Oshini Gunawardana won first runners-up position in the Western Asian Juniors and Girls Rapid Chess Championship held on November 29 at the Auditorium of the Board of Investors of Sri Lanka (BOI) World Trade Centre in Colombo.
Susal de Silva, a student from Nalanda College, clinched the second runner-up spot after a four-way tie for the championship with 5.5/7 points.
The title went to International Master GB Harshavardhan of India, with Vepaly Halynyazow of Turkmenistan securing the first runner-up position.
In the Western Asian Junior Girls Rapid Championship, Oshini Gunawardhana of Wycherley International School scored an impressive 6/7 points. Despite her stellar performance, she secured the first runner-up position due to tiebreak rules. The championship title in this category was claimed by WIM Zeinep Sultanbek of Kazakhstan, with WFM Lala Shohradova of Turkmenistan securing the second runner-up position.
The tournament featured a total of 40 players from Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Turkmenistan. Using a rapid format with a time control of 15 minutes plus a 10-second increment from move 01, the event brought together a diverse and competitive field.
