A grandmaster showdown on Sri Lankan shores — and a host nation that rose magnificently to the occasion
The tropical setting of Hotel Citrus in Kalutara, Sri Lanka, provided the stunning backdrop for two landmark events — the Commonwealth Chess Championship 2026 and the Commonwealth Youth Chess Championship 2026 — held from May 17 to 25, 2026. Organised by the Chess Federation of Sri Lanka, the twin championships drew players from across the Commonwealth, making it one of the most competitive gatherings of chess talent the island nation has ever hosted.
Open Championship: A Grandmaster Showdown
The Commonwealth Chess Championship Open was a Swiss-system event that featured players representing nations including India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Kenya, New Zealand, the Maldives, Scotland, and more. With an average rating of 1891 and a field packed with Grandmasters and International Masters, every round promised fireworks.
Tournament Director IA G Luxman Wijesuriya steered proceedings smoothly, while Chief Arbiter IA Tharindu Weerasekara and Deputy Chief Arbiter IA M S Gopakumar ensured the integrity of play throughout. The arbiters panel was further supported by IA Sanjula Ravinath, IA Aditya E Aagam, FA R Navod Nethsara, FA Wambugu Wandina, and NA G S S Wijesuriya.
Open — Final Podium
| # | Player | Title | Federation | Pts | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mitrabha Guha | GM | India | 7.5 | Champion |
| 2 | Liyanage Ranindu Dilshan | IM | Sri Lanka | 7.0 | First Runner Up |
| 3 | Srihari L R | GM | India | 6.5 | Second Runner Up |
At the summit, GM Mitrabha Guha of India was a class apart, finishing on an impressive 7.5 points to claim the title of Champion. But the tournament’s most celebrated story belonged to Sri Lanka’s own IM Liyanage Ranindu Dilshan, who defied the ratings table to finish as First Runner Up with 7 points — a remarkable result against a field loaded with Grandmasters rated well above him. GM Srihari L R of India completed the podium as Second Runner Up with 6.5 points.
Sri Lanka’s performance in the Open was particularly praiseworthy. CM Vinuka Dihain Wijerathna delivered a superb tournament to finish eleventh overall, while AIM A A T Nethsara Dias finished seventeenth and several other Lankan players finished in the top twenty. In total, Sri Lanka secured multiple medals and top finishes across the Open and age-group categories — a result that reflects the growing strength of chess development on the island.
Age-Group Categories (Open Championship)
| Category | Place | Player | Title | Federation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Under 20 | Champion | Sakline Mostafa Sajid | FM | India |
| First Runner Up | Vaz Ethan | IM | — | |
| Second Runner Up | Dishal Nimsara Weerasekara | FM | Sri Lanka | |
| F20 (U20 Women) | Champion | Sreekarthika Velmurugan | WFM | India |
| First Runner Up | Ananya Raman | WCM | India | |
| Second Runner Up | Marium Fatima | WFM | — | |
| Senior 60 | Champion | Ebenezer Joseph | CM | — |
| First Runner Up | Chandrasiri P K | — | — | |
| Second Runner Up | Burbach Bruno | — | — | |
| Best Female | Champion | Mary Ann Gomes | WGM | India |
| First Runner Up | M Esandi Newansa | WFM | — | |
| Second Runner Up | Fang Kun | WFM | — |
Youth Championship: Sri Lanka’s Junior Stars Deliver
The Commonwealth Youth Chess Championship, held alongside the Open, was a multi-section Swiss-system event across nine age-group categories: Under 8, Under 10, Under 12, Under 14, Under 16, and Under 18 for both open and girls sections, drawing young talent from India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, New Zealand, Canada, and beyond.
Tournament Director IA G Luxman Wijesuriya and Chief Arbiter Thiwanka Tissera oversaw the youth event, with Deputy Chief Arbiter IA Erosh Jayasinghe, Pairing Arbiter IA Lalantha Viraj Mudalige, Fair Play Arbiter IA Sanjeewa Anuradha, and FA W K Mewan Geenath rounding out the officiating team.
