Pesandu and Ehsha shine at National Amateur Open and Women’s Chess 2022

Pesandu Rashmitha Liyanage and WCM Ehsha Mishela Pallie were crowned as champions of the National Amateur Open and Women’s Chess Championships 2022.

Pesandu of Super Knights Chess Club won the Open category while and Ehsha of Visakha clinched the Women’s title in the event which was organised by the Chess Federation of Sri Lanka (CFSL).

Among 231 competitors in the Open championship Pesandu scored 7.5 out of 9 points, recording only a loss in round 6 and drawing in second round. For the runner-up position, nine players were tied with 7 out of 9 points.

But with better tie-breaks, Vinuda Shenal Gunathilake of Royal College and CM A.A.C.B. Amarasinghe of Super Knights

Chess Club finished at second and third behind Pesandu respectively.

Ehsha scored 8 out of 9 points to claim the Women’s championship, surpassing 81 other competitors with ease. Maintaining an unbeaten streak, she only drew two games. Two players were in contention for the runner-up position scorinf 7 out of 9 points each. With a better tie-break, Prathibha Nethsarani Bandara of Horizon International College emerged the runner-up, while Dehansa Nisanduni Sandanayake of St. Paul’s Girls’ School had to satisfy with the third position.

The tournament consisted of a total of nine rounds each and play in standard time control of 90 minutes and an increment of 30 seconds from the first move.