Doluweera in the lead ahead of semi-finals

Sri Lanka Chess Grand Prix 2021

by Reemus Fernando  

Minul Doluweera took a seemingly unassailable lead when he won his tenth round game of the Sri Lanka Chess Grand Prix 2021 at the CFSL Headquarters, Gangodawila, Nugegoda on Friday.

Heading to the 11th round which was scheduled for the evening yesterday, the Royal College, Colombo player had the highest aggregate as he beat Elath Mathanga de Silva.

Doluweera who was the number two at the last National Championship came to yesterday’s competition with an aggregate of eight points against his name after the win against Nabil Nazar of Gateway College, Dehiwala in the ninth round.

Alongside Doluweera, National Champion Ranindu Liyanage, Denuwan Theekshana and S. Sivathanujan were the likely candidates to advance to today’s double round semi-finals.

The sixteen-year-old Ranindu Liyanage (beat Senuka Aswin Ahangama), Denuwan Theekshana (beat Madushan Sameera Dissanayake), Sivathanujan (beat Jude Dorison) and Pesandu Liyanage (beat Nabil Nazar Mohamed) recorded victories in the tenth round games which were played in the morning.

With one round (scheduled for the evening on Friday) remaining in the round robin stage, the first two positions were unlikely to change as Diluweera and Liyanage had nine and 8.5 points respectively against their names.

The third and fourth positions were to be decided after the game between Theekshana Denuwan and Sivathanujan.

In the other game played in the morning Isara Banindu Dahanayake drew with A.A.C.B. Amarasinghe.

The double round semi-finals and the finals will be held over the weekend (February 6 and 7). The Sri Lanka Chess Grand Prix 2021 conducted by the Chess Federation of Sri Lanka will offer cash rewards of Rs. 110,000.00 to the winners