2025 International Chopin Piano Competition - Results & Analysis

This document provides an analysis of the results from the 2025 Chopin Competition. The raw data is sourced from the official competition website and is available as a JSON file in this repository.

Official Scoring System (CMEAN)

The competition results presented first are based on the official CMEAN (Correction to the Mean) score correction method. This system is designed to moderate extreme juror assessments and reduce the impact of outlier scores.

The process works as follows for each performance:

1. An initial average score (mean) is calculated from the marks of all jurors.
2. A predetermined deviation limit (e.g., k points) is set. In the Chopin Competition, k is 3 points in Stage I and 2 points in subsequent stages.
3. Any individual juror's score that deviates from the initial average by more than k points is adjusted.
   • Scores that are too high (e.g., score > mean + k) are lowered to mean + k.
   • Scores that are too low (e.g., score < mean - k) are raised to mean - k.
4. A final, "corrected" mean (cmean) is then calculated from these adjusted scores. This cmean is the official score for the performance.

While intended to ensure fairness, this method has been criticized for potentially distorting juror preferences and being susceptible to strategic manipulation. A section later in this document explores an alternative system (JST) and its impact on the competition's outcome.

Prize Winners

| Prize | Name | Country | Age | Piano | Final Cumulative Score | |:---|:---|:---|:---:|:---|:---:| | 1st Prize | Lu, Eric | United States | 27 | Fazioli | 22.43 | | 2nd Prize | Chen, Kevin | Canada | 20 | Steinway | 22.15 | | 3rd Prize | Wang, Zitong | China | 26 | Kawai | 21.45 | | 4th Prize | Kuwahara, Shiori | Japan | 29 | Steinway | 21.30 | | 4th Prize | Lyu, Tianyao | China | 16 | Fazioli | 21.30 | | 5th Prize | Alexewicz, Piotr | Poland | 25 | Kawai | 21.03 | | 5th Prize | Ong, Vincent | Malaysia | 24 | Kawai | 21.01 | | 6th Prize | Yang, William | United States | 24 | Steinway | 20.91 | | | Khrikuli, David | Georgia | 24 | Steinway | 20.84 | | | Li, Tianyou | China | 21 | Steinway | 20.72 | | | Shindo, Miyu | Japan | 23 | Steinway | 20.63 |

