Sri Lanka national Chess Championships 2022

Seems like one horse race for Susal and Women’s is still Open

The Reigning National Chess Champion Susal de Silva of Nalanda College in top form and beat Sri Lanka’s top seed Ranindu Dilshan Liyanage in the 8th round aiming for his 2nd consecutive National Chess Championship title. He is having 8 points out of possible 9 games having a 2 points lead with the next players I the 2nd spot, Isuru Alahakoon and Ranindu Liyanage with 4 games to come. He beat Buddhika Amarasinghe, Isuru Alahakoon, Dhanushka Bandara, Chandana Wijekoon, SDBK Senevirathne, Brijeash Saravanabhavan and Ranindu Liyanage with two draws against Nabil Nazar and Thumula Kiriella to score 8 points.

Isuru Alahakoon of Sri Lanka Navy and Ranindu Liyanage of Ananda College are jointly in the 2nd place with 6 points each out of 9 games.

Janandani Abesinghe of NSBM Green University and Wishwara Mapa of Girls High School Kandy are jointly in the lead at the Sri Lanka Women’s National Chess Championships with 6 points each out of 9 games. Janandani beat Sanudula Dahamdi, Oneli Vithanawasam, Yasasi Abeysekara, Minethma Wickramasinghe, Nemindi Ramanayake and Desandi Gamage and lost to Sachini Ranasinghe, Chamodya Yapabandara and Tiyumi Yashora while Mapa beat Nemindi Ramanayake, WMMN Wijesinghe, Yasasi Abeysekara, Esha Pallie and Pasindi Wijesuriya, drew with Tiyumi Yashora and Sanudula Dahamdi with two loses to Minethma Wickramasinghe and Desandi Gamage to reach the top.

Women’s event shows more competitive since there is a bunch of 8 players in a single point difference. Two players Sanudula Dahamdi and WIM Sachini Ranasinghe are in a half a point behind with 5 ½ points out of 9 while 4 more players Desandi Gamage, Yasasi Abeysekara, Esha Pallie and Minethma Wickramasinghe are having 5 points each out of 9 games.

The Sri Lanka National Chess Championships 2022 – Open & Women’s is conducted by the Chess Federation of Sri Lanka for a half a million Cash fund. The winner in Open Section gets Rs. 150,000/= while the Winner of the Women’s Nationals will receive Rs. 100,000/=. The best 14 players of each section in Sri Lanka is competing in round Robin system in 13rounds for the supremacy.

The event is in progress from 23rd April to 1st May at Hector Kobbekaduwa Agrarian Research Institute, Wijerama Mawatha, Colombo 07 he final session is expected to be played at the Colombo Taj Samudra Hotel with Awards Ceremony on 1st of May 2022. The top five players of the events will be included in the Sri Lanka National Chess teams which will play at the FIDE World Chess Olympiad in July 2022 in Chennai, India.