The 36th National Youth Festival 2026, one of Sri Lanka’s most prestigious inter-district youth sports events, brought the chess community together at the National Youth Services Council (NYSC) in Colombo from 17th to 19th July 2026. Organised by the National Youth Services Council (NYSC) – Sports, the event featured two parallel chess competitions — a Men’s team championship and a Women’s team championship — with district teams from across the island fighting for national bragging rights.
The tournament was played under a Swiss-System team format across five rounds, with a standard classical time control of 90 minutes per player plus a 30-second increment per move from move one. Mr. P A C Priyal, Assistant Director Sport, served as Tournament Director, while IA Washini Chamithri Surasinghe led proceedings as Chief Arbiter, supported by a strong team including FA Thejan Rathnayake, NA W V A K P Perera, and Hasini Bandara among others.
The Men’s championship attracted twenty-two district teams, while the Women’s championship featured sixteen district teams, making it one of the deepest and most competitive editions of the National Youth Festival chess events in recent years.
Galle District’s Historic Double
The headline of the entire festival was written by the Galle District, which delivered a spectacular sweep — clinching gold in both the Men’s and Women’s team chess events. Both Galle sides finished unbeaten across the five rounds, dropping only a single match point apiece and racking up nine team points each to top the tables comfortably on tiebreaks.
In the Men’s section, the Galle side leaned heavily on the brilliance of AGM Pasindu Nimsara Dharmakeerthi on Board 3, who produced a flawless 5 out of 5 performance to claim one of the standout individual campaigns of the entire tournament. AIM Adheesha Akash contributed 4 points on Board 6, while AFM Tharaka Priyanath and AGM Gayashan De Silva anchored the top boards with steady, experienced play. Galle’s crucial fourth-round win over Kurunegala District proved to be the defining moment of their campaign.
The Galle women’s team was inspired by the imperious form of WFM Esandi Newansa, who swept through her five games with a perfect 5 out of 5 — the outstanding individual result of the Women’s championship. Hansali Dasanya added 4.5 points on Board 2, while Hasareli Hasanjana picked up 4 points on Board 6. A commanding 5½–½ opening-round demolition of Colombo District set the tone, and Galle never looked back.
Kurunegala’s Double Silver Effort
Runner-up honours in both sections went to Kurunegala District, whose fighters put together brilliant campaigns of their own. In the Men’s event, Kurunegala finished on 8 team points, powered by a perfect 5 out of 5 from Thenuga Dilneth Bandaranayake on Board 5 — one of only two players in the men’s field to achieve the feat. D C B K Senevirathne and M D M R Harshana Ramanayake each added 4 points as the team crushed both Batticaloa and Nuwara Eliya 6–0 across their five-round journey.
In the Women’s event, Kurunegala also secured second place with 8 team points, with WCM I M T S Gunawardena contributing 4 solid points on Board 7 and Sathya S S adding 3.5.
Urban Youth and Kandy Complete the Podiums
The Men’s bronze went to Urban Youth District, edging out Jaffna and Matara on tiebreaks. Their campaign was defined by CM Malisha Sasvidu Weerathungalage, who registered a spectacular 5 out of 5 on Board 4, ably supported by Minura Sathsindu (4/5) and Bhanila Mathes Arachchi (4/5).
The Women’s bronze medal was clinched by Kandy District, who finished on 7 team points, with Gehansa Ranumi Dange (4.5/5) and Neksha Maddumage (4/5) leading their charge in a tense finale.
A Festival to Remember
Five rounds, hundreds of games, dramatic tiebreak calculations, and inspiring individual performances — the 36th National Youth Festival 2026 celebrated the very best of Sri Lanka’s youth chess talent. From coastal Galle to the highlands of Kandy and the deep north of Jaffna, every corner of the country was represented, reminding us once again that Sri Lankan chess is thriving at the grassroots and district levels.
Heartfelt congratulations to the Galle District on their brilliant double gold — a truly historic achievement — as well as to Kurunegala District for their fantastic double silver, and to Urban Youth District and Kandy District for their well-earned bronze medals. Special appreciation goes to the National Youth Services Council for hosting the event so professionally, to Tournament Director Mr. P A C Priyal, to Chief Arbiter IA Washini Chamithri Surasinghe and her arbiter team, and to every young player and coach who made the journey to Colombo to represent their district with pride.
The 36th National Youth Festival is over — but the memories, medals, and lessons will echo across Sri Lanka’s chess community for a long time to come.
