. Many tiebreaks are played at faster time controls, so practising rapid games and learning to manage your clock can make a big difference when a match is level.

Congratulations to Sergei Tiviakov on his Dutch title, and well done to Liam Vrolijk on a fighting run to the final.