CHESS QUEEN DEVINDYA

BATTLES CHALLENGES TO MAKE SRI LANKA PROUD

- By Kamanthi Wickramasinghe

For Devindya Oshini Gunawardhana (13), chess is something more than a board game.

What began as a pastime to beat her sister at the game had transformed her life to a point where she now has no challenge in facing local chess competitions. At present, Gunawardhana has made history as the youngest Women's International Master (WIM) title holder in the world, a chess title awarded by the World Chess Federation (FIDE). But mounting financial hardships are an everyday challenge for her family who seeks a sponsor to help their younger daughter reach greater heights in life through the sport. The Daily Mirror met with Devindya a few hours before she embarked on her dream tour to contest the FIDE Women's Chess World Cup currently underway in Batumi, Georgia. She is the youngest player participating at this Championship. This is her story.

A bright star

Devindya is a past pupil of Ferguson Girls' High School, Ratnapura and had started playing chess at age 7. It all started when her uncle had gifted a chess board to her elder sister for her birthday. "But she didn't know how to play the game and we taught her the rules," said Chandima Dissanayake, Devindya's mother. But Devindya insisted that she too should be taught the game because she wanted to beat her sister. This was her introduction to chess.

But what began as a past time at home transformed into a serious sport and Devindya was determined to show her talents to the world. Having mastered the techniques under the supervision of several chess masters including Jagath Ketalawela, Devindya was unstoppable at one point.

Some of her notable achievements amidst a long list of accomplishments are as follows;

■2021 Asian Youth Online Chess Championship (U-10 girls) – 2nd runners up