Sri Lanka girls team emerge Asian zonal chess champions
Harshana Thilakarathne
Sri Lanka emerged champions in the Girls category at the inaugural Asian Boys and Girls Online Chess Championship in their Zone 3.2 on Thursday while the Boys occupied the third position.
Leading from the front, skipper Sayuni Jayaweera won the Girls individual championship while Devnethmi Dahampriya finished third. Sri Lanka boys failed to match the girls and had to be contented with the third position. Skipper Harshana Thilakarathne finished in the third spot.
Harshana Thilakaratne of Maliyadeva College, Kurunegala and Sayuni Gihansa Jayaweera of Dharmasoka College, Ambalangoda were chosen to lead Sri Lanka in this inaugural championship which commenced on May 27. It will conclude on June 4.
Six players were chosen by the Chess National Selection Committee to participate in the inaugural event, which will be conducted by the Asian Chess Federation among countries who will field teams of three boys and three girls. Initially it will be a selection event among the zone of the country and top three players of the 7-zone tournament will compete for the final round on June 4.
Sayuni Jayaweera
The seven Asian zones designated by the Asian Chess Federation competing in the tournament are: Zone 3.1 Arabian, 3.2 South Asian, 3.3 China, 3.4 Asean, 3.5 Post Soviet States, 3.6 Oceania, 3.7 India.
Sri Lanka are in Zone 3.2 with Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal, Malaysia and Bhutan. The national champion and International Master-elect Harshana Thilakarathne leads the Boys team with Gayantha Dassanayake from St. Sylvester’s College, Kandy and Theekshana Denuwan of Ananda College, Colombo who performed in respective National Rapid Chess Championships.
Sayuni Gihansa Jayaweera, the National Women’s chess champion of Dharmasoka College, Ambalangoda, leads the women’s outfit while Devnethmi Dahampriya of Visakha Vidyalaya, who won the silver medal at the South Asian Women Chess Championships and Sanidula Dahamdi, the winner of National Women’s Rapid Chess Championship being the other members of the team.
Sri Lanka Chess were to participate in the Asian Youth Chess Championship 2020 (April 1-10, World Cadet/Youth Rapid and Blitz Chess Championship in Greece (April 8-16), the World Chess Championship 2020 in Lima, Peru (May 2-10) and the Asian Schools Championship in June, which were postponed indefinitely due to coronavirus pandemic.