Lahiru Munasughe emerged as the winner of the 12th Mercantile/Government Services International Rating Chess Championship 2024, while A H Chamika Dewanthi claimed the women’s championship title. EvonSys (Pvt) Ltd secured the team championship in this prestigious event.
The championship, held from May 24th to 27th at Sanhinda Leisure Centre, Nugegoda, was organised by the Chess Federation of Sri Lanka for the 12th consecutive year. A prize fund of LKR 475,000 was awarded to the winners, along with medals, certificates, and trophies. The tournament followed a 9-round Swiss format with a time control of 90 minutes plus a 30-second increment from move one.
In the Open category, Lahiru Munasinghe of EvonSys (Pvt) Ltd won the championship with a score of 6/7 points. Despite a four-way tie at 6 points, Munasinghe clinched the title with superior tie-breaks. M A N Danushka of Bank of Ceylon and P D Marasinghe of Synopsys Lanka (Pvt) Ltd secured the first and second runners-up positions respectively. E D S Chandula of Acentura (Pvt) Ltd finished in fourth place based on tie-break criteria.
In the Women’s category, A H Chamika Dewanthi of EvonSys (Pvt) Ltd won the championship with 4.5/7 points. Five players tied for the first runner-up position with 4 points each, but with better tie-breaks, A K Rajapaksha of MAS Holdings and WFM S A K Chandrasiri of SyscoLABS secured the first and second runners-up positions respectively. V N W Siriwardana of IFS, Sahani Goonetilleke of Synopsys Lanka (Pvt) Ltd, and W G A Lakmali of the Ministry of Health finished in fourth, fifth, and sixth places respectively.
In the Team Championship, EvonSys (Pvt) Ltd won the title. MAS Holdings secured the first runners-up position, while Synopsys (Pvt) Ltd claimed the second runners-up position.
Team members of EvonSys (Pvt) Ltd:
– Lahiru Munasinghe
– K R V R Subasinghe
– A H Chamika Dewanthi
Team members of MAS Holdings:
– Ravi Prabath Dickmadugodage
– J M C B Rathgalla
– Manushka Yatawala
– A K Rajapaksha
– Minura Munasinghe
Team members of Synopsys (Pvt) Ltd:
– P D Marasinghe
– M B Wijerathne
– Sahani Goonetilleke
– M F M Nalim
– Punsisi Bandara Kiridana
In the unrated category, M D Madusha of MAS Holdings won the championship with 4/7 points. With better tie-breaks, Madusha triumphed over two other players tied at 4 points. C G Wijenayake of IFS and N H Rajamantri of IFS secured the first and second runners-up positions respectively.
In the rating category of 1400-1599, Ruwan Prasanka Weerasinghe won the championship with 5/7 points. Disal Subasinghe finished as the first runner-up with 4.5 points. Eleven players tied at 4 points, but with superior tie-breaks, A H Katugampola of Ranmal Tours secured the second runner-up position.
The awards ceremony was graced by Mr Luxman Wijesuriya and Mr Rajeendra Kalugampitiya on behalf of the Chess Federation of Sri Lanka. The Federation extends its congratulations to all the winners and participants for their outstanding performances.