Sampath Bank win MCA Rapid Chess Championship - 2009

CHESS: Sampath Bank Chess Team which consisted of Dulan Edirisinghe, Sanjeewa Subasinghe and Nuwan Harischandra won the Mercantile Rapid Chess Championship conducted by the Mercantile Chess Association at Lions Activity Centre, Colombo 07.

In second place was Sampath Bank 'B' team which consisted of Kasun Perera, Sashikala Yatawara and Madunika Ekanayake. There was a 'tie' for third place between Sampath Bank 'A' team consisting of A.B. Jayaswarna, Kalana Abeysinghe and Nishantha Withanage and Dilook Chess Club that had K.M.A. Milan, H. Nimal Perera and N.A.G. Abeywardane.

Merit certificates were awarded to People's Leasing and Finance PLC, WNS Global Services, Union Assurance PLC, Ceylon Business Appliances (Pvt) Ltd., Seylan Merchant Bank PLC. The awards ceremony for the 2008 and 2009 tournaments conducted by Mercantile Chess Association were also held.

The Secretary of the Mercantile Chess Association Mrs. Suneetha Wijesuriya said that it was the aim of the Mercantile sector to get up a Grand Master among them so that more and more will take to chess so that the playing members will increase.

The President of the Mercantile Chess Association Ramal Jasinghe said that he was particularly happy to see the increase in the number of chess players and to witness a successful Rapid Chess Tournament.

Mr. Jasinghe commended the effort of Mrs. Sunetha Wijesuriya to make chess popular in the Mercantile Sector and also among the students islandwide through Anatoly Karpov Chess Club. He said that the promotional work done by Mrs. Suneetha Wijesuriya was tremendous and it speaks well for the future of chess in Sri Lanka.