Under 8
| Section | Place | Player | Title | Federation | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Girls | Champion | Nandi Pritika | — | India | 9 |
| First Runner Up | Shreyanshi Jain | — | India | 7 | |
| Second Runner Up | Rajaratne Himandi Sehansa De Silva | ACM | Sri Lanka | 6.5 | |
| Open | Champion | Wijesinghe Y M Dihela Thevin | AFM | Sri Lanka | 8 |
| First Runner Up | Rathnaweera R P Himaru Vihas | — | Sri Lanka | 7 | |
| Second Runner Up | Ishaan Agnihotri | — | India | 6.5 |
In the Under 8 Girls, India’s Nandi Pritika was dominant with 9 points, with Shreyanshi Jain (India) claiming silver. ACM Himandi Sehansa De Silva Rajaratne of Sri Lanka secured the bronze medal — a wonderful achievement for the young local talent. The Under 8 Open belonged to AFM Dihela Thevin Wijesinghe Y M of Sri Lanka, who claimed gold with 8 points, with compatriot R P Himaru Vihas Rathnaweera taking silver — a proud one-two for the host nation. India’s Ishaan Agnihotri took the bronze.
Under 10
| Section | Place | Player | Title | Federation | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Girls | Champion | Nakshatra Gumudavelly | WCM | India | 8.5 |
| First Runner Up | Fernando W Yurenle Angela | — | Sri Lanka | 7.5 | |
| Second Runner Up | Anointah A | ACM | India | 6.5 | |
| Open | Champion | Tamizh Amudhan S | CM | India | 8.5 |
| First Runner Up | Sattwik Swain | CM | India | 8.5 | |
| Second Runner Up | Tilakawardena K Rivinu Dewhan | — | Sri Lanka | 6 |
WCM Nakshatra Gumudavelly of India dominated the Under 10 Girls with 8.5 points, while W Yurenle Angela Fernando of Sri Lanka took the runner-up spot. ACM Anointah A of India claimed the bronze. In the Under 10 Open, CM Tamizh Amudhan S and CM Sattwik Swain of India shared the lead on 8.5 points, with tiebreaks separating them into gold and silver. K Rivinu Dewhan Tilakawardena of Sri Lanka claimed the bronze.
Under 12
| Section | Place | Player | Title | Federation | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Girls | Champion | Manya Abhishek Drolia | — | India | 8 |
| First Runner Up | Pooja Shree R | WCM | India | 8 | |
| Second Runner Up | Meha Arin A | — | India | 7 | |
| Open | Champion | Kiringoda Thehas Rithmitha | CM | Sri Lanka | 7.5 |
| First Runner Up | Mutyalapati Modith Aaroh | — | Canada | 7 | |
| Second Runner Up | Koswattage Biman | AIM | Sri Lanka | 6.5 |
The Under 12 Girls title went to India’s Manya Abhishek Drolia (8 pts), with WCM Pooja Shree R (India) as First Runner Up and Meha Arin A (India) taking bronze. The Under 12 Open was a proud moment for Sri Lanka — CM Thehas Rithmitha Kiringoda claimed gold with 7.5 points, Canada’s Mutyalapati Modith Aaroh took silver, and AIM Biman Koswattage rounded off the podium in third.
Under 14
| Section | Place | Player | Title | Federation | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Girls | Champion | Mysha Perwez | AFM | India | 7.5 |
| First Runner Up | Palliyage Sethumlee Devhara | WFM | Sri Lanka | 7 | |
| Second Runner Up | Divyasree Kollipara | — | India | 6.5 | |
| Open | Champion | Badole Shaunak | — | India | 7.5 |
| First Runner Up | Rishabh Kumar | — | India | 7 | |
| Second Runner Up | Adhiraj Mitra | AIM | India | 7 |
AFM Mysha Perwez won the Under 14 Girls with a strong 7.5 points. WFM Sethumlee Devhara Palliyage of Sri Lanka finished as First Runner Up, with India’s Divyasree Kollipara taking bronze. India’s Shaunak Badole topped the Under 14 Open, followed by Rishabh Kumar (silver) and AIM Adhiraj Mitra (bronze), all from India.
