Tom Schotte wint 9th Zonhoven Othello Open

Tom Schotte wint 9th Zonhoven Othello Open 18 May 2025

At one point, Zonhoven was a regular fixture on the Othello calendar. Now, it had already been nine years since the federation had descended upon Limburg. For many players, the travel distance was significantly reduced. Limburg locals Dimitri Vaes (our host), Wouter Thijs, and Ralph Reijnders were the happiest about that. This Limburg tournament even managed to convince Cedric Vuye to participate for the first time in twelve years. The location also attracted a top Dutch player: Roel Hobo made his appearance and, as the highest-ranked participant, was immediately marked as the favorite by the bookmakers. Both Tom Schotte (winner in Ursel and Diegem) and Dispong Kiatnarongrob (winner of the Easter tournament in Oudenaarde) appeared on many ballots.

Battle Until the Final Round

With eight advanced players, one beginner, and six promising players, the field was evenly composed. To take away all suspense right away: not a single promising player managed to win a match outside of their category (at least not if we also consider Mr. Bye as an eternal talent). The "best" performance came from Wout Schotte against Cedric Vuye (18-46), which suggests some very one-sided results. Tuur Jena, the only beginner, managed to win one match against an advanced player. After victories against Ralph Reijnders, Nadja De Moor, and Jan Van Damme, he added Cedric Vuye (46-18) as a fourth advanced player to his list. Promotion was within reach, but Tuur Jena ultimately remained in ninth place with three wins.

As for the fight for the top eight: with a head-to-head between the two highest-seeded players in the first round—Tom Schotte defeating Roel Hobo (23-41)—and between the fourth and fifth seeds—Ralph Reijnders beating Dimitri Vaes (50-14)—the tournament began with early upsets. The second round became Wouter Thijs’s moment, securing his first win against Dispong Kiatnarongrob (27-37). He played strongly and also took down Ralph Reijnders in round three (23-41). Meanwhile, Tom Schotte remained the only other undefeated player after two convincing wins (60-4 and 64-0). In their head-to-head duel, the momentum clearly favored the Belgian champion (5-59). At the same time, Cedric Vuye missed his chance to hand Dispong Kiatnarongrob a second loss (30-34). Both Ralph Reijnders and Roel Hobo picked up their third win simultaneously.

In round five, Tom Schotte remained undefeated against Ralph Reijnders (27-37), while Roel Hobo and Dispong Kiatnarongrob earned their fourth points. The highlight of this round came from Nancy Darck, who defeated Dimitri Vaes (31-33). Round six then brought renewed tension to the tournament. Dispong Kiatnarongrob defeated Tom Schotte for the second time in a row in a tight duel (30-34), and Roel Hobo also won against Nancy Darck (16-48). Three players now had five points from six games, with Tom Schotte holding the advantage due to earlier results. The other two still had to face each other in the final round, where Roel Hobo (19-45) came out on top. He then had to hope his co-leader would lose to Cedric Vuye, which did not happen (18-46). Thus, Tom Schotte wins his third tournament of the year. Dispong Kiatnarongrob narrowly held onto third place on a tie-break over Ralph Reijnders.

In the other categories, the winners were:
  • Tuur Jena – best (and only) beginner
  • Nancy Darck – best woman
  • Sander Schotte – best promising players
  • Wout Schotte – best junior


Belgian Grand Prix


With his third maximum score of the season, Tom Schotte secures his 15th overall win in the Belgian Grand Prix. Dispong Kiatnarongrob narrowly sprints into second place, ahead of Dimitri Vaes. Ralph Reijnders catches up to Wouter Thijs for fourth place. Despite her absence, Nadja De Moor remains in the lead among women.

Like his father, Wout Schotte scores another maximum and is now certain of his third consecutive overall win in the Junior Grand Prix.

DAN Rankings

Two players are promoted:

Dispong Kiatnarongrob is promoted to 5 DAN as the 42nd player to do so, and in just eight tournaments. The record holder remains Imre Leader, who reached 5 DAN in only five tournaments. A handful of international top players achieved it in six or seven. Océane Hoornaert is promoted to 3 DAN.

Next: Marche-en-Famenne Othello Open, July 5th