Athula and Vineetha - chess champs

Sanjaya Ariyaratne

Athula Russell and Vineetha Wijesuriya clinched the national men's and women's titles respectively at the National Chess Championships held at the Cooperative School in Polgolla, Kandy recently. The championships were conducted by the Chess Federation of Sri Lanka.

Vineetha Wijesuriya did well to retain her national crown for the second successive year and this is the eleventh time that she won the national title while Athula was crowned as Sri Lanka national champion for the fourth time by winning this year.

The top ten players of both men and women events namely Athula Russell, Gayan Peiris, Chathura Rajapaksha, Luxman Wijesuriya and G.C. Anuruddha including top five women are likely to take part in the forthcoming Chess Olympiad which is to be held in Germany in November this year representing Sri Lanka, (women) Vineetha Wijesuriya, Lihini Walallawita, Anjana Perera, Dilini Umesha and Supeshala Thilakawardena.

National Youth Chess C'ship

Meanwhile, The National Youth Chess Championship 2008 finals conducted by the Chess Federation of Sri Lanka (CFSL) is scheduled to be held from June 12 to 15 at the Colombo Public Library.

The players who have been selected from the CFSL tournaments held in Province wise under the categories of boys and girls under 8, 10, 12, 14, 16 and 18 will take part in this event.