WCM M Esandi Newansa secured the bronze medal in the Under-17 Girls’ category at the FIDE World School Chess Championships 2025, marking a significant achievement in her chess career.
The FIDE World School Chess Championships 2025 took place from March 20 to March 28, 2025, at the ZEPTER Hotel Conference Hall in Vrnjačka Banja, Serbia. Organized by the Serbia Chess Federation in collaboration with the International Chess Federation (FIDE), the event featured age-group competitions for Under-7, Under-9, Under-11, Under-13, Under-15, and Under-17 categories, with separate divisions for open and girls’ competitions. Each category was played in a nine-round Swiss format with a time control of 90 minutes plus a 30-second increment per move.
Competing in the Under-17 Girls’ category, which featured 24 players, WCM M Esandi Newansa entered the tournament as the 12th seed in the initial ranking. She displayed an impressive performance, finishing with 6 out of 9 points and securing the third-place position on the podium. This accomplishment marks her first medal at the world level in chess.
The championship title in the Under-17 Girls’ category was claimed by WCM Batpelden Buyankhishig of Mongolia, who scored 7.5 points out of 9. WFM Anastasia Kirtadze of Georgia secured the first runner-up position with 7 points. Esandi’s strong performance in this tournament resulted in a remarkable gain of 84.8 ELO rating points.
Esandi is a student of Dharmasoka College and is trained by FI Gihan De Silva. Her bronze medal at this prestigious international event is a testament to her dedication and skill, and it is expected that she will continue to bring further success to Sri Lanka’s chess community.
