The United Kingdom town of Milton Keynes bore witness to a day of attrition, ambition, and unapologetic survival as the 2026 Winmau World Masters Preliminary Rounds detonated into life. One hundred and twenty players arrived at Arena MK with identical intent and only eight invitations available. By nightfall, dreams had been trimmed to their sharpest edge. A distinctly Dutch accent echoed through the survivors’ enclosure. Wessel Nijman, Niels Zonneveld, and Jimmy van Schie all punched their tickets, turning Wednesday into a statement of continental intent rather than mere qualification. Nijman emerged as the standard-bearer. The highest-ranked competitor in the preliminary field, the...
