Pieris wins Championship for the eighth time
Telge Dantha Ravindra Pieris better known as T.D.R Pieris won the Senior National Chess Championship 2022 – (Over 50 years) in a tie breaker after tying with Derrick Perera with 5 ½ points out of possible seven games. TDR was unbeaten throughout being the Championship . (The event did not held in 2021 due to the Pandemic).
TDR who won the Sri Lanka National Chess Championship four times in 1981, 1983, 1995 and 2005 was one of the leading players in the country during his younger days . He beat Jagath Perera, AH Katugampola, Derrick Perera and Ajantha De Silva and drew with Ruwan Nandika, PK Chandrasiri and Sudharman Pitigala to win the Championship Trophy, the Gold Medal and the shared prize of Rupees 15,000/=.
Derrick beat Anthony Samuel, PK Chandrasiri, Varuna Mahasinghe, Ruwan Nandika and Ajantha De Silva, drew with Joseph Jayasinghe and lost to the winner TDR to earn 5 ½ points and the Silver Medal with the shared cash prize of Rupees 15,000/=.
Piyal Chandrasiri, Sudharman Pitigala and Ajantha De Silva tied with 4 ½ points each and Chandrasiri managed to win the Bronze Medal with a Better tie Breaker. Chandrasiri beat Thilagharajah Rajasingam, Jagath Samarasuriya, Jagath Perera and Ruwan Nandika, drew with TDR Pieris and lost two games to Derrick Perera and Amara Katugampola to reach 4 ½ points.
NAG Abeywardena won the Sri Lanka Senior National Chess championships 2022 – Over 65 category scoring 3 ½ points in seven games. Sudharman Pitigala who beat Jagath Samarasuriya, Jagath Perera, Joseph Jayasinghe, V Murali, drew with TDR Pieris in Last round and lost to Ruwan Nandika and Ajantha de Silva placed 4th while Ajantha de Silva placed 5th scoring four wins with V Murali, Joseph Jayasinghe, Sudarman Pitigala and Amara Katugampola, drew with NPP Sandanayake and lost two games to TDR Pieris and Derrick Perera. The Senior National Chess Championship was conducted by the Chess federation of Sri Lanka was held last week at CFSL headquarters. Event was held according to the Swiss System in 9 rounds. A total of 18 players participated in the event which was the highest number after establishment of the event. (D.R)