Stage-by-Stage Progression

Stage 1

| Rank | Name | Country | Score (cmean) | Advancement | |:---:|:---|:---|:---:|:---:| | 1 | Chen, Kevin | Canada | 22.93 | ✔ | | 2 | Guo, Eric | Canada | 22.78 | ✔ | | 3 | Ong, Vincent | Malaysia | 22.07 | ✔ | | 4 | Lyu, Tianyao | China | 22.06 | ✔ | | 5 | Kuwahara, Shiori | Japan | 22.03 | ✔ | | 6 | Shindo, Miyu | Japan | 21.92 | ✔ | | 7 | Lu, Eric | United States | 21.82 | ✔ | | 8 | Wu, Yifan | China | 21.47 | ✔ | | 9 | Kałduński, Adam | Poland | 21.44 | ✔ | | 10 | Rao, Hao | China | 21.27 | ✔ | | 11 | Milstein, Nathalia | France | 21.26 | ✔ | | 12 | Lee, Hyo | South Korea | 21.13 | ✔ | | 13 | Lee, Hyuk | South Korea | 21.13 | ✔ | | 14 | Ratinov, Anthony | United States | 21.06 | ✔ | | 15 | Wang, Zitong | China | 21.03 | ✔ | | 16 | Alexewicz, Piotr | Poland | 21.02 | ✔ | | 17 | Lynov, Philipp | INP | 21.00 | ✔ | | 18 | Pawlak, Piotr | Poland | 20.92 | ✔ | | 19 | Li, Xiaoxuan | China | 20.88 | ✔ | | 20 | Ushida, Tomoharu | Japan | 20.81 | ✔ | | 21 | Zhang, Jacky | United Kingdom | 20.75 | ✔ | | 22 | Prokopowicz, Yehuda | Poland | 20.73 | ✔ | | 23 | Micieli, Ruben | Italy | 20.61 | ✔ | | 24 | Jin, Zihan | China | 20.53 | ✔ | | 25 | Khrikuli, David | Georgia | 20.52 | ✔ | | 26 | Gao, Yang (Jack) | China | 20.51 | ✔ | | 27 | Aumiller, Jonas | Germany | 20.46 | ✔ | | 28 | Chen, Xuehong | China | 20.40 | ✔ | | 29 | Bao, Yanyan | China | 20.35 | ✔ | | 30 | Chen, Zixi | China | 20.25 | ✔ | | 31 | Yang, William | United States | 20.22 | ✔ | | 32 | Li, Zhexiang | China | 19.89 | ✔ | | 33 | Lee, Kwanwook | South Korea | 19.87 | ✔ | | 34 | Strata, Gabriele | Italy | 19.84 | ✔ | | 35 | Nakagawa, Yumeka | Japan | 19.78 | ✔ | | 36 | Deng, Yubo | China | 19.72 | ✔ | | 37 | Li, Tianyou | China | 19.69 | ✔ | | 38 | Yamagata, Miki | Japan | 19.61 | ✔ | | 39 | Hu, Xiaoyu | China | 19.60 | ✔ | | 40 | Chang, Kai-Min | Chinese Taipei | 19.59 | ✔ | | 41 | Ma, Tiankun | China | 19.45 | | | 42 | Cheong, Hoi Leong | China | 19.39 | | | 43 | Nguyen, Viet Trung | Vietnam | 19.37 | | | 44 | Kyomasu, Shushi | Japan | 19.30 | | | 45 | Shimada, Jun | Japan | 19.25 | | | 46 | Dubiel, Mateusz | Poland | 19.12 | | | 47 | Krzyżowski, Mateusz | Poland | 19.03 | | | 48 | Li, Luwangzi | China | 19.03 | | | 49 | Hsieh, Wei-Ting | Chinese Taipei | 19.02 | | | 50 | Wierciński, Andrzej | Poland | 19.02 | | | 51 | Ferro, Alberto | Italy | 18.98 | | | 52 | Kobayashi, Kaito | Japan | 18.96 | | | 53 | Yang, Fanze | China | 18.95 | | | 54 | Shoji, Mana | Japan | 18.93 | | | 55 | Gong, Shuguang | China | 18.91 | | | 56 | Nishimoto, Yuya | Japan | 18.84 | | | 57 | Yu, Yichen | China | 18.79 | | | 58 | Cooper, Diana | France | 18.71 | | | 59 | Wu, Maiqi | China | 18.66 | | | 60 | Zhu, Hanyuan | China | 18.59 | | | 61 | Mao, Xuanyi | China | 18.56 | | | 62 | Ignatov, Hasan | Bulgaria | 18.51 | | | 63 | Widlarz, Jan | Poland | 18.50 | | | 64 | Yu, Yuewen | China | 18.46 | | | 65 | Tao, Ziye | China | 18.41 | | | 66 | Wierciński, Krzysztof | Poland | 18.40 | | | 67 | Yang, Yuanfan | United Kingdom | 18.38 | | | 68 | Zhu, Jingting | China | 18.33 | | | 69 | Wong, Victoria | United States | 18.29 | | | 70 | Strejcová, Eva | Czechia | 18.11 | | | 71 | Basista, Michał | Poland | 17.87 | | | 72 | Deng, Athena | Canada | 17.80 | | | 73 | Zenin, Andrey | INP | 17.78 | | | 74 | Sejbuk, Zuzanna | Poland | 17.72 | | | 75 | Fan, Yu-Ang | China | 17.71 | | | 76 | Kłeczek, Antoni | United States | 17.64 | | | 77 | Onoda, Arisa | Japan | 17.63 | | | 78 | Nakashima, Yulia | Japan | 17.56 | | | 79 | Yamazaki, Ryota | Japan | 17.54 | | | 80 | Zhong, Yonghuan | China | 17.33 | | | 81 | Lin, Hao-Wei | Chinese Taipei | 17.22 | | | 82 | Wang, Ryan | Canada | 17.07 | | | 83 | U, Chun Lam | Hong Kong | 15.79 | | | 84 | López Salas, Pedro | Spain | 15.33 | |

