UAE, Dec 22, Fri: Sri Lanka’s International Master Susal de Silva from Nalanda College emerged as the top player in the Under-18 Open category, bagging the gold medal. The tournament, the Asian Youth Chess Championship, overseen by the Asian Chess Federation and guided by the World Chess Federation, took place from December 14 to 21 in a thrilling showdown in the United Arab Emirates.
Facing tough competition from 40 players, Susal de Silva stood out by winning all seven of his matches, earning a perfect score of 7/7 points. Despite a similarly impressive performance by DI Zhang of China, who also scored 7/7 points, Susal’s outstanding achievement secured him the undisputed champion title.
In the Under-12 Girls category, Oshini Gunawardhana of Wycherley International School demonstrated remarkable skill among 57 participants. Despite a single loss in the 5th round, Gunawardhana’s overall performance earned her the first runner-up position, securing the silver medal with 7/9 points. The gold medal in this category went to Muziyan Gao of China, who scored an impressive 8.5/9 points. Mariya Kholyavko of Kazakhstan secured the bronze medal for the second runner-up place with 6.5/9 points.
The week-long tournament, featuring categories from Under-8 to Under-18 for both boys and girls, implemented a time control of 90 minutes plus a 30-second increment from move one. Each championship followed a rigorous nine-round Swiss format.
