The Asian Zonal Chess Championship 2025 – Zone 3.2 concluded with Sri Lanka securing an impressive total of nine medals, comprising two gold, three silver, and four bronze.
The Asian Zonal Chess Championship 2025 – Zone 3.2, held from March 11 to March 18, 2025, at the Ramada Hotel in Colombo, featured fierce competition among top chess players from the region. Organized by the Chess Federation of Sri Lanka on behalf of FIDE (International Chess Federation) and the Asian Chess Federation, the event consisted of both standard and blitz championships, with separate open and women’s categories in each format.
Sri Lanka’s gold medalists included WIM Devindya Oshini Gunawardhana, who triumphed in the Asian Zonal Women’s Blitz Chess Championship 2025 – Zone 3.2, and IM Ranindu Dilshan Liyanage, who claimed victory in the Asian Zonal Open Blitz Chess Championship 2025 – Zone 3.2. WIM Devindya Oshini Gunawardhana also secured a silver medal in the Asian Zonal Women’s Chess Championship 2025 – Zone 3.2. Other silver medalists were W M Minura Sathsindu, who finished as the first runner-up in the Asian Zonal Open Blitz Chess Championship 2025 – Zone 3.2, and Sethumlee Devhara Palliyage, who earned second place in the Asian Zonal Women’s Blitz Chess Championship 2025 – Zone 3.2. The bronze medalists included IM Ranindu Dilshan Liyanage in the Asian Zonal Chess Championship 2025 – Zone 3.2, AFM R. M. Dulinma Hemalni Rathnayake in the Asian Zonal Women’s Chess Championship 2025 – Zone 3.2, CM Vinuka Dihain Wijerathna in the Asian Zonal Open Blitz Chess Championship 2025 – Zone 3.2, and WCM Esandi Newansa in the Asian Zonal Women’s Blitz Chess Championship 2025 – Zone 3.2.
The standard championship followed a nine-round Swiss format with a time control of 90 minutes for the first 40 moves, followed by an additional 30 minutes, with a 30-second increment per move from the first move. In the open category, 40 players from Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal, the Maldives, and Bhutan competed for the title. IM Reja Neer Manon of Bangladesh emerged as the champion, scoring 7 out of 9 points. Four players tied for the first runner-up position with 6.5 out of 9 points, but FM Tahsin Tajwar Zia of Bangladesh secured second place based on tie-break criteria, while IM Ranindu Dilshan Liyanage of Sri Lanka finished in third. IM Mohammad Fahad Rahman and FM Syed Mahfuzur Rahman of Bangladesh finished in fourth and fifth places, respectively.
In the women’s category, 23 players from Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, the Maldives, and Bhutan participated. WFM Ahmed Wadifa of Bangladesh and WIM Devindya Oshini Gunawardhana of Sri Lanka both scored 7 out of 9 points, but tie-breaks awarded the championship to WFM Ahmed Wadifa, with WIM Devindya Oshini Gunawardhana taking second place. Two Sri Lankan players, AFM R. M. Dulinma Hemalni Rathnayake and WCM K. M. Dahamdi Sanudula, tied for third place with 6.5 out of 9 points, but Rathnayake secured the bronze medal based on tie-breaks, leaving Sanudula in fourth.
The blitz championship, played in a seven-round Swiss format with a time control of three minutes plus a two-second increment per move, featured 53 players in the open category. IM Ranindu Dilshan Liyanage of Sri Lanka emerged victorious with 6 out of 7 points. Three players tied for the first runner-up position with 5.5 out of 7 points, but W M Minura Sathsindu of Sri Lanka secured second place based on tie-break criteria, while CM Vinuka Dihain Wijerathna finished third. FM Rupesh Jaiswal of Nepal placed fourth.
In the women’s category, 28 players from Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, the Maldives, and Bhutan participated. WIM Devindya Oshini Gunawardhana of Sri Lanka claimed the championship title with 6 out of 7 points. Two players, Sethumlee Devhara Palliyage of Sri Lanka and WCM M. Esandi Newansa, tied for second place with 5.5 out of 7 points. Based on tie-breaks, Sethumlee Devhara Palliyage secured the silver medal, while WCM M. Esandi Newansa finished in third.
The championship concluded with a prestigious awards ceremony graced by the Deputy President of the Asian Chess Federation, Mr. Bharat Singh Chauhan, who presented the winners with their medals and trophies. The tournament marked a significant achievement for Sri Lanka in the regional chess circuit, with strong performances across multiple categories, demonstrating the country’s growing dominance in the sport.
