Amateur chess players from across Sri Lanka converged on Piliyandala this past weekend for the National Amateur Chess Championship 2026, a three-day festival of competitive chess that produced five new national amateur champions across as many rating categories.
The championship was held from October 16 to 18, 2026, at Hummingbird by Susiri in Piliyandala, under the direction of Tournament Directors NA Sameera S Hettiarachchi and NA W V A K P Perera, with IA Sanjula Ravinath serving as Chief Arbiter and IA D G D Chamil Thilakarathne as Deputy Chief Arbiter. Players competed in five separate sections split by rating band and gender — Open Under-2300, Open Under-2000, Women Under-2000, Open Under-1700 and Women Under-1700 — each run as a nine-round Swiss-system event at a time control of 60 minutes with a 30-second increment per move, giving players across the amateur spectrum a fair shot at silverware in their own bracket.
The headline performance of the weekend came in the Open Under-2300 category, where CM Vinuka Dihain Wijerathna produced a near-flawless run, winning eight of his nine games to finish on 8.5 points and claim the title with room to spare. Chenitha Mithvidu Ovitigala and CM S Sivathanujan both finished on 6 points, with Ovitigala taking silver and Sivathanujan bronze on tiebreak after a tightly contested chase for the minor medals.
In the Open Under-2000 section, Sasandu Upeksha Dissanayake was similarly commanding, sweeping to a perfect-looking 8 points from 9 rounds to take the title comfortably. Behind him, Lohas Dewmina Rodrigo and Sethika Dinsitha Masakorala finished level on 6.5 points, with Rodrigo claiming silver on tiebreak over Masakorala’s bronze.
The Women’s Under-2000 title went to WCM Ehsha Mishela Pallie, who put together a composed 7.5-point campaign to finish clear of the field. B P Chanthuli Thanishka De Silva took silver on 6.5 points, while B Yenuthi Sahanlee Perera rounded out the podium on 6 points after a tight battle for bronze.
Perhaps the most dramatic finish of the championship came in the Open Under-1700 category, where M M Inuka Pevin Marasinghe and K D Sehas Vindeeu both finished the nine rounds locked together on 8 points apiece. It took tiebreak to separate the pair, with Marasinghe edging out the title while Vindeeu settled for a hard-earned silver. S S W B Abeykoon completed the podium on 7.5 points, capping a fiercely competitive section.
In the Women’s Under-1700 category, Thanudi Nathara Mahawatte produced the standout performance of the group, finishing on 8 points to claim gold. Minuli Sanulya Guruge and Piyumi Uthpala Amarathunga both finished on 7.5 points, with Guruge taking silver and Amarathunga bronze after a closely fought finish among the section’s leading contenders.
Across all five categories, the championship showcased the breadth and depth of Sri Lanka’s amateur chess community, with players of every rating level given the chance to compete for national honours in a format built around fairness and competitive balance. The tightly fought finishes in several sections, right down to tiebreak in two of the five categories, underlined just how competitive Sri Lankan amateur chess has become.
A big congratulations to all five champions, to the medalists across every category, and to every player who battled through nine rounds in Piliyandala. Events like this continue to strengthen the foundation of chess at every level across the island.