Under 16
| Section | Place | Player | Title | Federation | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Girls | Champion | Akshaya Sathi | WCM | India | 8.5 |
| First Runner Up | Shanmathi Sree S | WCM | India | 8 | |
| Second Runner Up | Munasinghe M A D D D | — | Sri Lanka | 6.5 | |
| Open | Champion | Goutham Krishna H | IM | India | 8 |
| First Runner Up | Abheek Bhatt | — | India | 7 | |
| Second Runner Up | Ovitigala Chenitha Mithvidu | — | Sri Lanka | 6 |
WCM Akshaya Sathi dominated the Under 16 Girls with 8.5 points, WCM Shanmathi Sree S (India) took silver, and Munasinghe M A D D D of Sri Lanka earned a well-deserved bronze. IM Goutham Krishna H claimed the Under 16 Open title with 8 points — the same player who also competed in the main Open Championship. Abheek Bhatt (India) took silver, while Chenitha Mithvidu Ovitigala of Sri Lanka earned bronze.
Under 18
| Section | Place | Player | Title | Federation | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Open | Champion | Siva Kumar Nirish Kumar | FM | Malaysia | 7.5 |
| First Runner Up | Saksham Wadhwa | — | India | 7 | |
| Second Runner Up | Reyan Md. | FM | India | 6.5 | |
| Girls | Champion | Saranya Devi Narahari | WFM | India | 7 |
| First Runner Up | Ananya Raman | WCM | India | 5 | |
| Second Runner Up | Alwis H Sandithi Kusalya | — | Sri Lanka | 4.5 |
The Under 18 Open title went to FM Siva Kumar Nirish Kumar of Malaysia, with Saksham Wadhwa (India) taking silver and FM Reyan Md. (India) earning bronze. WFM Saranya Devi Narahari of India was crowned Under 18 Girls Champion, WCM Ananya Raman (India) claimed silver, and Alwis H Sandithi Kusalya of Sri Lanka took a fine bronze.
Sri Lanka’s Medal Haul
🇱🇰 Sri Lanka — Full Medal Summary
- Open Championship — IM Liyanage Ranindu Dilshan: First Runner Up 🥈
- Open, 11th Place — CM Vinuka Dihain Wijerathna
- Open, 17th Place — AIM A A T Nethsara Dias
- Under 20 (2nd Runner Up) — FM Dishal Nimsara Weerasekara 🥉
- Under 8 Open Champion — AFM Dihela Thevin Wijesinghe Y M 🥇
- Under 8 Open 1st Runner Up — R P Himaru Vihas Rathnaweera 🥈
- Under 8 Girls 2nd Runner Up — ACM Himandi Sehansa De Silva Rajaratne 🥉
- Under 10 Girls 1st Runner Up — W Yurenle Angela Fernando 🥈
- Under 10 Open 2nd Runner Up — K Rivinu Dewhan Tilakawardena 🥉
- Under 12 Open Champion — CM Thehas Rithmitha Kiringoda 🥇
- Under 12 Open 2nd Runner Up — AIM Biman Koswattage 🥉
- Under 14 Girls 1st Runner Up — WFM Sethumlee Devhara Palliyage 🥈
- Under 16 Girls 2nd Runner Up — Munasinghe M A D D D 🥉
- Under 16 Open 2nd Runner Up — Chenitha Mithvidu Ovitigala 🥉
- Under 18 Girls 2nd Runner Up — Alwis H Sandithi Kusalya 🥉
Sri Lanka’s collective medal haul at these Championships underlines the island nation’s emergence as a serious and growing force in Commonwealth chess. The breadth of achievement — from the youngest Under 8 players sweeping the open podium, to seasoned junior stars earning medals across multiple age groups, to IM Liyanage Ranindu Dilshan’s heroics in the main Open — tells the story of a chess ecosystem that is thriving at every level.
Congratulations to every winner, runner-up, and participant at the Commonwealth Chess Championships 2026. A special word of appreciation goes to the Chess Federation of Sri Lanka, the organising team, the arbiters, and all the volunteers who made this grand event possible. The memories made at Hotel Citrus, Kalutara, will inspire a generation of Sri Lankan chess players for years to come.
