W D Malisha Sasvidu Weerathungalage and B Yenuthi Sahanlee Perera emerged victorious in the Open and Girls’ Championships of the Sri Lanka Junior National Chess Championships 2025.
The Open and Girls’ Championships of the Sri Lanka Junior Nationals were held from March 20 to 24, 2025, at NICD, Polgolla. The event was organized by the Kandy District Chess Association on behalf of the Chess Federation of Sri Lanka. The championship consisted of two categories, open and girls, both conducted as a 10-round Swiss format with a time control of 90 minutes plus a 30-second increment per move. A total prize fund of Rs 180,000.00 was awarded to the winners, along with trophies, medals, and certificates.
In the Open Championship, 519 players competed for the title. W D Malisha Sasvidu Weerathungalage of D S Senanayake College, Colombo 07, won the championship, scoring 8.5 out of 9 points. Three players tied for the championship with the same score, but with a superior tie-break score, Malisha secured the title. T H D Thisarindu Induwara of Royal College, Colombo 07, and Sethika Dinsitha Masakorala of Royal College, Monaragala, had to settle for the first and second runners-up positions, respectively.
The Girls’ Championship featured 339 participants. Yenuthi Sahanlee Perera of Sujatha Vidyalaya, Matara, claimed the title with a score of 8.5 out of 9 points. Two players tied with the same score, but Yenuthi secured the championship based on tie-break criteria, while M A D D D Munasinghe of Sumedha College, Gampaha, had to settle for the first runner-up position. Four players tied for the second runner-up position, and with a superior tie-break score, H K T I Namarathna of Maliyadeva Balika Vidyalaya, Kurunegala, secured third place. Sethumlee Devhara Palliyage of G/Sanghamiththa Balika Vidyalaya, S M I Umandi Mudalige of Ferguson High School, Ratnapura, and K P K Hesara Gunasekara of Mahamaya Girls’ College, Kandy, finished in fourth, fifth, and sixth place, respectively.
The awards ceremony was graced by Mr. Rajendra Kalugampitiya, President of the Kandy District Chess Association and Vice President of the Chess Federation of Sri Lanka.
Congratulations to all the players and winners on their outstanding performances.
Photographs – Chess Federation of Sri Lanka Facebook page
