Dialog wins the team Championship Praneeth Kumar the top

Dialog Asiata team became the Champion at the Sri Lanka Mercantile/ Government Service Chess Championship 2020 conducted by the Chess Federation of Sri Lanka from 29th August to 1st September 2020 at SATHARA Hall, Maharagama on the tie breaker after tying with the Sri Lanka Army Team with a total of 14 points. Dialogue Team led by of Ayodhya Liyanagedara a former Sri Lanka Women player with Massoran Rameez and HG Sahan Sachintha fought very strongly all scoring 4 ½ points each with the support of their 4th players BVRMT Jayarathne (4 ½ points) to win the title. Sri Lanka Army with Dimuthu Abeywardena (5 ½ points), Tharanga TA (4 ½ points) and INT Dassanayake (4 points)also showed their strength to tie with winner with 14 points but, their number 4 had just a half a point behind to the winners number 4 which decided the Championship. Virtusateam was third with Akila Rathnayake, Ranura Dissanayake and Deepthi Deepamal scoring 12 points.

CMS Praneeth Kumara of 99X Technology team came to the supremacy by winning the individual Championship with 6 ½ points out of possible. He led the event from the start and beat Dimuthu Abeywardena of Sri Lanka Army to achieve the Sri Lanka Mercantile/ Government Service Chess Champion 2020 title with the trophy, Gold Medal and Rs 40,000/- Cash Award. He just gave a draw to Akila Rathnayake of Virtusa in the 6th round and beat all other 6 players, ThanushkaGamage, Hashini Himasha Perera, Nalaka Guruge, Ranura Dissanayake, Niranga Kandearachchi and Dimuthu in the final Game. Akila Rathnayake of Virtusa won the Silver Medal with Rs 25,000/= again being unbeaten. He had two draws with the winner and Dimuthu Abeywardena and won all other games to score six points. Four players Dimuthu Abeywardena(SL Army), Niranga Kandearachchi(SL Customs), ILK Tennakoon(SL Customs) and Tharaka Alahakoon (Weligama Pradeshiya Sabha) tied for the third place with 5 ½ points and Dimuthu won the Bronze Medal with the better tie breaker.

Sri Lanka Mercantile/ Government Service Chess Championship 2020 was conducted by the Chess Federation of Sri Lanka from 29th August to 1st September 2020 with Rs 225,000/= cash fund. The event was 7 round Swiss System event where the result of best three players counted for the team Chess Championship. Though the participation was little less due to the prohibition of participation in sports by some of the leading companies eighty six players from 25 organizations took part I the event. The top five games were lively broadcasted in all rounds.

Nipuna Ekanayake (Road Passenger Transport Authority) won the rating category of under 1600 and RMNK Rathnayake of SL Army won the unrated category.