Blitz chess is chaos distilled into three minutes and on Saturday, August 2nd, 2026, the halls of Dharmapala Vidyalaya in Pannipitiya were gloriously full of it. The National Youth Blitz Chess Championship 2026, organised by the Chess Federation of Sri Lanka, gathered the island’s most promising young players across ten age categories for a single, breathless day of competition.
Each game was played at a lightning time control of three minutes plus a two-second increment per move, a format where hesitation is fatal and instinct is everything. Most sections ran as a nine-round Swiss-system event, while the under-18 girls’ category was contested as a round robin. Over nine rounds, the pressure was relentless, and only the steadiest hands and quickest minds rose to the top.
The championship was directed by Tournament Director FT FM R S Kalugampitiya, with IA Thiwanka Tissera serving as chief arbiter. He was ably supported by Deputy Chief Arbiters IA Tharindu Weerasekara and IA Washini Chamithri Surasinghe, with NA A P Sasindu Sahasra managing the pairings that kept the long day running smoothly.
If one performance defined the tournament, it belonged to Chanthuli Thanishka De Silva in the Under-16 Girls section. She did the near-impossible in Blitz, winning all nine of her games for a flawless 9/9, brushing aside every challenger to claim the title with a full point to spare. It was a display of dominance that will be remembered long after the clocks stopped.
Drama of a different kind unfolded in the Under 12 Open, one of the largest and toughest fields of the day. CM Thehas Rithmitha Kiringoda stayed unbeaten across the whole event, dropping just a single half-point in the very last round to finish on 8.5 and edge out Lohas Dewmina Rodrigo and CM Chenitha Sihas Dinsara Karunasena, who both closed on 8.
There were comebacks, too. In the Under-08 Girls, little Hesali Yuhasna Gamage stumbled with a sixth-round loss to her closest rival, Meleesha Thennakoon, but instead of folding, she stormed back to win her final three games and lift the trophy on 8 points. In the Under 16 Open, T H D Thisarindu Induwara absorbed an early defeat and recovered to finish level on 7.5 with Chenitha Mithvidu Ovitigala, taking gold only on a tiebreak in one of the day’s tensest finishes.
The champions rolled in across every age group. AFM Himeth Sethmira Wasala topped the Under-08 Open on the 8. WCM Sayumi Sithumila Halangoda ruled the Under-12 Girls with 8. Kisali Chenulya Waduge won a hard-fought Under-14 Girls title on 8, while AIM Nethsara Dias matched that total to take the Under-14 Open. Among the eldest, Gehansa Ranumi Dange of Girls’ High School, Kandy, won the Under-18 Girls round robin with 8, and W. M. Minura Sathsindu claimed the Under-18 Open, also on 8.
Beyond the results, the atmosphere was what made the day special. Parents crowded the corridors, arbiters darted between boards, and the youngest players, some barely eight years old, showed a poise that belied their years. Events like this are the backbone of Sri Lankan chess, the proving ground where the national stars of tomorrow first taste competition and learn to handle both victory and defeat with grace.
Warmest congratulations to every champion, medallist, and participant who competed with such heart and sportsmanship. To every young player who sat down, shook hands, and fought until the last second ticked away: you are the future of the game, and Sri Lankan chess is brighter because of you.
