Archive · 5 Dec 2025
Hans Niemann Wins Diving Chess Cape Town 2025
Hans Niemann won the Diving Chess Cape Town 2025 event by beating Fabiano Caruana in the final.
The competition was held in a swimming pool where players made moves on a chess set 110 centimetres deep.
After making a move, players would surface to breathe, and their opponent would dive to make the next move.
Javokhir Sindarov came in third place.
Additionally, other chess grandmasters like Magnus Carlsen, Levon Aronian, and Vincent Keymer visited the University of the Western Cape for a simultaneous exhibition, playing against local fans.
They won most of their games, and Parham Maghsoodloo also played blitz chess against fans, winning every game.
Hans Niemann defeated Fabiano Caruana to win the Diving Chess Cape Town 2025 event.
The competition involved playing chess on a set 110 centimetres deep in a swimming pool, with players taking turns to dive and make moves.
Javokhir Sindarov secured third place by defeating Vidit Gujrathi.
Niemann also won a game against Diving Chess World Champion Michal Mazurkiewicz.
Magnus Carlsen, Levon Aronian, and Vincent Keymer participated in a simultaneous exhibition at the University of the Western Cape, playing against local fans.
- Who
- Hans Niemann, Fabiano Caruana, Javokhir Sindarov, Vidit Gujrathi, Magnus Carlsen, Levon Aronian, Vincent Keymer, Peter Leko, Anna Cramling, Dina Belenkaya, Niklas Steenfatt, Parham Maghsoodloo, Arjun Erigaisi
- What
- Diving Chess Cape Town 2025 event and Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Finals
- When
- Thursday, 2025
- Where
- Silo Hotel, Cape Town, South Africa and University of the Western Cape
- Why
- To compete in unique underwater chess and simultaneous exhibitions
- Event
- Diving Chess Cape Town 2025
- Winner
- Hans Niemann
- Runner-up
- Fabiano Caruana
- Third Place
- Javokhir Sindarov
- Location
- Silo Hotel, Cape Town, South Africa
- Chess Set Depth
- 110 centimetres
- Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Finals Participants
- Magnus Carlsen, Levon Aronian, Vincent Keymer, Arjun Erigaisi, Vidit Gujrathi