The second stage of the Short Listening Period (SLP) competition of 2016, which took place on March 5-6, brought very balanced and dynamic results. The first stage already indicated who will be among the favorites of the season, but the March round also confirmed the onset of new excellent performances and close battles for the leading ranks.
The winner of the second stage was Sjuk Veenstra (NL6904) with a score of 9648 points, thus once again maintaining his position as the leader of SLP 2016. Although his victory was expected after his dominant performance in January, he did not have an easy time this time. Johan Heus (NL9723) finished in second place with only a minimal loss – 9525 points, which represents a difference of less than 130 points. Heus made a significant improvement from the first stage, where he finished seventh, and has now established himself as a serious contender for the leading race.
The third place was taken by Marc Stinkens (ONL4638) with 3900 points, which is a significant move up for him and an important step in the overall ranking. Helmut Grund (DE2HUG) finished just behind him with 3600 points, who has maintained stable performances in both rounds so far. Kees Schout (NL294) finished fifth with a score of 2944 points, which also secured him an ongoing fifth place in the overall competition.
Among the other participants, the performance of Alex Gorbunov (US-Q-73) attracted attention, who confirmed his consistent form with 1881 points and remains in the top five of the current ranking. Christian Roux (F10370), who appeared in this stage for the first time and entered the competition more than solidly with 1658 points, finished in seventh place.
Aleksandr Boyko (US-Q-2115) with 658 points and Sylvain Corré (F70043) with 551 points took eighth and ninth place, although they are not among the favorites, but they regularly collect points for the overall ranking.
The current ranking after two stages is clearly led by NL6904 with a total of 19,773 points, followed by NL9723 with 11,412 points, and third place belongs to RU4SS with 7747 points, who, however, did not pass the second stage.
Results of the 2nd stage of the SLP on March 5-6, 2016
| Name | SWL ID | The score | |
| 1 | Sjuk Veenstra | NL6904 | 9648 |
| 2 | Johan Heus | NL9723 | 9525 |
| 3 | Marc Stinkens | ONL4638 | 3900 |
| 4 | Helmut Grund | DE2HUG | 3600 |
| 5 | Kees Schout | NL294 | 2944 |
| 6 | Alex Gorbunov | US-Q-73 | 1881 |
| 7 | Christian Roux | F10370 | 1658 |
| 8 | Aleksandr Boyko | US-Q-2115 | 658 |
| 9 | Sylvain Corré | F70043 | 551 |
Current standings of SLP Competition 2016
| SWL | SLP1 | SLP2 | SLP3 | SLP4 | SLP5 | SLP6 | SLP7 | SLP8 | Together |
| NL6904 | 10125 | 9648 | 19773 | ||||||
| NL9723 | 1887 | 9525 | 11412 | ||||||
| RU4SS | 7747 | 0 | 7747 | ||||||
| US-Q-73 | 5612 | 1881 | 7493 | ||||||
| NL294 | 4277 | 2944 | 7221 | ||||||
| DE2HUG | 3496 | 3600 | 7096 | ||||||
| ONL4638 | 2232 | 3900 | 6132 | ||||||
| US-Q-2115 | 1624 | 658 | 2282 | ||||||
| F70043 | 1188 | 551 | 1739 | ||||||
| F10370 | 0 | 1658 | 1658 |