Sri Lanka’s boys’ team claimed the gold medal in the D category, while the girls’ team protected bronze in the C category at the FIDE Chess Olympiad, which finished in Hungary.
In the final round, the Sri Lankan open team faced a strong Thailand team. Entering the last round ranked second in their category, the Sri Lankans fought hard to secure a 2-2 draw despite being out-rated on three of the four boards.
International Master (IM) Ranindu Liyanage led the charge, drawing against Thailand’s IM Prim Laohawirapap on board one. Although Kosala Amaratunga was beaten on board two, Dinujaya Kodithuwakku stepped up with a crucial win over Jonathan Bodemar. Danushka Bandara drew with FIDE Master (FM) Wisuwat Teerapabpaisit, helping Sri Lanka emerge victorious in the D category with 11 match points, finishing ahead of Liechtenstein and Pakistan.
All four members of the open team put on strong performances, with IM Ranindu Liyanage bringing a rating performance of 2414 and Dinujaya Kodithuwakku performing at a 2220 level, finishing with a score of 7/11.
The Sri Lankan women’s team finished their tournament on a high note, defeating North Macedonia 2.5-1.5 in their final round. Woman Candidate Master (WCM) Sandula Dahamdi drew against Woman FIDE Master (WFM) Monika Stojkovska on board one, and though WCM Tharushi Niklesha suffered a defeat on board two, victories from WCM Ehsha Mishela Pallie and WFM Devindya Oshini Gunawardena secured Sri Lanka’s win. The Sri Lankan women’s team finished with 13 match points, earning them third place in the C group behind Turkmenistan and Malaysia.
WCM Sandula Dahamdi and 12-year-old WFM Devindya Oshini Gunawardena were standout performers for Sri Lanka, with Sandula counting 5/7 on board one and achieving a rating performance of 2192, while Oshini excelled on board four with a remarkable score of 8.5/9 and a performance rating of 2230.
India conquered the tournament, winning gold medals in both the Open and Women’s categories for the first time. The United States and Uzbekistan claimed silver and bronze in the Open section, while Kazakhstan and the USA completed the podium in the Women’s section.
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