Matara was alive with the sound of chess clocks and the crackle of competitive energy as the Grand Rockland Hotel played host to the 08th SSC Open International Rating Chess Championship 2026 — a landmark event that stretched from June 26 through July 1 and packed three separate FIDE-rated championships into one magnificent festival. Organized by the SSC International Chess Academy – Matara, the 2026 edition brought together hundreds of players from across Sri Lanka and beyond, making it one of the most celebrated SSC Opens in the tournament’s eight-year history.
The Standard Championship: Six Days of Grit and Glory
The flagship Standard event was the heartbeat of the entire week. Played over multiple rounds under the Swiss system, the competition carried an average field rating of 1492 and attracted a remarkably deep pool of talent — from seasoned titled players to promising youth stars taking on the open field for the first time. International participation added further prestige, with players from India also making their presence felt on the boards.
When the final round concluded, A A H M B Senarathne stood alone at the summit, crowned the outright Champion with a commanding 8 points. His performance across six days was a study in consistency and precision — absorbing pressure from a world-class field and emerging without conceding the initiative at the decisive moments. It was a worthy champion’s campaign from start to finish.
Just behind him came the story that captured every heart in the playing hall: WFM Sethumlee Devhara Palliyage finished as First Runner Up with 7½ points, making her the highest-placed female player in the entire open field — an extraordinary achievement in such a fiercely competitive environment. Five other elite players also finished on 7½ points — S D Nadev Insara, Dhanushka Bandara, CM S Sivathanujan, H H Sasindu Lakshitha, and S D Sadev Minsara — with tiebreak calculations separating them from the podium after an intense battle to the end.
The category sections delivered their own drama. Among the youth, Sanuk Nanayakkara and Sehath Abayasinghe shared the Under 14 Boys title with 7 points apiece, while I M N S Ilangasinghe was dominant in the Under 12 Boys. The women’s section was lit up by V G E Ranasinghe, who claimed the Among Women title with a superb 7 points overall. K G Dewli Abinadi Chanseya took the Under 14 Girls crown, and R B Hasadi Sethumsa topped the Under 12 Girls. In the team competitions, Sri Lanka Navy swept the Mercantile and Government Sector title, while the Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology (SLIIT) proudly claimed the Higher Education Sector honours.
The Rapid Championship: A Three-Way Thriller
June 27 brought the Rapid Chess Championship, and with it an unforgettable afternoon of high-speed chess. FM Pesandu Rashmitha Liyanage emerged as Rapid Champion with 8 points, but the story of the day was the scoreline at the top — Osheen De Silva and Misothan Balendran also finished on 8 points in a breathtaking three-way tie that needed tiebreaks to resolve. WFM Sethumlee Devhara Palliyage, already a hero of the Standard event, added the Among Women Rapid crown to her week’s remarkable haul. Kavinu Sathnura Weerathunga dazzled in the Under 14 Boys section, topping the category with an outstanding 7½ points.
The Blitz Championship: Sivathanujan Strikes
If the Standard was a marathon of endurance, the Blitz on June 28 was pure lightning. CM S Sivathanujan — the highest-rated player in the festival at an impressive 2148 — had narrowly missed the Standard title despite his elite standing, but the Blitz was where he delivered his defining statement of the week. He stormed to the Blitz Championship with 8 points in emphatic style, leaving no room for debate. A A H M B Senarathne, riding the confidence of his Standard triumph, and teenage talent Sehath Abayasinghe also finished on 8 points — a stunning podium settled only on tiebreaks. Ashvini Pavalachandran was the standout of the women’s section, claiming the Among Women Blitz crown with a brilliant 7½ points.
The Team Behind the Tournament
None of this would have been possible without the dedication of the organizing team. Tournament Director FA D S A Chamara Prageeth oversaw the logistics of a complex, multi-event festival with impressive precision. Chief Arbiter IA H N Chathuranga Gunasena and Deputy Chief Arbiter IA D G D Chamil Thilakarathne ensured the highest standards of fair play and professional arbitering throughout. For the Rapid event, FA D S A Dulanga Dilhan served as Sector Arbiter, adding to the outstanding officiating team assembled for the occasion.
The Grand Rockland Hotel in Matara once again proved a superb setting for competitive chess, and the atmosphere throughout the week — from the youngest Under 6 players making their very first competitive moves, to the over-50 veterans reminding everyone that chess truly is a game for life — was everything a chess lover could wish for.
Congratulations to every champion, prize winner, and participant who made the 08th SSC Open International Rating Chess Championship 2026 a week to remember. The chess family of Sri Lanka should be immensely proud.
