Two-time “Queen” Sissy transferred her momentum from the previous season over to 2025 by winning the Winter Masters for the first time.
Sissy needed a combined 4:11 hours to win both Game 1 and 2 to add one of the two recurring tournament titles to her collection that had evaded her thus far. The other one is the Summer Championship to be held in mid-August.
In both games, the die was not friendly with Sissy in the early stages. But Sissy stayed calm and eventually turned fortunes around, even against obvious collaboration against her by Nici and Harry in Game 2.
In Game 1 on Saturday evening, Nici seemed well on her way to victory as she was able to save three pawns of each of both her blue and her red allies in a tactically favourable order. Unfortunately, though, she never got to save the third pawn of either allied colour to start a PWL.
Sissy completed her yellow team after 1:54 hours of play while having saved only two of her black pawns. Still, she got to move her remaining black pawns and after 2:18 hours of play, Sissy converted her second match point on a motionless “6” followed by a “2” for her fourth black pawn to complete her second PWL.
Harry soon realised that his only chance would be to disrupt the efforts of both opponents and gradually bring home his own pawns. When the game ended, he had saved only one green and two violet pawns. Still, had his violet pawn stopped Sissy’s black pawn in match-point position, he might even have stood a chance with a majority of pawns on the track.
In Game 2 at Monday Night MÄDNess, it was Harry who appeared on his way to clinch the win and keep his chances alive to successfully defend his only ranking title won in 2024. After 66 minutes of play, he had completed his green team with two of his violet pawns saved. At that time, Nici had saved two red and one blue pawn, Sissy only two black pawns.
However, the collaboration broke apart when Nici completed her red team and saved her second blue pawn even though Sissy had meanwhile completed her black team with one yellow pawn saved.
While Harry never got to save one of his two remaining violet pawns as he turned to a more defensive approach hoping to prevent Sissy’s comeback, Nici brought home her third blue pawn and started her first PWL after 1:45 hours of play which was cut short immediately halfway around the track by Sissy’s third yellow pawn, only seven fields from the yellow house.
A few minutes later, Sissy saved her third yellow pawn and started what turned out her only PWL of the game. With Nici’s fourth blue pawn halfway around the track on their third PWL, Sissy avoided pressure from Harry’s third violet pawn and converted her eighth championship point on a “1” after 1:53 hours of play.
Having won eight of the last nine ranking tournaments, Sissy extended her lead on the World Rankings even farther and improved her own XMädn records for the most ranking points (170) and the biggest leading margin (80) at any stage. She is now mathematically guaranteed to keep her top spot until at least mid-June, after conclusion of the GP Spring Series.
Even though she could not land a single-game win in the Winter Masters, Nici reclaimed second place on the World Rankings from her Dad who, as defending title holder, lost too many points to keep his spot.
As the Winter Masters ended prematurely after the minimum of two games, the next weekend has become free of any games scheduled. XMädn have not yet announced as to whether the upcoming Holiday Masters and subsequent tournaments will be rescheduled to begin a week earlier.