The Malta Chess Federation hosted the Malta Junior Chess Championship 2026 over two weekends between the 7th and 15th March at Tal-Ħandaq Middle School, Ħal Qormi. The tournament consisted of seven rounds played under classical time control and brought together Malta’s top young players across multiple age categories.
In the Under-20 category, Vince Kosik – playing in his first Malta Junior Championship, delivered an outstanding performance to secure the championship title. His results included a victory over top seeded Matthew Portelli and a draw against Malta Champion Jack Mizzi. Portelli also ended on 6 points as Kosik and took 2nd overall and the Under-16 title. Jack Mizzi took 3rd place overall, half a point behind.
In the Under-14 category, Yunlong Wang followed on her recent great performance in the Preliminaries by taking first place following consistent performances throughout the event. Matthew Callus took second while Matthias Borda secured third place.
The Under-12 section featured 17 participants and was closely contested. Thomas Azzopardi was crowned champion after finishing level on points with George Borg Mercieca, securing first place on tiebreaks. Moreover, Nikol Borg placed second whilst Gianluigi Zammit placed third in the U12 Category. In the girls’ category, Elena Borg Mercieca was crowned Under-12 Girls Champion, with Kate Shephard and Gwen Powell placing second and third respectively.
In the Under-10 category, George Borg Mercieca secured first place, followed by Landon Sultana in second and Brenton Schembri in third.
The Malta Chess Federation congratulates all participants for their dedication and competitive spirit. The championship once again highlighted the continued growth and strength of junior chess in Malta.