Stage 2

| Rank | Name | Country | Score (cmean) | Cumulative Score | Advancement | |:---:|:---|:---|:---:|:---:|:---:| | 1 | Lu, Eric | United States | 23.03 | 22.67 | ✔ | | 2 | Chen, Kevin | Canada | 22.41 | 22.57 | ✔ | | 3 | Yang, William | United States | 22.38 | 21.73 | ✔ | | 4 | Kuwahara, Shiori | Japan | 21.28 | 21.51 | ✔ | | 5 | Ong, Vincent | Malaysia | 21.23 | 21.48 | ✔ | | 6 | Li, Tianyou | China | 21.86 | 21.21 | ✔ | | 7 | Lyu, Tianyao | China | 20.78 | 21.16 | ✔ | | 8 | Shindo, Miyu | Japan | 20.82 | 21.15 | ✔ | | 9 | Khrikuli, David | Georgia | 21.35 | 21.10 | ✔ | | 10 | Alexewicz, Piotr | Poland | 21.08 | 21.06 | ✔ | | 11 | Guo, Eric | Canada | 20.32 | 21.06 | ✔ | | 12 | Ushida, Tomoharu | Japan | 21.08 | 21.00 | ✔ | | 13 | Gao, Yang (Jack) | China | 21.18 | 20.98 | ✔ | | 14 | Lee, Hyo | South Korea | 20.79 | 20.89 | ✔ | | 15 | Lee, Hyuk | South Korea | 20.79 | 20.89 | ✔ | | 16 | Wang, Zitong | China | 20.69 | 20.79 | ✔ | | 17 | Pawlak, Piotr | Poland | 20.59 | 20.69 | ✔ | | 18 | Wu, Yifan | China | 20.32 | 20.66 | ✔ | | 19 | Li, Xiaoxuan | China | 20.30 | 20.47 | ✔ | | 20 | Prokopowicz, Yehuda | Poland | 20.36 | 20.47 | ✔ | | 21 | Ratinov, Anthony | United States | 20.13 | 20.41 | | | 22 | Strata, Gabriele | Italy | 20.63 | 20.39 | | | 23 | Chang, Kai-Min | Chinese Taipei | 20.52 | 20.24 | | | 24 | Kałduński, Adam | Poland | 19.72 | 20.24 | | | 25 | Yamagata, Miki | Japan | 20.35 | 20.13 | | | 26 | Chen, Xuehong | China | 19.90 | 20.05 | | | 27 | Aumiller, Jonas | Germany | 19.81 | 20.00 | | | 28 | Nakagawa, Yumeka | Japan | 19.98 | 19.92 | | | 29 | Milstein, Nathalia | France | 19.26 | 19.86 | | | 30 | Rao, Hao | China | 19.15 | 19.79 | | | 31 | Chen, Zixi | China | 19.29 | 19.58 | | | 32 | Micieli, Ruben | Italy | 19.12 | 19.57 | | | 33 | Jin, Zihan | China | 19.14 | 19.56 | | | 34 | Lynov, Philipp | INP | 18.71 | 19.40 | | | 35 | Zhang, Jacky | United Kingdom | 18.80 | 19.39 | | | 36 | Li, Zhexiang | China | 19.08 | 19.32 | | | 37 | Bao, Yanyan | China | 18.82 | 19.28 | | | 38 | Deng, Yubo | China | 19.09 | 19.28 | | | 39 | Lee, Kwanwook | South Korea | 18.72 | 19.06 | | | 40 | Hu, Xiaoyu | China | 18.81 | 19.05 | |

Stage 3

| Rank | Name | Country | Score (cmean) | Cumulative Score | Advancement | |:---:|:---|:---|:---:|:---:|:---:| | 1 | Lu, Eric | United States | 23.29 | 23.09 | ✔ | | 2 | Chen, Kevin | Canada | 22.36 | 22.43 | ✔ | | 3 | Wang, Zitong | China | 22.80 | 22.20 | ✔ | | 4 | Li, Tianyou | China | 21.98 | 21.73 | ✔ | | 5 | Kuwahara, Shiori | Japan | 21.36 | 21.41 | ✔ | | 6 | Lyu, Tianyao | China | 21.43 | 21.36 | ✔ | | 7 | Shindo, Miyu | Japan | 21.06 | 21.10 | ✔ | | 8 | Yang, William | United States | 20.69 | 20.98 | ✔ | | 9 | Khrikuli, David | Georgia | 20.77 | 20.86 | ✔ | | 10 | Alexewicz, Piotr | Poland | 20.74 | 20.84 | ✔ | | 11 | Ong, Vincent | Malaysia | 20.55 | 20.84 | ✔ | | 12 | Lee, Hyo | South Korea | 20.79 | 20.82 | | | 13 | Ushida, Tomoharu | Japan | 20.58 | 20.70 | | | 14 | Lee, Hyuk | South Korea | 20.03 | 20.29 | | | 15 | Gao, Yang (Jack) | China | 19.88 | 20.20 | | | 16 | Wu, Yifan | China | 19.80 | 20.07 | | | 17 | Li, Xiaoxuan | China | 19.85 | 20.04 | | | 18 | Guo, Eric | Canada | 19.54 | 20.02 | | | 19 | Prokopowicz, Yehuda | Poland | 19.49 | 19.79 | | | 20 | Pawlak, Piotr | Polan