Tom Schotte winst 1st Diegem Othello Open

Tom Schotte winst 1st Diegem Othello Open 10 March 2025

After a successful Belgian championship in November last year, organizer Daphne Demoor once again took charge in Diegem. This time, seventeen players gathered at this beautiful location with a view of departing and landing airplanes. With favorable weather at nineteen degrees, it was decided to play on the terrace as well.

Advanced Players (and Beginners)

Among the advanced players, there was only one favorite: after scoring seven out of seven in Ursel and delivering a strong performance in Cambridge, Belgian champion Tom Schotte topped the list of contenders. Of course, several challengers were ready, including Dispong Kiatnarongrob, Ralph Reijnders, Dimitri Vaes, Brecht Van Damme, and Wouter Thijs. However, none of them could come close, with all of them struggling against him. Dispong Kiatnarongrob lost for the fourth time in four matches but did record the best score (41-23). This means that Tom Schotte remains unbeaten in Belgium this year.

The fight for second place also followed expectations. Our Thai resident held off all his opponents, although Wouter Thijs came dangerously close in the third round (30-34). Thijs ultimately secured third place as the only player with five points after an impressive win against Dimitri Vaes (28-36), while Ralph Reijnders and Brecht Van Damme couldn’t keep up with the top two.

Nancy Darck (as the only and thus best female player) and Jan Van Damme also finished with four points, as did the best beginner, Daphne Demoor. Tuur Jena, in his fourth tournament, ended with three points but did manage to take home a victory against advanced player Ralph Reijnders (29-35).

Promising Players


Three contenders emerged in the race for the best promising player of the day: Wout Schotte, Pat Rine, and Dimitri Burnay had a significant lead over their closest competitor, Sander Schotte, in the rankings. Right in the first round, a ‘top match’ was on the menu: Dimitri Burnay defeated Wout Schotte (30-34). Sander Schotte and Stan Roos battled in the only other promising player match, with Sander winning (54-10). However, the standout performance of the day was delivered in the second round by Romain Volvert, who won against Daphne Demoor (25-39).

No promising player managed to win two consecutive matches (both Dimitri Burnay and Sander Schotte stumbled against an advanced player). In the third round, only Dimitri Burnay secured a second point with a 17-47 victory against Romain Volvert. After the fourth round, the field naturally began to split into advanced players, beginners, and promising players. Dimitri Burnay faced Tom Schotte (1-63), while Romain Volvert became the only other promising player to secure a second point in a tense match against Sacha Burnay (30-34).

This was only the prelude, as after five rounds, everything was still up for grabs: Wout Schotte, Pat Rine, Romain Volvert, Dimitri Burnay, and Stan Roos all had two points, while Sacha Burnay and Sander Schotte had one point each, meaning everyone was still in contention for the best promising player trophy! Much depended on the draw for the final two rounds, which proved unfavorable for Wout Schotte and Stan Roos, as they both faced non-promising players and finished with two and one point, respectively. The remaining promising players had two more chances against fellow contenders. Dimitri Burnay passed this final test with flying colors, defeating Sacha Burnay (17-47) and Pat Rine (47-17). Rine finished second among promising players with three points and a better tiebreaker than Sander Schotte and Romain Volvert.

Belgian Grand Prix


Tom Schotte strengthens his lead in the Belgian Grand Prix and is already in a strong position for the overall victory with a second twelve-point performance. Dimitri Vaes retains second place, while Wouter Thijs moves up to third. Dispong Kiatnarongrob played for the first time this year and enters the rankings in fourth place.

Junior Grand Prix


Wout Schotte solidifies his lead as the best junior of the day and also takes a strong step toward overall victory. Stan Roos remains in second place. Sacha Burnay scores his first two points and is now tied for third.