Qualifier for the 2025 Belgian Championship: Kevin Prist Claims the Top Spot

This weekend, the qualifier for the 2025 Belgian Championship took place, determining which players would join last year’s top four: reigning champion Xin Shu (6-dan), runner-up and top Belgian Lucas Neirynck (6-dan), Guillaume De Keijser (4-kyu), and Jan Ramon (4-dan).

With six participants, the tournament was condensed into five rounds instead of the usual seven.

The final round became a high-stakes showdown between the last two undefeated players: Lucman Bounoider (3-dan) and Kevin Prist (3-dan). Remarkably, before 2024, the last time these two had faced each other in rated play was back in 2010—when both were still kyus.

Their rivalry reignited this year, with each player securing a victory in previous encounters. Lucman won their match at the 2024 Brussels Tournament, but Kevin evened the score at the first Hoshi Tournament. This final game would settle the latest chapter in their growing rivalry.

The match started cautiously, with both players focusing on building solid shapes. When the fighting began, Lucman was the first to exploit a weakness in Kevin’s position, gaining an early advantage. However, Kevin remained composed, patiently working his way back into the game. In the end, Kevin was slightly ahead on the board, but the result was sealed when Lucman lost on time.

Final Standings:
Rank Player Score
1st Kevin 5
2nd Lucman 4
3rd Yannick 3
4th Michael 2
5th Guy 1
6th Moad 0

With these results, as Xin will not participate in the finals, top 5 people secured their place in the 2025 Belgian Championship alongside last year’s remaining of the top four. Congratulations to all participants on a competitive tournament!