Yesterday was a proud day for Sri Lanka Chess. It was just 17 years old Minul Doluweera a schoolboy from Royal College, Colombo achieved the biggest Chess Crown in the Country, The National Championship 2017. Congratulations! Little kid. I don’t know whether you are youngest compared to Chamika in 2010 but it’s great to win a National Chess Championship being a school boy.

Young Gihansa Jayaweera, just 15 year old School girl from Dharmasoka College, Ambalangod won the Sri Lanka Women’s National Chess Championship also yesterday. Congratulations for your hard fought win. It was no a new thing that school girls winning Chess Nationals even from 1980s but this time it is special the 1st one from down south and Dharmasoka college, one of the most active Chess playing schools.

This is the future of Sri Lankan Chess, Minul, the Champion with 9.5 points, Udith Jayasundara from University of Colombo the 1st runner up with 8 points, Sasith Nipun Piyumantha of Dharmasoka College, the 2nd Runner up 7.5 points and GMH Thilakaratne of Maliyadeva College, the fifth with 7.5 points all out of 13 games in the Sri Lanka National Chess Championship. Only survived experience player was Prasanna Kurukulasuriya with 7.5 points being 4th in the final ranking.
The Women’s national Chess championship was dominated by school children as a whole. Sayuni Gihansa Jayaweera of Dharmasoka College, the Champion with 9 points, Dasuni Hansika Mendis of Visakha Vidyalaya, the 1st runner up with 9 points, Pasindi Yathra Wijesuriya of Visakha Vidyalaya, the 2nd runner up with 8 points, WA Tiyumi Yashora of Visakha Vidyalaya, the 4th with 7.5 points and Nilesha Tharushi of Visakha Vidyalaya with 7.5 points out of possible 13.

The Sri Lanka National Chess Championships 2017 was held from 10th to 17th of August 2017 at the Royal College Union Auditorium on 13 round, round robin basis. The Chess Federation of Sri Lanka offered a total cash award of Rs. 200,000/ towards the event with all other awards.