The Sri Lanka National Team Chess Championship 2026 Super League delivered a week of gripping, high-stakes team chess, as ten of the country’s most powerful clubs went to war across nine demanding rounds from August 26 to 30. Organized under the Chess Federation of Sri Lanka, the Super League is the pinnacle of club chess on the island, and this edition lived up to every bit of its billing, with a champion decided only on the finest of tiebreaks.
Played as a nine-round team event over five intense days, the tournament brought together a glittering mix of local heroes and international guns. Several clubs bolstered their line-ups with strong Indian imports, and the top boards read like a who’s who of the region’s talent, giving Sri Lanka’s rising players the priceless experience of facing titled opposition match after match.
The title race could hardly have been closer. Fischer Chess Club and Blue and Gold Chess Club both stormed to 12 match points, refusing to buckle across the long week, and when the dust settled the two giants could not be separated. It was Fischer who claimed the crown on game-point tiebreak, finishing on 32 to Blue and Gold’s 30.5, a margin as slim as they come. Fischer’s triumph was built on the rock-solid brilliance of Indian IM Himal Gusain, who was simply outstanding on board three, powering to eight points from nine games and losing just once all week. Around him, the Sri Lankan contingent held firm, with steady contributions from Kashyapa Kulasekara and IM Romesh Weerawardane proving decisive in the tightest moments.
Blue and Gold, for their part, could feel desperately unlucky to miss out on gold by so slender a margin. Their captain-like figure CM Vinuka Dihain Wijerathna was magnificent on board six, racking up seven points from nine, while Thisarindu Induwara chipped in with a superb five from seven. In the end, a single half-point here or there would have flipped the entire championship, a reminder of just how cruel and captivating team chess can be.
The battle for the final podium spot was every bit as fierce. Läufer Chess Club took third on 11 match points, edging The Glory of Kings on tiebreak after both finished level. Läufer’s charge was spearheaded by two towering IM performances, with Soham Kamotra scoring a phenomenal 8.5 from nine on board four and Ranindu Dilshan Liyanage adding 7.5 from eight, a combined haul that carried the club through. The Glory of Kings, powered by Indian IM Indrajeet Mahindrakar and the ever-reliable CM Chenitha Sihas Dinsara Karunasena, who notched seven points, pushed them all the way to the wire.
There were fine individual displays throughout the field. Maroons Chess Club’s IM Sidhant Mohapatra was a wall on board four with 7.5 from nine, FM Rajan M Dinesh matched that tally for Anandians, and young Thushanu Yasmith Ganepola was a revelation for Kandyan Lions, top-scoring with 6.5 points against seasoned opposition. Every club, from the champions right down to the spirited One Direction by Rawana Squad, added something to a championship that showcased the very best of Sri Lankan club chess.
Beyond the results, the Super League captured everything that makes team chess so special. The camaraderie of playing for a badge rather than just yourself, the roar of a match swinging on the final board, and the sight of local juniors testing themselves against Grandmasters and International Masters. It is exactly this kind of competition that strengthens the roots of the game across the island.
Warmest congratulations to Fischer Chess Club on a hard-earned national title, to Blue and Gold and Läufer for their superb podium finishes, and to every club and every player who battled through this unforgettable week. To the champions, your consistency and courage shone through. To those who came up just short, your day is coming. A heartfelt thank you to the Chess Federation of Sri Lanka, the arbiters and officials, and everyone who made the tournament possible.
