Sri Lanka Open & Women’s National Chess Championships were held from 25th March to 03rd April 2023 at the Sports Ministry , Torrington Square, Colombo. The organizing Chess Federation of Sri Lanka offered the biggest prize money in Sri Lankan Chess history where Rs 250,000.00 was allocated to the Open Champion and Rs 200,000.00 was allocated to the Women’s National Champion with a total cash fund of Rs 1,000,000/- distributed among winners.
IM LMST De Silva of Nalanda College won the Sri Lanka Nationals Chess Championship scoring 10.5/14 points for the 3rd consecutive year In Open Section. Susal, who was the top rank at the start, showed that he is the best player in Sri Lanka without doubt.
Young Dishal Nimsara Weerasekara. who is a 13 year schoolboy from Sri Chandananda Buddhist College, Kandy and FM Ranindu Dilshan Liyanage of Ananda College tied for the first runner-up positions scoring 10/14 points. But with a better tie-break, Dishal Nimsara Weerasekara secured the first runner-up position and FM Ranindu Dilshan Liyanage had to satisfy with the second runner-up position.
WCM Dahamdi Sanudula of Musaeus College won the Sri Lanka Women’s Nationals Chess Championship scoring 10.5/14 points. She lost only one game in the 7th round. In the Women’s Section, 14 players competed where WCM Dahamdi Sanudula was the top seed of the starting rank list.
H M H Janandani Abeysinghe (NSBM Green University) & WCM Pasindi Yathra Wijesuriya (University of Moratuwa) tied for the first runner-up positions scoring 9/14 points. But with a better tie-break, H M H Janandani Abeysinghe secured the first runner-up position and WCM Wijesuriya had to satisfy with the second runner-up position.