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Malaysia’s Ang Yang Yi emerged victorious in the QQPK Challenge, securing the first trophy of Triton ONE North Cyprus 2026 following a dramatic final table at Merit.
The Triton ONE North Cyprus 2026 festival opened with an exciting championship as nine finalists battled for the QQPK Challenge title. After a series of dramatic eliminations and a competitive heads-up encounter, Ang Yang Yi defeated Russia’s Garik Ambardanian to claim the trophy.
The victory earned Ang tournament entries worth $11,000, including an $8,000 Triton ONE Main Event seat and a $3,000 QQPK Genesis seat.
From Online Qualifiers to the Final Table at Merit
The QQPK Challenge attracted 99 entries through its online qualification stage, offering players a route to compete at Triton ONE North Cyprus.
With a starting buy-in of just $140, the competition brought nine finalists to Merit for the live championship. Each finalist also received a ten-night accommodation package, making the tournament an opportunity to experience the international poker festival in North Cyprus.
Ang entered the final table third in chips with 149,000, behind Dragan Ignjatovski and Timur Kurbanov.
QQPK Challenge Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ang Yang Yi | Malaysia | $11,000 in tournament entries |
| 2 | Garik Ambardanian | Russia | $4,500 in tournament entries |
| 3 | Timur Kurbanov | Russia | $4,500 in tournament entries |
| 4 | Arman Bezhanian | Russia | $4,500 in tournament entries |
| 5 | Dmitrii Zhuravlev | Russia | $3,000 tournament entry |
| 6 | Cheung Ka Ho | Hong Kong | $3,000 tournament entry |
| 7 | Dragan Ignjatovski | North Macedonia | $1,500 tournament entry |
| 8 | Toby Chandler | United Kingdom | $1,500 tournament entry |
| 9 | Wang Dapeng | China | $1,500 tournament entry |
All nine finalists also received ten-night accommodation packages at Merit.
A Dramatic Road to the Championship
The final table delivered action from the opening hands, with several short stacks facing immediate pressure.
Wang Dapeng was the first player eliminated, followed by Toby Chandler. Early chip leader Dragan Ignjatovski also suffered a difficult start, eventually finishing seventh after his pocket sixes failed to overcome Timur Kurbanov’s pocket jacks.
As the field narrowed, Ang began building momentum.
With four players remaining, his pocket threes held against Arman Bezhanian’s ace-eight, eliminating Bezhanian in fourth place. Ang then dispatched Timur Kurbanov in third after improving to three of a kind with ten-deuce.
Those eliminations set up a heads-up showdown against Garik Ambardanian.
Ang Yang Yi Secures the Victory
The heads-up battle featured several changes in momentum as both players fought for the championship.
Although Ang began with a slight chip advantage, Ambardanian mounted a strong challenge, doubling up multiple times and briefly taking control.
Ang eventually regained the lead and sealed the victory in the final confrontation. Holding ten-nine against Ambardanian’s king-high, Ang connected with a ten on the river to secure the winning hand.
The result crowned Ang Yang Yi as the QQPK Challenge champion, earning him the opening trophy of Triton ONE North Cyprus 2026.
Triton ONE North Cyprus 2026 Begins at Merit
Ang’s achievement also adds another chapter to his family’s poker success, following his brother Austin Ang’s Triton ONE victory in Jeju earlier in 2026.
With his QQPK Challenge title secured, Ang now has the opportunity to compete in two major events during the festival, including the $8,000 Triton ONE Main Event.
The QQPK Challenge marked an exciting beginning to Triton ONE North Cyprus 2026, as international players gathered at Merit for another major poker festival.
Merit Poker congratulates Ang Yang Yi on his victory and welcomes all players competing throughout Triton ONE North Cyprus 2026.
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