It was a sunny Friday at Malta, and the atmosphere was absolutely electrifying at the Eden Arena & Casino Malta at the Intercontinental Hotel in St. Julians. Many players were eager when they walked through the gates around noon; today was Day 1b of the €600 Battle of Malta Main Event, and things would get heated.

Vu Leads the Way

Day 1b attracted more players than Thursday’s Day 1a-flight, which wasn’t a surprise; many more players are expected to arrive to Malta for the weekend. This resulted in 297 entries, and only 45 would bag their chips and move on to Day 2.

The bubble burst around 02:45 local time, when Georgopoulos couldn’t crack the eights of Chmielowski. Utter joy at the tournament area for the remaining players and the biggest praise belonged to Krzysztof Chmielowski. Bagging an impressive 741,000, his stack is roughly 100,000 bigger than the one of Nicolaj D’Antoni, who was “the winner” of Day 1a.

Not only will Chmielowski be a force to be reckoned with during Day 2, but, he also received the €5,000 cash prize for bagging the most chips from Day 1b.

See all players who advanced from Day 1b here.

Krzysztof Chmielowski during the 2025 Battle of Malta.

Super Saturday

Tomorrow, Saturday April 5, there are two Main Event flights on the schedule. Day 1c is scheduled to set afoot at 13:00, and 20:00, there’s Day 1d which is a turbo flight.

The feeling at Battle of Malta can’t be beaten, and we hope to see you around for tomorrow!